Thanksgiving Day, 1968.

Family came down from PA to spend the day with me instead of my going home for the break. At the time, I was practicing with the track team, so had access to Memorial Coliseum. Took the family to see the building, astroturf field (big deal in those days), then the Athletic Dept offices with the big murals of the Bowl Games and trophies.

As we walked through the offices (which amazingly were open), went past Coach Bryant's office. Door was open, and the man was at his desk with a 9 inch B&W TV on watching the Lions-Eagles game.

My mother is not bashful and was always an autograph hound. So she knocked, got his attention and asked for him to sign. He obliged. Maybe he was just too shocked to do anything but be polite, but he recoverd and made small talk for a moment with her. Mom didn't overstay her welcome, thanked him and just as quickly left.

Years later, that autograph along with those of Ronald Reagan and Nolan Ryan were framed and given to my youngest who was born 11 days before the coach passed away.

A few days after Coach Bryant died, my father received in the mail from Coach Bryant an autographed 'Leaning on the Goalpost' picture. He signed it 'Best wishes, Paul "Bear" Bryant' It was dated 1-24-83. I still have the picture. It means an awful lot to me.

I am a Yankee who grew up in the Boston area in the 1960s. College football is not a very big deal in the northeast - most folks are much more into the pro game. That is how I began my football fandom. I paid little attention to the college game, preferring to watch the Boston Patriots (coached for a time by Nick Saban's cousin Lou) or, especially, the Green Bay Packers. I was an absolute Packer fanatic during the Lombardi era, and still have vivid memories of the famous 1967 "Ice Bowl" and the first 2 Super Bowls. I read Jerry Kramer's "Instant Replay" over and over to the point of wearing it out.

My favorite Packer and pro player was Bart Starr. Because of him, I became curious about Bama football. My curiosity quickly turned to fascination with the big gruff old coach in the houndstooth hat. I have lived and died with the Tide ever since. I started to learn about Bear's background and life story and found that it had many parallels to that of another of my heroes growing up, another Arkansas farm boy named Johnny Cash. Their tenacity and dedication have been tremendous sources of inspiration to me for years.

I remember very well the day Coach Bryant died. I was a relatively new (1980) law graduate working in Washington D.C. and had just gotten home from work. I turned on the evening news and saw the headline: " 'Bear' Bryant dies." I felt as though I had lost a family member. My son, whose middle name is Bryant, was born 3 months later.

The dates of Coach Bryant's birth and death are eerily personal for me. My dad and Coach Bryant were born the same year, 1913, within a few weeks of each other (Coach Bryant in September, my dad in November). Although my dad lived many years longer then Coach Bryant, the month and day of their passing are very close: Coach Bryant on January 26, my dad on January 17. I miss them both very much.

Many of my friends and family cannot understand how a New England Yankee can be such a Tide fanatic. The answer is simple: Coach Bryant.

Gary
Oak Hill, Virginia

I was 12 when my dad was pounding on the dining room table in elation
as Bama beat Auburn 10-0 in 1959. From that day since, I'm a Bama fan
for life.

I was living in Denver in 1976 when UGA beat Bama 21-0. I couldn't
believe ANYBODY could beat Alabama 21-0. I vowed to be in Tuscaloosa
in 1977. We drove to Tuscaloosa and actually walked into the Bama
locker room 4 hours before the game. I walked up to Coach Bryant
during the pre-game warm ups. He was leaning against the goal post
in the north end zone. I was no more than 5 feet from my hero and
couldn't say a word to him. The Tide won 18-10 and my 5 year old son
was hooked like his old man.

I was in Greensboro, NC on business when Coach Bryant died. I was
getting ready for work and noticed that the TV station was showing an
Alabama game. While I was watching it, the phone rang and my wife
asked me if I'd heard the news. I cried like a baby for quite awhile
and cancelled the business trip and went home.

The man was like a father not only to his players and coaches, but to
Tide fans everywhere. The feeling of pride and class that this man
taught everyone connected to Alabama will never be forgotten.

I get amused when I hear of other schools talking of their tradition.
I'm 60 years old and have lived through 7 National Championships. 6
on Coach Bryant's watch. I'm one of millions who love this man and
miss him. I teared up again just reading these other posts.

Roll Tide !

Coach Bryant's legacy is still a hug impact to this very day on my life. I was in Jr. High , 7th grade. There where only 2 people in my school who where Bama fans, myself and one of my teachers who was a Bama Graduate. I was pulled out of class by this teacher. She was in total tears she look a wreck. She got down on her knees to look me in the eyes and informed me Coach Bryant had died. We where in the hallway what seemed to be an eternity crying and holding each other. I told her we had something to do. I took her by her hand and we walked to the school office. See that day just happened to be my day to do our country's honor. We both went outside and together she and I flew Old Glory, our flag at half mast where it stayed all day. The principle did not stop us but only watched and agreed. What I haven't shared was this was not in Alabama, but in the state of Texas!!!. Our Coach Bryant was loved and respected everywhere

I was a Freshman at BAMA and was walking through the Ferguson Center main floor on that January morning in 1982. It was a surreal day, because only a month before he had called it quits, so we were all shocked and just knew that football had been keeping him alive. We soaked in every detail -- learning the night before Coach had been at the Hinton's for dinner when he suffered his heart attack, and how they attempted to revive him at the hospital for hours, to no avail. I had to fly to West Lafayette, IN that morning from Tuscaloosa Airport for a Presbyterian Youth Conference, and as my dad drove by Druid City Hospital, where Coach had been pronounced dead only a few hours before, it was as if all had gone silent, the sky was gray, and everything was moving slowly.

I spent the afternoon and evening attached to the TV when I could get a break, and I walked around the Purdue campus wearing a black arm band. I didn't pay attention to the odd looks, but just walked the campus in a bit of a stupor. I was amazed to see on TV, the lining of I-59 for the funeral procession.

As a kid growing up in Tuscaloosa, I sold cokes and programs, and ushered at every home game from '75-'81. Often I would wait, along with 30-50 fans, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours after each home game, waiting for Bear to come out of the Southwest portal and sign autographs, take pictures, and accept each congratulatory remark with an appreciative gesture. Of all the times, I only asked for his autograph once. He stayed as long as anyone asked, never in a hurry, so it seemed. Always there for the fan.

I remember back in 1978 before graduating from high school in Montgomery Alabama that I had a chance to play for Coach Bryant. He came to my parent's house & noticed my grades were not good enough to go to Alabama. He told my parents & I that if my grades improved I could play for him. But I messed up & didn't try hard enough & now I wished I had because there might of been a chance I would have played on the last team he coached.
In 1983, I was in the US Navy in the Pacific Ocean going to the Phillipines when the news broke of Coach Bryant's passing.I was in a state of shock for awhile, & when I had the chance to call home to my family, we all relived that memory of Coach Bryant coming to my parent's house.
There will never be another Coach Bryant.....God has the #1 coach calling the plays up in heaven now.RIP Coach.......we miss you very much.
Roll Tide!!!!!!!

I was at work in my hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It made me sick and I didn't get much done the remainder of that day. I was depressed for weeks because he touched my life like so many other people. I had been to his home and sat at his table. I, like many, looked up to him because of what he stood for and the class he had.
Let us always remember the goodness he stood for. To me, he is what Alabama football is all about. He gave Bama fans something we should never forget........ CRIMSON PRIDE!
I feel in my heart that coach Saban will guide us back to where we belong........ the top! Coach Bryant will be lookin' down and smiling!!!!

walking across the yard at Avalon Middle School..Brent J ran up to me and said;"coach Bryant just died"... I was in shock....he wasn't suppose to die...coach was going to live forever...