Neither his wealth nor his legacy as the son of the man who retired as college football's all-time winningest coach, however, has inclined him to lead a public life. Bryant also has a keen interest in the Civil War, and serves as chairman emeritus of the Civil War Preservation Trust, a national historic battlefield preservation organization. ", These are the stories she can tell. "I host the family holidays here at my house in Tuscaloosa, and we have so many Pauls and Marys and Mays that I have to draw up place cards for everyone and I have to use a very sophisticated system of last initials. Another large circulating newspaper during this time was the Kentucky Leader (formed by a group of Fayette County Republicans in 1888) which eventually became known as the Lexington Leader in 1901. She was 19. With the nomination tied up in the Legislature, trustee Frank Bromberg decided to resign, which allowed Bryant to fill the sixth district slot in April 2000. Hundreds of cars were lined up alongside the interstate in Birmingham to watch the procession pass. Mr. Bryant was Chairman of the Crimson Tide Tradition Fund, the organization that preceded the Crimson Tide Foundation. I always thought about that. The history of it kind of came up with lobbyists who worked for UAB at the time, some other people opposing my being on the board and it got to be kind of, sort of, a fight.. Cities and towns -- Growth -- Kentucky -- Lexington. "He could eat pheasant under glass with the president," he said, "or he could eat cheese and crackers with the boys out by the caddie shack, and he'd enjoy it all just the same. The roots of this bond, like many things with Bryant, are full of mystery, myth and misinformation. He forms his right hand into a pistol and Susie laughs, but then he starts to get lost again. He rushed back to the hospital, and when he saw the look on the team trainer's face, he knew. [9] A CBS story from December 2014 reported that Bryant Jr. was partially responsible for shuttering the UAB Football program, reportedly over a long-standing grudge with Gene Bartow over a 1991 letter to the NCAA[10] - and "out of fear it might one day challenge" the football program his father had built.[11]. Watts has said he, not University of Alabama System trustees made the decision to shut the football program down. Missing in the houndstooth beach balls and paint jobs is a person. Otherwise, we'd have no idea what was what and who was where.". City & town life -- Kentucky -- Lexington. Paul Bryant Jr., a banker and the coach's only son, says his father established the fund in 1973. . Coach Bryant died Wednesday. "That's him," she says, standing so he can sit. Billy sits up, his voice and cane rising at the indignity. The coach visited this house once. Because this is my wife and it's her middle name! Bryant said that he never made the remarks and that the entire article was fabricated. Horns' Robinson: Versatility worthy of early pick, QB Young 5-10 1/8, 204 pounds at NFL combine, Wolverines' Turner wows with 4.26 40 at combine, Smart backs UGA culture after fatal crash, arrests, Kelly inks contract extension at UCLA through '27, Top QB prospect Levis eager to unleash 'cannon', Smith-Njigba feels 100% after injury-marred '22. They were traveling, and Billy said he needed to get home for supper. Bryant's son, Paul Bryant Jr., remembers his father's birthday more than the anniversary of his death, but for most Alabama fans, everything changed "the day Bear Bryant died." There's even a song . Croakies to hold sunglasses, cuff links, purses, both the kind with handles and clutches. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). According to Social Security records, since 1959 there have been 1,403 Bryants born in Alabama -- so many that it piqued the curiosity of the Bear's original namesake, Paul William "Bear" Bryant Jr. After a lifetime of hearing "I was named for your daddy," it was Junior who approached the museum that honors his father with the idea of compiling a database of those whose names do the same. The patrolman understood and backed off. You miss a lot of things you shouldn't miss.". [1] His father, Bear Bryant, was an American football player and coach. Miss Mae Martin Bryant, daughter of Couch and Mrs. Paul Bryant, gives holiday tea. Varner never felt comfortable enough to strike up conversations with Bryant, but he could poke at the Legend of The Bear. The magazine quoted Bryant, who owned GreeneTrack in Greene County at the time, as saying that the dog track was frequented by low-class, welfare blacks.. His voice loses its pitch and clarity, sort of like he's got a mouth full of pea gravel. The Huntsville Times, Press Photo Bud Wilkinson at Funeral for Bear Bryant, Football Coach, Bud Wilkinson at Funeral for Bear Bryant, Football Coach The Huntsville Times. That's the man I'll always remember.". Billy sits in his big brown chair and looks at an oddly familiar man. "[12] In 2001. a committee of trustees met in secret, just one day after a court barred Auburn's board of trustees from doing the same thing. Married with three daughters, Bryant is known to be a student of American history, especially the Civil War. It was perhaps the most oddly attired gathering of mourners the cemetery had ever seen. He spends a long minute staring at the remote control, trying to figure out how to turn up the volume. SUFFOLK - Paul Bryant Jr., 67, retired employee of Perry Lumber Co., died Saturday, Dec. 14, 1996. "So little coming out of it. Varner told even him no. NHL trade deadline: Winners and losers, including the Bruins, Devils and Bruce Boudreau? After one trip, when the men went to a horse track, Billy came home with an envelope from Coach. Billy always walked a few feet in front of Bryant, for reasons he's trying to recall. Somebody comes up to do something to Coach Bryant, they're gonna have to get me first. Please update it here. (AP Photo/Joe Holloway Jr.), Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant's widow, Mary Harmon Bryant is helped out of the car at graveside in Birmingham, Ala., Jan. 28, 1983. $1 Million - $5 Million. In 1996, 14 years after Bryant died, he retired from the University of Alabama Police Department. A diamond of belly shows through the puckered front of his shirt. The Huntsville Times, Press Photo Joe Namath At Gravesite For Bear Bryant Funeral, Joe Namath at gravesite. Without sounding too hokey, that's why we started the bank.. "I don't ever talk to him now," Billy says. Bryant, who won 323 games in his 38 seasons -- more than any other college coach -- died Wednesday of a heart attack only 28 days after retiring. The John C. Wyatt photographs (LHL) consist of an estimated 2 million unique photographic negatives spanning the years 1939-2001. 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Young man gives final salute to Coach "Bear" Bryant. I'd drive him. "It's really important to the state that we have a successful football program. For all his business success, Bryant said in the interview that as a young man he had wanted to follow his father into coaching. Paul William Bryant Jr. was born circa 1945. Twenty-eight days later, on a Tuesday night, Billy's phone rang. 'I think Coach Bryant was the greatest leader this country ever had,' said his former All-America and Dallas Cowboy linebacker Lee Roy Jordan. He is chairman emeritus of the Civil War Preservation Trust, a Washington, D.C. -. Obviously, I had an advantage in that I had met a lot of business people through my parents when I was in high school and college, in the state and out of state. I think he wanted to be his own man, McNair said. QB Bennett addresses off-field issues at combine, Stroud says he's top player, defends run ability, Alabama QB Young undeterred by size questions, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com. The university sells houndstooth beach balls and houndstooth pool floats, which you can enjoy with an adult beverage kept cold by a houndstooth huggie. Varner went home to rest, and that's where he was when the phone rang again. For his philanthropic efforts, Bryant became the inaugural recipient of the Racing Commissioners Humanitarian of the Year Award by the organization of State and Canadian Racing Regulatory Commissions. While Bryant won't talk about it, it is believed he has given millions more to UA for non-athletic needs. The Birmingham News. All his memories are still in there, somewhere, only much of the time he can't translate them into words. He drove him to Birmingham one year before Christmas because Bryant got a letter from a sick girl and he wanted to surprise her. It's been a good experience and I've made a lot of very close friends on the board, he said. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Eight husky players carried Paul 'Bear' Bryant to his grave under a bare hickory tree and more than 8,000 mourners in two cities said goodbye Friday to the man they called the greatest football coach who ever lived. I didn't use it but one time. The price for memories is regret, and somewhere in the middle of all this, Billy considers how he spent his life. 'We give thanks to God for his personal strength in leading men and the tenderness with which he could touch a child,' the Rev. Bryant's first high-profile public venture, joining the UA board of trustees, was controversial. The next morning, on Jan. 26, Varner ran errands, taking Bryant's daughter to the hospital and dropping off a to-do list at the office for Knowles. Accessed March 4, 2023. https://lhlphotoarchive.org/ark:/16417/th71m0q2fr6vl, Researchers are required to have an SCRC Researcher Account in order to request or order digital copies of materials. As always, Varner stood in the background. Mrs. Bryant was dressed in a simple black dress and veil. "I keep trying to call that the Indian Hills football team. Sometimes they talked. City Editor Ken Roberts contributed to this report. The Birmingham News, Bear Bryant funeral at First Methodist Church in Tuscaloosa, AL. Few appear to believe that and instead see the trustees, with Bryant Jr. at the helm, as a force that for years has refused to support the team. We made ice cream, one time. Oh, s--- $50 wasn't worth it. Alabama-"Bear" Paul Bryant funeral. His voice is deep and trails off when he's unsure. Bryant was the son of legendary college football coach Bear Bryant and his wife, Mary. There is, always, a disconnect between the few people who miss Paul and the legion who worship The Bear. "He's young all the time here," Billy says. It was the university football team.". After an hour and a half, Bryant, looking tired and old, walked into his bedroom. B "I wish I'd read this 30 years ago," he told a friend, "I wouldn't have wasted so much valuable time." They're probably dead themselves because I was a fast gun. What I would suspect, and it's only a suspicion, but I think he wouldn't want people to think he was trading on his father's name. There are also a ton of Pauls and Paulas. USCALOOSA, Ala. -- Something important is being lost. It grows smaller all the time. The 68-year-old son of late football coaching legend Bear Bryant has had successful business ventures in everything from catfish farming to concrete, from dog tracks to casinos and from banks to reinsurance. His clarity comes and goes. Is the Alabama board of trustees finally ready to kill UAB football? Hundreds of others gathered silently outside the Methodist church to wave goodbye when Bryant's body was loaded into a hearse for the trip to Elmwood Cemetery. Gov. People contact us all the time, and we ask them to fill out a form with their birthdate, a little family history and a specific section to fill out that starts with, 'This is the story of me or my child being named for Coach Bryant ' That allows us to do a little research and verify it. They are retired ones that mostly just get loving, pets.. he man Billy Varner is remembering has very little in common with the Bryant who is beloved by so many Alabama fans. And yet they don't, and they almost certainly won't. [1] Susie can tell you what she saw, but that's it. My dad wanted to set me on the right path as soon as I was born! The number of people left alive who knew that Paul is small. He laughs and claps his hands. Paul Bryant Jr.'s bank is the tie that binds UA trustees. "We had a dog named Bear as a puppy, but then we changed it to Bryant," confessed a family from Huntsville that also has two human Bryants on the roster. Paul, who rode in a mule-drawn cart from Moro Bottom, Ark., and in the back of Billy Varner's crimson Buick LeSabre, struggled, season after season. Paul Bryant was the 11th of 12 children who were born to William Monroe and Ida Kilgore Bryant in Fordyce, Arkansas. Reach Tommy Deas at tommy@tidesports.com or at 205-722-0224. Billy told her not to worry about Coach. Breaking down the latest in 2024 football recruiting, from top commits to March visits, The Turnover Luck Index: Rating every 2022 team, from USC to Rutgers, Kiper's updated NFL mock draft: Who's moving up for a QB? When an assistant coach told him in 1970 that Vince Lombardi had died, Bryant spoke of regrets, and it shocked his friend. When things happened, and you were there ". Unnamed sources later said if Bryant had the votes he would kill the football program. Bryant was held accountable for the demise of UAB football because of a letter Gene Bartow . announced that the 2014 football season would be the last for UAB, Our view: We don't trust the process that ended UAB football, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. The 69-year-old Bryant died Wednesday of a heart attack. Alabama-Air view of cemetery at "Bear" Bryant's funeral. For nearly 44 years the collection was cared for by John C. Wyatt (1928-2005), who became a Lexington Leader photographer in 1946, was the chief photographer for many years, and retired from the Lexington Herald-Leader in 1990. But many mourners wore crimson and white, the colors of the Crimson Tide. Who were the fastest defensive backs? Paul William Bryant Jr (born December 19, 1944 in Birmingham) is a Tuscaloosa businessman and chairman of the Crimson Tide Foundation. Billy's voice drops back down, and the words press together, a slurry of confusion and rearranged thoughts, part truth, part fiction. He is a founder of the Civil War Trust in Washington D.C. and personally underwrote the merger with the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites that created the modern Civil War Trust. He said he asked Esquire for a retraction, but William M. Adler, the freelance writer of the article, said he stood by the story. Each rising sun takes a little more from the couple who live in the small brick home southwest of downtown. It's lunchtime. (File Photo/ The Huntsville TImes) The Huntsville Times, Former Alabama student Tammy Rogers at graveside service for Alabama coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant at Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham, Ala. on Friday Jan. 28, 1983. I'm not as big on killing stuff as I am finding it with the dogs. [2] In March 2015, The Birmingham News revealed that many UA trustees worked or had relatives who worked for the Bryant Bank. The pitch of his voice starts to drop again, wavering between the treble of here and the deep bass of gone. These ties received national press attention when the board of trustees made the shocking decision to kill UAB football. About how Billy left her alone a lot of the time, how he gave up his life like Bryant did and how Billy never got to enjoy his retirement, either. They know you've been vetted pretty well.. He'd get out. He remembers his mother,. Bryant Jr. also has clear ties to a federal insurance fraud case that drew a 15-year prison sentence for Allen W. As she stands by the office exhibit, the speakers to her left loop audio of Bryant reading that devotional: "What I do today is very important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. The Birmingham News. A few weeks ago, as Linda Knowles took the elevator up to the fourth-floor office where she works for the Alabama faculty senate, a car with a houndstooth paint job drove past her building on Paul W. Bryant Drive, past Bryant-Denny Stadium, past the Paul W. Bryant Museum, which is filled with what can only be called relics, then past the Bryant Conference Center. The Bear wore houndstooth. "Coach Bryant isn't dead," he'll say. [2] By 2011, he sold it to Cemex, a Mexican construction corporation, for US$350 million. She plays it sometimes. The family had asked that cameras be barred from the services. The living room takes up the front of the house, with a television at one end and, on the wall, a poem about footsteps in the sand, which ends with God telling a follower: "The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.". "I said, 'Why would you name him after the greatest coach of all time when he could be named after the two greatest coaches of all time? "That's him up there," he says. Knowles cries every time. [2] He was also the co-founder of Alabama Reassurance Co., later known as Alabama Life Reinsurance Co., a reinsurance company. Knowles and Varner cleaned out the real version of this office after Coach died. A member of the board since 2000, Bryant has said little publicly about UAB football. Dr. A's weekly risers and fallers: Jeremy Sochan, Christian Wood make the list. Yes, Bear died, but He is risen. Our bank that we've got now, he said, we started to try to be in communities where my family lives and will live and have it kind of be a legacy thing to be involved in the community stuff that your community banks do. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. I'd travel with him to the games. He saw him cry. usie Varner answers the door. He is a man. Bryant, a member of the University of Alabama board of trustees since 2000 and president pro tempore of the board since 2011, said his business secret as president of Greene Group, a privately-held holding company, has more to do with being able to identify profitable enterprises. [2], In 2005, Bryant founded the Bryant Bank. Regularly, he refuses to believe that his old boss isn't at home waiting for a ride. In his late 20s, Bryant helped organize Peoples Bank of Tuscaloosa, which was merged into AmSouth in the early 1980s, with AmSouth later merging with Regions Bank. All in the family: how three generations of Jaquezes have ruled West Coast basketball, Alonso says Aston 'living a dream,' eyes podium, LIVE Transfer Talk: Bayern still keen on Kane despite new Choupo-Moting contract, Top moments from Brady, Manning, Jordan and other athletes hosting 'Saturday Night Live'.