"I just don't know what's going to happen to him," Varner said. A funeral procession three miles long, consisting of more than 300 cars and six buses carrying Bryant's last University of Alabama team and many of his former players, drove the 60 miles to Birmingham behind the white hearse after funeral services in Tuscaloosa. In the Yellowhammer State, they've been giving 100 percent to the Bear Bryant name game for a very long time now. By mid-day, with the sun shining brightly, several hundred waited for the start of the graveside service for Coach "Bear" Bryant. There are also a ton of Pauls and Paulas. Bryant said he was urged by the UA alumni association, ex-presidents of the school, members of the A-Club (made up of former UA athletic letter winners) and alumni to seek the seat on the board. I spend virtually all my time in Greene County, Bryant said. Bryant has also had a couple of Labrador retrievers, but they passed away last year. Kobe . She settles in front of the exhibit of his office, the soft black-and-white couch players hated because they'd sink further and further down, the white telephone, the wide wooden desk. And he did! Throughout his time on the board, he was a member of the Physical Properties Committee including nine years as chairman, during which more than 360 physical properties projects were completed with a total value exceeding $2 billion. All rights reserved. Varner drove over, helped get Bryant to the hospital. Barra found himself attacked for describing one bender at the 21 Club in New York City. It is unknown how much, if any, of his money has gone to UAB over the years, although it is common place for many of the board's wealthier members to give substantial gifts to all three schools in the system. "My favorite part is meeting all the folks and hearing all the different name combinations they come up with," explained Curtis Paul Parker of Anniston. 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 . 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. SUFFOLK - Paul Bryant Jr., 67, retired employee of Perry Lumber Co., died Saturday, Dec. 14, 1996. Jos haluat muokata valintojasi, napsauta Hallitse tietosuoja-asetuksia. They wanted husky ones.' Conduct JAR & JAD sessions with the user community in terms of the submissions of process flows and data structures for respective C++ technical programmers and ICASE practitioners. His nickname stemmed from his having agreed to wrestle a captive bear during a theater promotion when he was 13 years old. Arrangements by Crocker Funeral Home. 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. 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. I have evidence to the contrary, from @bryantmuseum today. He led efforts to upgrade and expand the football stadium which bears his dad's name. Bryant's family and friends fiercely guard his legacy, but this omerta brings with it an accidental cost. These ties received national press attention when the board of trustees made the shocking decision to kill UAB football. Her voice sounds exactly like that of comedienne Wanda Sykes, and Susie, in real life and in the pictures around the house, wears a little smirk, as if she knows something you don't know. This isn't a celebration. He saw him cry. 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. "My dad says he named me Bryant so that I wouldn't grow up to be an Auburn fan. It's certainly not too serious of a process by any stretch, but we really want to know people's stories and give them a chance to share those stories.". Somebody comes up to do something to Coach Bryant, they're gonna have to get me first. The 69-year-old Bryant -- fairly or not, accurately or not -- is seen by supporters of UAB football, and maybe supporters of UAB period, as public enemy No. [5] He also serves as the President of Green Group, Inc.[6], Bryant invests in "dog and horse racing, the insurance industry, cement making, catfish farming and banking. 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. "But unlike his dad who was a larger than life figure, the son is among the most private of men, largely a mystery to many, despite leading the public board of the state's largest public university, a position that creates a spotlight. The house--a classic Tudor-style--was owned by Harmon's family. He'll dress in the middle of the night and try to leave, his pajamas rolled up in his hand. We made ice cream, one time. "My name is Chase Bryant Duncan," said a teenager, proudly pointing to his nametag as he stood in the food line on the lawn of the Paul W. Bryant Museum with his family. The source of her name was Mary Harmon Bryant, the wife of Bear and First Lady of Alabama Football. And yes, there are some Bears, but none made an appearance during the first couple of hours of this year's reunion -- although at least two of the families in attendance said they had a dog named Bear. From 2000 to 2015, he was a member of the Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama System. Had he done that, one of those who answered back would have been Paul Francis Murray of Mobile. Facebook gives people the power. That's what he called him, like it was a Southern debutante's double name. The trust has over 50,000 members and more than 250,000 supporters throughout the country. PAUL BRYANT OBITUARY Paul Dean Bryant Jr., 47, of El Mirage, Arizona, passed away on April 15, 2006. S Lexington (Ky.) -- History -- 20th century. Please update it here. 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. (AP Photo). omething remarkable happens when Billy figures out where the den is located -- at first, he stood in the living room confused while Susie called his name over and over -- and inches down the hall, through the kitchen where Coach sat one time for supper, into a room decorated with photographs of Bear Bryant. "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 Birmingham News. [2] He serves as its chairman.[6]. 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? We're going into the stadium. He is chairman emeritus of the Civil War Preservation Trust, a Washington, D.C. -. Hundreds of cars were lined up alongside the interstate in Birmingham to watch the procession pass. In 2005, Bryant founded Bryant Bank. 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. But I got outvoted. kehittksemme ja parantaaksemme palveluitamme sek tuotteitamme. 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. They were traveling, and Billy said he needed to get home for supper. They sat in the kitchen down the hall and ate and laughed. (Fie Photo/ The Huntsville Times) The Huntsville Times, Former Governor George Walalce attends the funeral of Alabama coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant at the First Methodist Church of Tuscaloosa on Friday Jan. 28, 1983. . But it appeared they had leaned toward quickness instead -- only two of the pallbearers weighed over 200 pounds, although all were remarkably muscular. Even Knowles sheepishly admits she has a houndstooth umbrella. ", There were also no Sabans at the reunion. Billy found a phone and called ahead, telling Susie to make her good cornbread. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. [2] He also served as general manager of minor league baseball's Birmingham Barons. [2] In 1999, he acquired a stake in Harvest Select Catfish Inc., a company which raises catfish in Alabama and Mississippi. [8], He has donated millions of dollars to the Alabama Crimson Tide football program. His moniker came from a carnival promotion where he promised to battle a caged bear when he was 13 years old. There he is. Twenty-eight days later, on a Tuesday night, Billy's phone rang. S Getty. Business districts -- Kentucky -- Lexington. His voice might be what affects her most. I wasn't really seeking it, he said. Collection is open for research by appointment only. "It's my daddy's middle name!" The coverage of the newspaper has grown over the years and while its focus has always been on the Lexington Metropolitan area (including 7 additional counties) it presently circulates in 78 of 120 counties throughout central andeastern Kentucky. This photograph was published on Feb 24th, 1948 (1948-02-24) Photograph Number: 1.03-1497.01 Standing before the exhibit, she can hear his voice all around her, literally, from the museum's video displays. Croakies to hold sunglasses, cuff links, purses, both the kind with handles and clutches. She shot back: "I thought all my cornbread was good!" It's been a good experience and I've made a lot of very close friends on the board, he said. Sometimes they didn't. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. If you've been in that, you get looked at close so it helps to do OK in one regulated business you get another one, he said. coverage of "Bear" Bryant's service. Gaps open between the words, and sentences turn staccato. Bryant is a family man: He has been married to his wife, Cherry, since 1966, and they have three daughters all UA graduates and three grandchildren. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Buy what you want, he told her, not what you need. He was born in Birmingham while his father served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. That led to jobs, bartending at parties and running errands, and by the late 1960s, around the same time the coach traded his brown fedora for a hat with black-and-white checks, Billy began working for Bryant full time. As always, Varner stood in the background. Wilson's father added his own nod of approval, replying loudly, though muffled by a bite of hot dog, "Rollf Tfide! Only the sound of one woman sobbing broke the stillness. 2023 www.tuscaloosanews.com. Bryant served as the chairman of the Civil War Trust. Later he started other tracks in Idaho and Texas and made millions in the process. He looked out the window at the river and the bridge to Arkansas, which led eventually to the place where his journey began: a four-room house without electricity or running water. Paul William Bryant Jr (born December 19, 1944 in Birmingham) is a Tuscaloosa businessman and chairman of the Crimson Tide Foundation. Associations, institutions, etc. Kobe Bryant Announces Fourth Daughter on the Way with Wife Vanessa In January, the retired basketball star, 40, rung in the new year with a special announcement featuring a gold, sparkling . "I'm not sure I've enjoyed all of it. Last week, after 23 years of mostly losing seasons, UAB President Ray Watts announced that the 2014 football season would be the last for UAB. TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- There is a scene in the 1985 comedy "Spies Like Us" in which Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd, posing as doctors, enter a tent full of actual doctors. As Billy's memory fades, that knowledge disappears with it, widening the gulf between truth and imagination. Because of the overflow crowd, the service also was piped into the nearby First Baptist Church, which seated 1,300, and the Presbyterian Church, which accommodates 600. Jack Rutledge asked carefully. That's the man I'll always remember.". Alabama Media Group, University of Alabama head football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant is lifted onto the shoulders of his players after Alabama defeated Illinois 21-15 in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn., Wednesday night, Dec. 30, 1982. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. A story last year from Bloomberg News, mostly about his extensive business dealings, shows a man who is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, a fortune gained through a variety of businesses and investments spanning dog and horse racing, the insurance industry, cement making, catfish farming and banking. 19572 posts. This year's reunion was the first to feature a carnival theme, complete with cotton candy, county-fair-style games and -- wait for it -- a teddy-bear-building station. Today his memories seem to orbit around the idea of protecting Bryant from some unseen enemy. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. And no one knew Coach Bryant better than Billy. Place kicker Peter Kim is at top right. [1] [2] At the request of Bryant's wife, Mary Harmon Bryant, the motorcade passed Bryant-Denny Stadium, the Crimson Tide's home field, and drove within sight of Legion Field in Birmingham, scene of many of his greatest victories. They know you've been vetted pretty well.. They found one in Paul Bryant Jr., the son of the legendary Alabama head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. The sound gets louder. Despite his famous name, business success and longtime influential role at the University of Alabama, Paul Bryant Jr. has stayed out of the spotlight. He said he had to rest. "Billy had a stroke in 1996," she says, "right after he retired. A number of people wore T-shirts that said 'It Took a Giant to Replace the Bear,' referring to former New York Giants Coach Ray Perkins, whom Bryant selected to succeed him at Alabama last month. It's a spotlight Bryant works hard to avoid. When then-Gov. Paul William "Bear" Bryant would have turned 100 on Wednesday, and the grandson made famous by photos of him walking off the field with the man he calls "Papa" is now 50. 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. The daughter of Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, Mae Martin Bryant Tyson, left, and son Paul Bryant Jr., right, attend a memorial service on the campus at Tuscaloosa, Ala., Jan. 27,. He focuses on the shot from the Liberty Bowl. In 1977, Bryant opened GreeneTrack, a dog racing track in Greene County. Who were the fastest defensive backs? Morant to miss two games after video with gun, Las Vegas prepared to give A's 'better opportunity', Richardson sets QB mark for vertical, broad jump, Curry, Iguodala probable to return vs. Lakers, Sources: Suns hiring Pistons' Bartelstein as CEO, Mbappe breaks PSG's all-time scoring record, Bruins stroll past Kane, Rangers, win 10th in row, Horns' Robinson: Versatility worthy of early pick, Inside the long-awaited return of Jon Jones and his quest for heavyweight glory, The future of the NFL combine: Is there really a chance it could end forever? Married with three daughters, Bryant is known to be a student of American history, especially the Civil War. Billy's voice drops back down, and the words press together, a slurry of confusion and rearranged thoughts, part truth, part fiction. A crowd of 5,000 -- many dressed as though for an Alabama football game -- watched in eerie silence as the grim-faced young pallbearers carried Bryant's flower-blanketed casket to the grave. I always thought about that. Bryant, who was born in Birmingham when his mother was living there with her parents while his father was serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, is a 1966 graduate of UA with a degree in finance. 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. TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - Maybe Winston Churchill comes closest to summing up Paul Bryant Jr. "I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia," said Churchill in a 1939 radio address talking about what role the then USSR might play in World War II. Former President Donald Trump Saturday insisted his former secretary of state was not taking a dig at him when Mike Pompeo warned conservatives against following 'celebrity leaders'. February 22, 1991 to January 2, 1993. Being unable to play football, he said, would have made it impossible for him to have the standing to coach the game. Each day brings its own reality. Once, when a state trooper clocked Varner speeding, Bryant stuck his houndstooth hat in the back window. But I got it. Given that fact, it was not a surprise that phone calls to his office were not returned. 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. That's just Alabama.". ", Overhearing this exchange was yet another teenager, Bryant Denny Turner, whose parents dared to go even a step further and give their son the name of the legendary Alabama football coach and the name of the arena where the Bear did his homework, Denny Stadium. (AP Photo/Tannen Maury), Football star Joe Namath talks with the widow of Alabama coach Paul Bear Bryant at the Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham on Friday, Jan. 28, 1983. "Uh, uh. The coach visited this house once. just to see how many people would turn around. I think that's one reason, McNair said, that he has put so much money (in the form of donations) into museums at the university., In 2005, Bryant founded Bryant Bank, which he calls my winding-down project.. "Then," he added, "I'll do the same with Paul.". To his left, surrounded by the small frames, is a large photograph of Bear Bryant at the 1982 Liberty Bowl, sicker than anyone but Billy and a few others knew, bundled tight against the cold. 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Air view of cemetery at "Bear" Bryant's funeral. All he has to show for two decades of service are his memories, and even those often hang just out of reach. "If you're gonna be in, be all-in," explained James Turner, Bryant Denny Turner's father. "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? Finally, he asks for help. "His life is as concealed as Coach Bryant's life. 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." We can't just have anybody who is named Paul or William or even Bryant showing up and trying to sneak into the group. A decade ago, speaking of efforts by UAB to decrease its athletics department deficit, Bryant offered: "You can put any spin you want on it, but if you aren't selling tickets, the money isn't there.". He died on Jan. 26, 1983, only a few weeks after his final game on the sideline, the '82 Liberty Bowl. They have three daughters: Stella Gray Bryant Sykes, Mae Martin Bryant Murray, and Anna Laurie Bryant McKibbens, all graduates of The University of Alabama, and three grandchildren. "Coach Bryant used to be the coach at Alabama," he says. Early life and family background. Or at least the part of Alabama that doesn't care about UAB football. My dad wanted to set me on the right path as soon as I was born! Next fall, another great-grandson, Paul William Bryant Tyson, will be on Nick Saban's roster as a freshman quarterback. "You was at the hospital when he died," she says. Although Bryant never served in the military, he is a lifelong scholar of American military history and active in battlefield preservation. He took a month off, trying to figure out how Coach Bryant would tell him to deal with his grief. Currently, Bryant is president of the privately held holding company, Greene Group, Inc. which has operated a multi-state business engaged in reinsurance, finance, leasing, par-mutual racing, casino management, cattle ranching, aquaculture, catfish processing and distribution, fuel distribution, outdoor recreation, wildlife management, and concrete/aggregate construction. "I don't know whether he died or what" is what it sounds like he says. He only serves on one committee, but he does carry some influence with other board members. The pictures seem to anchor him. Bryant, at the time less well-known, lived in the historic Redmont home shortly after he married Mary Harmon in June 1935. [2] In March 2015, The Birmingham News revealed that many UA trustees worked or had relatives who worked for the Bryant Bank. ", As Chase Bryant's father nodded proudly, another teen, Bryant Wilson, shouted "Same! 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'. During these years, he served three successive terms as President Pro Tempore. 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Man mourns at Coach "Bear" Bryant's funeral site. One person who has known Bryant for years, but didn't want to be named here, said that Bryant is a man who guards his family's privacy. I remember all of them. The University of Alabama System: Board of Trustees: Paul W. Bryant Jr. Greenetrack shareholder lawsuit alleges president, management misused funds, Four stockholders file suit against Greenetrack CEO and board officers. He was appointed to the University of Alabama Board of Trustees in 2000 . You can reach up and feel it. In a brief graveside service, the crowd recited the 23rd Psalm and the Lord's Prayer and then Bryant's family left, with the mourners straggling behind and the simple pine casket still beside the grave. For many years, Bryant has been accused of running the Alabama board of trustees like a family business, "holding secret meetings, shrugging off public records requests, ignoring or sidestepping the law. The lights are low, and the house sits in cool darkness. "Paul 'Bear' Bryant was my great-grandfather," the eighth-grader said with pride as he sat in his great-grandfather's museum, in a conference room decorated with oil paintings, bronze busts and even a marionette of the man behind his name. The Bear, the rough-faced legend on the video board, was predestined to be great. You start thinking about what you could have been doing. They married right out of high school. Most afternoons, Bryant would slip into the bar and play cards with friends. He collapsed once from nervous exhaustion, chain-smoked cigarettes, ripped the filters off ones he bummed, passed out on couches, checked into alcohol rehab. Member since Sep 2010. They're probably dead themselves because I was a fast gun. ", "You didn't play no football," she says. "It was so quiet. His voice ticks up a few notches. I didn't do either of those. "This is Alabama football. "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. But that's how it goes with family, and all those people out there today with Papa's name, that's what they are: family. Michael S. Serrill, John Helyar, Anthony Effinger, Paul Bryant Jr.: A legacy of his own; by Tommy Deas, tidesports.com accessed September 5, 2014, Last edited on 15 December 2022, at 18:09, Paul Bryant Jr: His famous father casts a long shadow, one seemingly comfortable to the son, Alabama Football Dominance Powered by Greyhound Fortune. To Bryant's right are his daughters Stella Gray and Anna Laurie. Miss Bryant, Martin Folmar, Paul Bryant Jr., Mrs. Folmar, Mary Dillard Marr and Mrs. Bryant. Other Members of the class of 2016 2016 Robert Witt 2016 Beverly Phifer 2016 The argument clearly did not convince Watts or trustees. It's the only time we've put our name on anything. The funeral service at the First Methodist Church in Tuscaloosa was deeply religious, with little reference to Bryant's career or character. I think he wanted to be his own man, McNair said. The Huntsville Times, Graveside services are held in Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham, Ala. for Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, Jan. 28, 1983. NFL combine Day 2 recap: Which draft prospects are rising? Billy shuffles into the room wearing gray pajamas and black slippers. Kun kytt sivustojamme ja sovelluksiamme, kytmme, tarjotaksemme sivustomme ja sovelluksemme sinulle, todentaaksemme kyttjt, estksemme roskapostia ja vrinkytksi sek toteuttaaksemme tietoturvatoimia. T Paul Bryant was the 11th of 12 children who were born to William Monroe and Ida Kilgore Bryant in Fordyce, Arkansas. I've had some different ones not work, too, Bryant said recently in a rare and revealing interview. Bryant did play high school basketball in Tuscaloosa, but in interviews he has said he was part of a great team and played only sparingly. All rights reserved (About Us). He also was elected president of C&BA students. 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). Paul W. Bryant Jr. sat down recently for a rare interview, giving insight into his involvement with UA athletics - both real and rumored - as well as a revealing glimpse into his personality, his background and the school's growth during his time on the board of trustees.
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