In addition, he chaired the committee that hired Dr. Robert Witt, past President of The University of Alabama and retired Chancellor of The University of Alabama System. We know Lombardi from David Maraniss' biography, "When Pride Still Mattered," and he comes across as smaller and therefore larger in the retelling, because his humanity is on every page. All his memories are still in there, somewhere, only much of the time he can't translate them into words. TideIllustrated - Paul Bryant Jr.: A legacy of his own Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. That's just Alabama.". He worked security at games, no longer inside the circle. The pitch of his voice starts to drop again, wavering between the treble of here and the deep bass of gone. Alabama won the game against the University of Illinois at Urbana?Champaign, 21 to 15. Barra wrote the best biography of Bryant, "The Last Coach," and even in his book, there is a Paul-sized hole at the center of the narrative. 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." Paul Bryant Jr., a banker and the coach's only son, says his father established the fund in 1973. . Sometimes his mind is clear as a crystal. Alabama-Air view of cemetery at "Bear" Bryant's funeral. They put him on night traffic, and that first winter, he caught pneumonia. She answers for him when he seems lost. Joe Namath - Bear Bryant Funeral. It's a cult. They made small talk in the car, nothing about the life's work that had just ended. "But we have a registration process. "Then," he added, "I'll do the same with Paul.". 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. There's the framed photograph of Bryant on a football field for the final time, with a "Thanks for the Memories" sign in the background. "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. Historic buildings -- Kentucky -- Lexington. Paul Bryant has stepped up for this project like he . In 1937, the owner of the Leader, John G. Stoll, bought the Herald, and both daily papers were published concurrently (the Herald in the morning and the Leader in the afternoon) for the next 46 years. 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. "His life is as concealed as Coach Bryant's life. He said he had to rest. 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. Each rising sun takes a little more from the couple who live in the small brick home southwest of downtown. Sitting with Paul Murray was his cousin, Mary Harmon Hilburn, granddaughter of Bear. NHL trade deadline: Winners and losers, including the Bruins, Devils and Bruce Boudreau? "I'm not sure I've enjoyed all of it. Jos et halua meidn ja kumppaneidemme kyttvn evsteit ja henkiltietoja nihin listarkoituksiin, napsauta Hylk kaikki. This isn't a celebration. Billy tells Susie that he talks to the coach. Arrangements by Crocker Funeral Home. In 1973, the newspapers were purchased by the Knight-Ridder Corporation and in 1983 were merged into a single, morning paper that is still published as The Lexington Herald-Leader. Patsy Abbott said it pointedly -- like, literally pointing at her grandson as he waited to build a bear. The funeral service at the First Methodist Church in Tuscaloosa was deeply religious, with little reference to Bryant's career or character. Billy was worried, and maybe that's why he offered a rare piece of insight to a local reporter. The lights are low, and the house sits in cool darkness. Members of the 1982 football team carry the casket of Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant from the Tuscaloosa First Methodist Church in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Friday, Jan. 29, 1983. PAUL BRYANT OBITUARY Paul Dean Bryant Jr., 47, of El Mirage, Arizona, passed away on April 15, 2006. 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. Simply stated, Paul Bryant cares deeply for the university.. From 2000 to 2015, he was a member of the Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama System. Sometimes they talked. View the profiles of people named Paul Bryant Jr. Join Facebook to connect with Paul Bryant Jr. and others you may know. There's even a song named that. It was a hand-me-down. She was accompanied by her son, Paul Bryant Jr., and daughter, Mae Martin Tyson. Who were the fastest defensive backs? [1][2], Bryant graduated from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama with a degree in Commerce in 1966. Bryant announced last week that he was retiring after this game, which marks his 323rd victory. "Because my wife's favorite movie is 'Sweet Home Alabama' and what's-his-name [Josh Lucas], his hound dog was named Bryant for Coach Bryant and our dog looked just like the dog from the movie. A half-hour or more has passed. ", There were also no Sabans at the reunion. Paul Bryant Obituary (2006) - Topeka, KS - Topeka Capital-Journal A houndstooth car is just the beginning. Acknowledged by the National Park Service and leading conservationists as the foremost American heritage land preservation organization, the Civil War Trust is known to be the largest and most effective non-profit devoted to the preservation of Americas battlegrounds. [2] In 1999, he acquired a stake in Harvest Select Catfish Inc., a company which raises catfish in Alabama and Mississippi. "Too many football games," he says. It was perhaps the most oddly attired gathering of mourners the cemetery had ever seen. 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. Bryant has been married for 50 years to UA classmate Cherry Handley Hicks Bryant. [3][7] He also served on the boards of trustees of the Alabama Heritage Foundation and the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia. A diamond of belly shows through the puckered front of his shirt. He says something else, his voice deep, the sentences trailing off. The number of people left alive who knew that Paul is small. Paul William Bryant Jr. was born circa 1945. ", These are the stories she can tell. I had a lot of help starting out.. T He saw him cry. He died on Jan. 26, 1983, only a few weeks after his final game on the sideline, the '82 Liberty Bowl. Paul W. Bryant is dying for the second time, and one day, in the not-so-distant future, only The Bear will remain. It was the university football team.". Missing in the houndstooth beach balls and paint jobs is a person. 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? Tobacco industry -- Kentucky -- Lexington. Supporters of UAB football insist that the now-scrapped football program played an important role in helping the university attract students and build campus life. Sometimes it cloud up and rain.". Alabama-Funeral-Woman and child mourn the death of Coach "Bear" Bryant. Close friend Jimmy Hinton died a year ago; former assistant and confidant Clem Gryska died last month. The 69-year-old Bryant died Wednesday of a heart attack. Whatever order was brought on by the photographs disappears. "What's your name?" A few days before the game, as a television crew interviewed him, Bryant walked by and cracked, "Don't rush yourself, Billy, I'll bring the car around. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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. Bryant's first high-profile public venture, joining the UA board of trustees, was controversial. That's a no-no.". They greet one another by saying "Doctor " "Doctor " "Doctor " "Doctor " in a round-robin introduction that ends up with the title being used 24 times. "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. His eyes get wide, bulging, like they do when he's confused. ", T 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. B 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Air view of cemetery at "Bear" Bryant's funeral. For all his business success, Bryant said in the interview that as a young man he had wanted to follow his father into coaching. He's a 1978 national champion. Paul William Bryant Jr. (born c. 1945) is an American banker, investor and philanthropist from Alabama . Bear Bryant looks down from four or five different places. "It's exactly like that," Hilburn added. John C. Wyatt Lexington Herald-Leader photographs. "There's not much really you can talk about Billy," Rutledge said. "I know I've made this journey," he told a reporter just before his final season. John C. Wyatt established and maintained the collection's original organizational scheme. But unlike the others at the namesake reunion, his name wasn't merely a tribute. On the wall, there's a candid shot of Paul and Billy in what looks like a living room. The John C. Wyatt photographs (LHL) consist of an estimated 2 million unique photographic negatives spanning the years 1939-2001. ", You think Paul "Bear" Bryant is dead? I looked at him like, 'What the hell you think I'm here for?'". As always, Varner stood in the background. Help me understand the power of Paul Bryant, Jr. | SEC Rant 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. He laughs at himself when he recenters. "I met a lot of business people through my parents," Bryant told Bloomberg, acknowledging the obvious connections his famous name brought. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Unnamed sources later said if Bryant had the votes he would kill the football program. Paul William Bryant Jr. Born: c. 1945: Alma mater: University of Alabama: Occupation: Banker, investor, philanthropist: Children: 3 daughters: Parent(s) Bear Bryant: See something missing? They're probably dead themselves because I was a fast gun. [1] Paul Bryant | Facebook 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. [13] Stewart was found guilty on all 135 counts of fraud. All he has to show for two decades of service are his memories, and even those often hang just out of reach. I have evidence to the contrary, from @bryantmuseum today. Knowles cries every time. We had some guys behind us. Bryant is Chairman Emeritus and the longest-serving member of the organizations Board of Trustees. 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.". City Editor Ken Roberts contributed to this report. "We hear about people really almost exclusively through word of mouth," explained Ken Gaddy, director of the Paul W. Bryant Museum, located in the heart of the University of Alabama's campus. There are actions that tell of unseen turmoil and doubt, but Bryant is never revealed. Mrs. Bryant was dressed in a simple black dress and veil. re: Help me understand the power of Paul Bryant, Jr. Posted on 12/2/14 at 9:47 pm to weagle99. Bryant has also had a couple of Labrador retrievers, but they passed away last year. We thought we'd do that for the grandchildren and stuff, and there's some responsibility that goes with that, I guess.. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 19572 posts. Paul W. Bryant Jr. Net Worth in 2021. He forms his right hand into a pistol and Susie laughs, but then he starts to get lost again. Many of the members of Bryant's last team held their faces in tense grimaces, obviously fighting back tears, at the graveside. 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. Its descendant, the Morning Herald, was first published January 1, 1895 and became known as the Lexington Herald in 1905. I didn't do either of those. When Alabama football is winning, it's just better. 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.". Only the sound of one woman sobbing broke the stillness. (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. SUFFOLK - Paul Bryant Jr., 67, retired employee of Perry Lumber Co., died Saturday, Dec. 14, 1996. Also, members of the 27-member Black Legislative Caucus unanimously passed a resolution in opposition to Bryant's appointment, saying he was insensitive to minorities because of comments attributed to him in a 1989 Esquire magazine profile. The roots of this bond, like many things with Bryant, are full of mystery, myth and misinformation. Paul 'Bear' Bryant's gift that keeps on giving at Alabama Mr. Bryant was Chairman of the Crimson Tide Tradition Fund, the organization that preceded the Crimson Tide Foundation. 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. Twenty-four? Even Mrs. Bryant didn't know him as well as Billy did. We made ice cream, one time. Over 10 years, Bryant Bank has grown to over $1.5 billion in assets, becoming the largest family-owned bank in the state of Alabama. Dr. A's weekly risers and fallers: Jeremy Sochan, Christian Wood make the list. 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. 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Woman and child mourn the death of Coach "Bear" Bryant. Try 100. 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. * This list only holds up to 10 photographs. My passion is the dogs, really, he said. Bryant moved on to other business interests, keeping a close-knit group of partners in late attorney and civic leader Sam Phelps and his son, Scott, along with veterinarian Wayne May. Edit Now. nyttksemme sinulle kohdennettuja mainoksia ja sislt kiinnostusprofiileiden perusteella, mitataksemme kohdennettujen mainosten ja sisltjen tehokkuutta. Paul Bryant Jr. Gives $10 Million to UA Crimson Tradition Fund The Chester County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) honored Sgt. Paul 'Bear' Bryant's name persists in Alabama fans Lexington Leader (Lexington, Ky. : Daily), [Identification of item], John C. Wyatt Lexington Herald-Leader photographs, 1936-1990,2004AV001, Special Collections and Digital Programs, University of Kentucky Libraries,Lexington, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center. It is the most extensive, single collection of still photographic images documenting Lexington's 20th Century history in existence. (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. [2] In March 2015, The Birmingham News revealed that many UA trustees worked or had relatives who worked for the Bryant Bank. Bear Bryant funeral - al.com Regularly, he refuses to believe that his old boss isn't at home waiting for a ride. Coach Bryant died Wednesday. He rushed back to the hospital, and when he saw the look on the team trainer's face, he knew. Bryant grew reflective. "Well, we don't hardly know the details," he said finally. Paul Bryant Jr. loaded his family wife Cherry and daughters Stella Gray (14), Mae Martin (13) and Anna Laurie (10) on his private plane for the trip to Memphis. 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. And no one knew Coach Bryant better than Billy. He also was elected president of C&BA students. He poured a drink and chatted with guests. He took care of business, and he kept everything to himself, even after Bryant died. Paul William Bryant Jr. was born circa 1945. 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Mourning fans at Paul "Bear" Bryant's funeral. Associations, institutions, etc. He's out having lunch and out doing business, so (to say he is a) recluse is maybe a little too strong, but he has certainly guarded his private life as well as anyone could with that name and with the things he has done.. So why change the dog's name? Take a look inside former Bear Bryant home up for sale Bryant's image. 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Young man gives final salute to Coach "Bear" Bryant. "I keep trying to call that the Indian Hills football team. ear Bryant surrounded himself with people he could trust, and he trusted nobody more than Billy Varner, a tough, barrel-chested African-American. I'd drive him. Bryant realizes his business career got off to a quick start, and that his family ties were an asset. Billy sits up, his voice and cane rising at the indignity. It's been a good experience and I've made a lot of very close friends on the board, he said. During an extensive interview a year ago with the Tuscaloosa News and executive sports editor Tommy Deas, Bryant talked about what Bama football meant to the university. Some wore Alabama caps and others were . The young people in the photo above waited at a tombstone, while those in the photo below watched television coverage of the funeral at Tuscaloosa. In his hospital room, Bryant was joking with the nurses. 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. The family had asked that cameras be barred from the services. Behind the University of Alabama's football resurgence is a Little Bear (AP Photo/Joe Holloway Jr.), College football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, wearing black coat, observes his team Alabama Crimson Tide after they defeated Illinois 21-15 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 30, 1982. 'Bear' Bryant's son has new details of coach's final game at Liberty Bowl Billy was Bear Bryant's driver, bodyguard and valet, one of the few remaining people who knew him as a human being. One grandmother introduced her preschool-aged grandson, Hayden Bryant Kennedy, this way: "If I'd had my way, he'd be Nicholas Bryant Kennedy." [1] His father, Bear Bryant, was an American football player and coach. Rutledge played for Bryant's first team and was an assistant on his last, and when he realized that he would be sharing new information, he clammed up. The Birmingham News. Bryant loved University of Alabama Crimson Tide football, and his son appears to love it just as deeply. The bird dogs are German shorthaired pointers and English pointers. This was Bryant's last game as the head football coach at the University of Alabama. 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. There is, always, a disconnect between the few people who miss Paul and the legion who worship The Bear. 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. Paul Bryant was the 11th of 12 children who were born to William Monroe and Ida Kilgore Bryant in Fordyce, Arkansas. A 1966 UA graduate who earned a degree in commerce, Bryant started People's Bank while still in his 20's. 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Fans watching T.V. Coach Pat Dye talks with unknown person. 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 had a little head start on my friends because I didn't get put in the service when I graduated, and a lot of them did that and went on to law school and to graduate school, he said. Later he started other tracks in Idaho and Texas and made millions in the process. She shot back: "I thought all my cornbread was good!" 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. You had more fun on that job. Not yet anyway. You get a job out there you would have made $50 more a month. If I'd changed jobs, I would have been making $50 more a month. 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. Robert Witt has worked with Bryant for the last 10 years, first as UA president and more recently as chancellor of the UA system. He got his bartender a badge and a gun. Others cried openly. 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. [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. But while the younger Bryant never coached, he has used his personal fortune to support UA to the tune of millions of dollars in donations -- $20 million to the UA football program alone during his time as a trustee. he man Billy Varner is remembering has very little in common with the Bryant who is beloved by so many Alabama fans. Bushwood Country Club. These ties received national press attention when the board of trustees made the shocking decision to kill UAB football. He never talked about the private things he'd seen. 'I think Coach Bryant was the greatest leader this country ever had,' said his former All-America and Dallas Cowboy linebacker Lee Roy Jordan. There he is. Paul Bryant Jr: His famous father casts a long shadow, one seemingly Other sports notables at the funeral included New York Jets quarterback Richard Todd, Jets defensive lineman Marty Lyons, former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Lee Roy Jordan, former Georgia Tech Coach Bobby Dodd, Duke Coach Steve Sloan, former Ohio State Coach Woody Hayes, Florida Coach Charlie Pell, former Arkansas Coach Frank Broyles and Auburn Coach Pat Dye. "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. Half a dozen helicopters carrying news photographers hovered near the cemetery, which lies at the end of a black community in southwest Birmingham. Somebody comes up to do something to Coach Bryant, they're gonna have to get me first. Hilburn's mother was Mae Martin Bryant, and Paul Murray's mother is Mae Martin Murray, the daughter of Paul "Bear" Bryant Jr. and, like Mary Harmon Hilburn, the granddaughter of Paul "Bear" Bryant . His voice ticks up a few notches. "I don't know whether he died or what" is what it sounds like he says. He established the General J.C.C. "You was at the hospital when he died," she says. Cities and towns -- Growth -- Kentucky -- Lexington. (AP Photo). 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. It's difficult to understand if you're not from here, but when football isn't doing well it kind of hurts, the whole state is kind of in a funk. Paul W. Bryant Jr.'s business success as entrenched as his family's name Married with three daughters, Bryant is known to be a student of American history, especially the Civil War. One of Bryant's companies, Alabama Reassurance or "Alabama Re", was implicated in at least nine counts of the Stewart indictment, relating to a "wire fraud scheme to deceive state insurance regulators involving reinsurance." "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?
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