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Paul “Bear” Bryant
By Ethan Levine
Last Updated:
Paul “Bear” Bryant is widely regarded as one of the great football coaches of all-time. He’s best-known as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide from 1958-1982, but he also coached at Texas A&M, Kentucky and Maryland. Bryant won six national championships, all at Alabama, and won 14 SEC championships during his career (13 at Alabama and one at Kentucky in 1950). He was a 12-time SEC Coach of the Year and three-time AFCA Coach of the Year, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.
His career record as a head coach was 323-85-17 (.760 win percentage) and his career record in bowl games was 15-12-2. Bryant also served as the athletic director at Texas A&M from 1954-1957 and at Alabama from 1957-1983. He retired following the 1982 season and roughly four weeks later passed away at the age of 69.
| Coaching History | Team | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Head Coach | Alabama Crimson Tide | 1958-1982 |
| Head Coach | Texas A&M Aggies | 1954-1957 |
| Head Coach | Kentucky Wildcats | 1946-1953 |
| Head Coach | Maryland Terrapins | 1945 |
| Assistant Coach | North Carolina Pre-Flight | 1944 |
| Assistant Coach | Georgia Pre-Flight | 1942 |
| Assistant Coach | Vanderbil Commodores | 1940-1941 |
| Assistant Coach | Alabama Crimson Tide | 1936-1940 |
| Assistant Coach | Union Bulldogs | 1936 |
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
