The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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.. By 1977, he established GreeneTrack, dog racing track located in Greene County, Alabama,[1] with A. Wayne May, a veterinarian, and Sam Phelps, a lawyer. Please update it here. He rushed back to the hospital, and when he saw the look on the team trainer's face, he knew. It follows the changing urban landscape of Lexington, the agricultural, tobacco and horse racing industries, key national events such as World War II and Vietnam, as well as notable regional and national figures. He died on Jan. 26, 1983, only a few weeks after his final game on the sideline, the '82 Liberty Bowl. he man Billy Varner is remembering has very little in common with the Bryant who is beloved by so many Alabama fans. ear Bryant surrounded himself with people he could trust, and he trusted nobody more than Billy Varner, a tough, barrel-chested African-American. Former Data Analyst - Consultant at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida - Jacksonville. In 1977, Bryant opened GreeneTrack, a dog racing track in Greene County. Wilson's father added his own nod of approval, replying loudly, though muffled by a bite of hot dog, "Rollf Tfide! Bryant, at the time less well-known, lived in the historic Redmont home shortly after he married Mary Harmon in June 1935. He looks back at the Liberty Bowl photograph. His clarity comes and goes. Everyone gifted with some version of Coach's moniker wears a nametag, so as to keep them all straight. S Varner never felt comfortable enough to strike up conversations with Bryant, but he could poke at the Legend of The Bear. mitataksemme sivustojemme ja sovellustemme kyttsi. [2] In March 2015, The Birmingham News revealed that many UA trustees worked or had relatives who worked for the Bryant Bank. Paul Bryant was the 11th of Wilson Monroe and Ida Kilgore Bryant's 12 children born in Moro Bottom, Cleveland County, Arkansas. "Coach Bryant used to be the coach at Alabama," he says. "Oh, it goes so much deeper than that," Hilburn said, rolling her eyes and grinning. Welcome to the 23rd annual Paul W. Bryant Namesake Reunion, where the only requirement to attend is that you or a member of your immediate family is willingly and lovingly -- sometimes strategically -- named for the coach known as "Bear." 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 . 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. In 2012, Bryant Bank was awarded the Revitalizing Your Community Award by the American Bankers Association, in large part for the bank's work after the April 27, 2011, tornado that devastated the community. Even with names. [1] [2] "I don't ever talk to him now," Billy says. I'd drive him. The 69-year-old Bryant died Wednesday of a heart attack. Collection is open for research by appointment only. Billy saw him weak and insecure. I enjoy those, have a lot of them around the house. The illness forced him to miss a year of school and the after-effects zapped his strength to play the game his father coached. He has also commissioned two books by Delbert Teed honoring Alabama alumni who served in World War II: When Winning Was Everything: Alabama Football Players in World War II and All of Us Fought the War. T But he never played football past age 12 because of a health issue -- he contracted hepatitis. [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]. 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. Unnamed sources later said if Bryant had the votes he would kill the football program. Bryant has been married for 50 years to UA classmate Cherry Handley Hicks Bryant. Bryant said that he never made the remarks and that the entire article was fabricated. Always, Coach Bryant, just like Mary Wilkes or Sarah Catherine: Coachbryant. To shoot him, they had to get me first.". He co-authored two books about American football in 2013. All his memories are still in there, somewhere, only much of the time he can't translate them into words. Having football competitive and doing well, and so much more than that is (when) we're maintaining at a championship level every year, it makes it easier on businesses around the state, I promise you. "What is?" We're going into the stadium. The director of the Bryant Museum approached him about writing a book. I'm a pretty good risk-taker, I guess. It grows smaller all the time. They made small talk in the car, nothing about the life's work that had just ended. 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. 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. 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. Paul W. Bryant, Jr. is the son of the late Paul W. Bryant and Mary Harmon Black Bryant. I'd park the car. Joe Elmore said. He is survived by his wife Sylvia Mohamed-Bryant, parents Paul Dean Bryant Sr.. 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Air view of Coach "Bear" Bryant's funeral procession, Alabama-Air view of Coach "Bear" Bryant's funeral procession The Birmingham News, Mae Martin Bryant Tyson, Stella Gray, Anna Laurie, 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, 1983. 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. The extended family includes about a dozen hunting dogs, who are kept at Bryant's farm in Greene County. We probably don't pump that as much as we should, Bryant said, but we're real proud of that. 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. The collection also contains associated newspaper clippings, job sheets, and hand-written photographers' notes. Varner went home to rest, and that's where he was when the phone rang again. "Well, that's my middle name!" "If you're gonna be in, be all-in," explained James Turner, Bryant Denny Turner's father. 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. Who makes up the University of Alabama Board of Trustees? Billy shuffles into the room wearing gray pajamas and black slippers. 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. Like his boss before him, Billy Varner has come to the place where he must consider what he did with his time. By mid-day, with the sun shining brightly, several hundred waited for the start of the graveside service for Coach "Bear" Bryant. To his right is the famous painting "315" that shows Bryant on the sideline as he breaks the all-time wins record, and down the wall from that is a pencil-and-ink drawing of Bryant as a young man. They were traveling, and Billy said he needed to get home for supper. This isn't a celebration. Billy was Bear Bryant's driver, bodyguard and valet, one of the few remaining people who knew him as a human being. We had some guys behind us. 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. You start thinking about what you could have been doing. Had he done that, one of those who answered back would have been Paul Francis Murray of Mobile. 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. Bryant's net worth is not public knowledge, but he has amassed enough wealth to donate tens of millions of dollars to the UA. Paul never forgot the middle-class kids pointing and laughing at his mother. Given that fact, it was not a surprise that phone calls to his office were not returned. "But we have a registration process. Billy sits in his big brown chair and looks at an oddly familiar man. "He won't make it without coaching.". Paul started reading a devotional in the final two years of his life that said, in part, "When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving something in its place I have traded for it.". 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Woman and child mourn the death of Coach "Bear" Bryant. 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 . 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. 'Well, that's my first name!" The John C. Wyatt photographs (LHL) consist of an estimated 2 million unique photographic negatives spanning the years 1939-2001. His voice becomes higher-pitched, quick but not rushed, with confidence in the direction of the words, without the long pauses to read the maps inside his mind. Yes, Bear died, but He is risen. 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 William Bryant Jr. was born circa 1945. Paul William Bryant Jr (born December 19, 1944 in Birmingham) is a Tuscaloosa businessman and chairman of the Crimson Tide Foundation. Bryant is Chairman Emeritus and the longest-serving member of the organizations Board of Trustees. A diamond of belly shows through the puckered front of his shirt. Thirty years after his last season, Bryant's humanity lives only in his family and a few aging friends, in former employees such as Knowles, in 72-year-old assistant coach-turned-athletic director Mal Moore, and, perhaps most of all, in Billy Varner. Facebook gives people the power. just to see how many people would turn around. 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 Sr. and Mary Harmon Bryant. Vanessa Bryant just received a heck of a lot more money from L.A. County after her initial $15 million win last year . 'I think Coach Bryant was the greatest leader this country ever had,' said his former All-America and Dallas Cowboy linebacker Lee Roy Jordan. "I went and bought me one of those. Billy is asleep. That's what he called him, like it was a Southern debutante's double name. 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'. Close friend Jimmy Hinton died a year ago; former assistant and confidant Clem Gryska died last month. "I ended up playing football.". Roll Tide!" 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.". [1] His father, Bear Bryant, was an American football player and coach. ", She stands still, surrounded by the strangers who've come to genuflect, and she thinks, "If they only knew." That's just Alabama.". 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. He forms his right hand into a pistol and Susie laughs, but then he starts to get lost again. [1] His father, Bear Bryant, was an American football player and coach. 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. In 1996, 14 years after Bryant died, he retired from the University of Alabama Police Department. I always felt if somebody was after him, they'd come at him from the front. A 1966 UA graduate who earned a degree in commerce, Bryant started People's Bank while still in his 20's. I remember all of them. "Really? That's what I like when I've got a chance to get away.. He laughs and claps his hands. 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. Varner drove over, helped get Bryant to the hospital. Bryant got the name right; "Susie" was scrawled on the outside. Early life and family background [ edit] Paul William Bryant Jr. was born circa 1945. [1] He was described by The Birmingham News as "among the most private of men, largely a mystery to many."[1]. Hundreds of cars were lined up alongside the interstate in Birmingham to watch the procession pass. Four years later, Billy was bartending at the Tuscaloosa Country Club. "No kidding, it's my daughter's first name, too!" That's nothing. The Bear wore houndstooth. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. That's the man I'll always remember.". Nobody ever has a plan. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Paul Bryant Jr.'s bank is the tie that binds UA trustees. Even Mrs. Bryant didn't know him as well as Billy did. 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. 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. Paul William Bryant Jr. was born circa 1945. [2] He was also the co-founder of Alabama Reassurance Co., later known as Alabama Life Reinsurance Co., a reinsurance company. Knowles has walked through the museum about 10 times. 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. 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. 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Man mourns at Coach "Bear" Bryant's funeral site. Kobe . At home, she keeps the microcassette of the last letter he dictated, the day before he died. 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. His eyes get wide, bulging, like they do when he's confused. 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Air view of cemetery at "Bear" Bryant's funeral. Despite his famous name, business success and longtime influential role at the University of Alabama, Paul Bryant Jr. has stayed out of the spotlight. On the wall, there's a candid shot of Paul and Billy in what looks like a living room. There's even a song named that. He was 69. 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. "Right there with the hat on, in the middle. The scope of the collection highlights the day to day activities of Kentuckians. If I'd changed jobs, I would have been making $50 more a month. And yet they don't, and they almost certainly won't. "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. Alabama-Fans climb tree to watch "Bear" Bryant's funeral. ", They'd known each other for more than 20 years by then. Trustees blocked the hiring of good coaches, limited spending on facilities and opposed a new on-campus stadium for the football team, critics contend. Oh, s--- $50 wasn't worth it. "Coach Bryant isn't dead," he'll say. Bryant asked whether there might be enough for him. Bryant's image. She answers for him when he seems lost. 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,. The farm spans hundreds of acres and has catfish farms, cattle and grounds for quail hunting. Edit Now. And no one knew Coach Bryant better than Billy. Whatever order was brought on by the photographs disappears. He worked security at games, no longer inside the circle. Varner told even him no. ", "Bryant " "Bryant " "Bryant " "Bryant ". 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." This photograph was published on Feb 24th, 1948 (1948-02-24), 1.03-1497.01. Inside she found $500 and a note. After services in Tuscaloosa, Bryant was brought to Elmwood Cemetery for interment. In the Yellowhammer State, they've been giving 100 percent to the Bear Bryant name game for a very long time now. Bryant was held accountable for the demise of UAB football because of a letter Gene Bartow . "Bryant." 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? "Then," he added, "I'll do the same with Paul.". ", As high school student Cameron Bryant Collier mingled with incoming Alabama freshman Bryant Edward Rich (as you've likely figured out, the reunion crowds skew very young), Leonard Bryant Jackson joked that he was going to yell out "Hey, Bryant!" He said he had to rest. 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.
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