Paul William "Bear" Bryant was known by many names. In Alabama, one of those names is "God." Bryant gained his "Bear" nickname when he a travelling circus came to his town in Arkansas. Being the 14 year old redneck that he was, Bryant decided to wrestle a bear and survived the encounter. Although he reportedly hated the "Bear" nickname, it stuck to him and approximately 13,000 small businesses in Alabama for life. Bryant is most widely known for recruiting future All-American running back and kick return specialist Forrest Gump in 1960. His life is chronicled in the Bryant Museum on Alabama's campus. To find it, you go down Bryant Boulevard toward Bryant-Denny Stadium past Bryant Hall. If you see the Mary-Harmon Bryant building, you've gone off course. If you see Bryant High School, you're in the wrong part of town entirely. If you don't see at least three businesses with some variant of "Crimson", "Tide", "Bama", "Bear", or "Bryant" in their names, you've left Tuscaloosa.
The record reveals Bryant also coached Maryland, Kentucky, and Texas A&M, but Tide fans will have none of that.
hmy:
