Journal #18 Bear Bryant
Bear Bryant Notes and Junction Boys Video and Worksheet
Paul "Bear" Bryant - Timeline
Born 1913. Raised in Fordyce, AR
1927 given the name "Bear" from a story about wrestling a Bear at a Carnival
1931--Led his HS team to the State Championship
1931-'35. Student/Football Player at Alabama Univ. --Won the National Championship in 1934. Played a game with a broken leg vs. Tennessee
1936-'40 Asst. Coach at Alabama
1940-'41 Asst. Coach at Vanderbilt
Set to become the Head Coach at Arkansas Univ. when Pearl Harbor happens--Dec. 7, 1941. Serves as an Officer in the Navy during WWII.
1945--Head Coach of Maryland. Leaves over conflict with Univ. President.
1946-'53--Head Coach of Kentucky. Leads them to SEC title in 1950 (National Rank of #7). Leaves over Conflict with the University and it's main direction --Football or Basketball
1954-'57--Head Coach of Texas A&M. Infamous Junction Camp in '54 leads to a 1-9 Record his first year (only losing year in 38 yr. Career). Wins the SWC in '56 and a #5 National Ranking.
1958-'82--Head Coach of Alabama. Six National Champions.
38 Year Career---Winning Seasons in 37 of them with 4 schools. 323 wins tops when he retires (Div. I)
The Junction Boys
Terms/Character List
* Paul "Bear" Bryant
* Skeet Chaney
* Johnny Haynes
* Claude Gearhardt---Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned
* Smokey Harper
* Overall Conditions of Junction
Thought Question---Time to Think
Though the camp at Junction was by Coach Bryant's own admission "the worst mistake in my coaching career", it was not all that different than what other programs were doing at the time.
1) What events and attitudes led to this? Think about America and Sports in America in the 1940s and 1950s.
2) Why do you think Coach Bryant viewed Junction as a mistake?
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