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Link: Nick Saban vs Bear Bryant: Who Is The Better Alabama Coach?

sanjosecrimson

sanjosecrimson

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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...-bryant-who-is-the-best-alabama-coach?ref=yfp

some head to head comparisons along with some great Alabama and CFB stats!

my favorite part of the article:

"Bear Bryant is probably the greatest coach in college football in terms of what he accomplished, what his legacy is," Saban once said. "I think the biggest thing that impacts me is how many peoples' lives he affected in a positive way, players who played for him, because they all come back and say how he affected their life.
They don't come back and say, 'We won a championship in '78, '79, '61,' whenever it was. They come back and say how he affected their lives. There's a lot of Bear Bryant stories that I've learned a lot from, that have made me a better person."
 
CHATTBRIT

CHATTBRIT

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Re: Nick Saban vs Bear Bryant: Who Is The Best Alabama Coach?

Who is the best is not that important to me. What is important that we have had the two best coaches EVER!
 
BamaMoon

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Re: Nick Saban vs Bear Bryant: Who Is The Best Alabama Coach?

There are two ways to look at it:

1. Coach Bryant's time was harder to win a NC in that the polling was split, there was obvious bias toward southern teams, and no matter how good his teams were, they were only on TV a few times a year. However, his time was easier in that he enjoyed favoritism from the refs at times (I've heard Coach Stallings tell a story about this) and he could sign as many players as he wanted.

2. Coach Saban's time is harder because of limited schollies, greater parity and the SEC being so strong, especially the west. However, with the invent of the BCS and then the CFP there is a clearer path to the NC that crowns a consensus winner.

"It's six one, half dozen the other."
 
TideEngineer08

TideEngineer08

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Re: Nick Saban vs Bear Bryant: Who Is The Best Alabama Coach?

Comparing eras is difficult, but I think its safe to say Coach Bryant would have excelled in this era, just as Coach Saban would have excelled in that era. What made Coach Bryant great was his ability to adjust to changing environments. Many of you witnessed this first hand. All of us are now watching Coach Saban do the very same thing. The game has changed massively over the past 5 years, and certainly over the past 10.
 
GrayTide

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Re: Nick Saban vs Bear Bryant: Who Is The Best Alabama Coach?

Impossible to compare; however they were/are the two best ever. This debate gives the media something to write about and and attract site hits. I do not care who is/was considered the greatest coach between CPB and CNS.
 
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PA Tide Fan

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Re: Nick Saban vs Bear Bryant: Who Is The Best Alabama Coach?

I think we all need to wait and see what Coach Saban does during the remainder of his career before deciding. At least that's what I'm doing.
 
bamamc1

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Re: Nick Saban vs Bear Bryant: Who Is The Best Alabama Coach?

Most of us on here have witnessed the 2 greatest college coaches ever. Enough said. Who will remember who coached IU basketball after Coach Bob Knight? Who came after Lombardi? Everyone knows Coach Bryant and Coach Saban. RTR
 
Al A Bama

Al A Bama

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Re: Nick Saban vs Bear Bryant: Who Is The Best Alabama Coach?

GrayTide said:
Impossible to compare; however they were/are the two best ever. This debate gives the media something to write about and and attract site hits. I do not care who is/was considered the greatest coach between CPB and CNS.
Click to expand...
Good post.

I'm just glad they both ended up at Alabama!

One thing that I really like about Coach Bryant is that he also played for the Crimson Tide! Mama called! And he was there in my formative years. I think just reading about him and listening to him helped to make me a more disciplined person.

Now, I don't mind the fact that Coach Saban didn't play for Alabama, but he got here as quick as he could.
Coach Moore called momma! The rest is history and the future is still a mystery.
 
Al A Bama

Al A Bama

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Re: Nick Saban vs Bear Bryant: Who Is The Best Alabama Coach?

bamamc1 said:
Most of us on here have witnessed the 2 greatest college coaches ever. Enough said. Who will remember who coached IU basketball after Coach Bob Knight? Who came after Lombardi? Everyone knows Coach Bryant and Coach Saban. RTR
Click to expand...
I do and he played at Alabama and is the coach at Texas Southern University: Mike Davis. Or did I miss it?
 
Chukker Veteran

Chukker Veteran

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Re: Nick Saban vs Bear Bryant: Who Is The Best Alabama Coach?

I'm indifferent to this argument...what does it matter? and how to be certain which it is?

But sometimes I let myself wonder...if a star high school player was being recruited by Saban and Bryant at the same time (I know, fantasy land) which one would the recruit pick?

I think what both coaches share is an ability to coach up players, and get the best effort out of them. I have also been pleased at the respect Saban seems to have for what Coach Bryant did here. Not intimidated, not put off by being in his shadow...but by Golly being challenged to compete with the very best. And to my amazement, Bryant's record looks like it is within Saban's reach.
 
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rgw

rgw

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Re: Nick Saban vs Bear Bryant: Who Is The Best Alabama Coach?

I think it is sometimes a bit unfair for me to compare since I didn't see the Bryant era. But I still find myself leaning Bryant's way:

1. He was an alumnus. There is something to be said for being a successful player then coming back to be a wildly successful coach.

2. He dragged Alabama out of a bigger quagmire following Whitworth than Saban had with Shula.

3. Bryant was a coach who saw the sport change drastically throughout his career. He started coaching in the days of single-platoon/iron man football. He adapted to the beginnings of positional specialization. He adapted to the integration of football without much of a hitch. He was never bought and sold on "schemes"...he was willing to adapt to whatever worked while fitting within his philosophy.
 
Intl.Aperture

Intl.Aperture

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Re: Nick Saban vs Bear Bryant: Who Is The Best Alabama Coach?

Can we just stop a second and realize how incredible it is to even ask this question?

Seriously.

Could anybody in their wildest dreams have believed that we'd ever be able to earnestly ask "Who" the better coach was at Alabama?
It's absurd that ANYBODY else in college football history could be mentioned in the same breath as Bear Bryant...let alone another coach at the same school!
There is no higher peak than Alabama. Not to ask..."Which Alabama coach is better?" but to ask "Who is the greatest coach of ALL TIME? Bryant or Saban?" And they both are under the same roof.

Truly a historic powerhouse, the likes of which we may never see again. (Never say never, but.)
 
Alabama22

Alabama22

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Re: Nick Saban vs Bear Bryant: Who Is The Best Alabama Coach?

When I hear the talking heads with the sports networks, especially people like Finebaum trying to tell us which coach is the best and how much we should care, then it should be even more apparent to all of us that it's not at all important. So many people in the media never liked and still don't like Bear Bryant...and I simply don't care about what any of them think. Quite frankly, most of the media and country hate Alabama and Nick Saban. We all know that.

That's the main reason I refuse to watch or listen to Finebaum. Most of the clowns who call in to his show are just that...CLOWNS! And I don't like the way many of them are depicted as SEC fans or how it makes Southerners look in general. Finebaum eats it up, of course, and makes a ton of money off other people's misery and/or stupidity, and of course, most of them are too ignorant to understand or even care how they come across. It reminds me of the hateful smirk on Jerry Springer's face whenever he makes one of those cutting remarks or jokes about a guest...and they don't even know he's making fun of them. Needless to say, I've seen that show a couple of times and refuse to watch it, as well. A lot of people have little or no shame anymore. Nothing seems to embarrass some folks. Very sad.
 
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Sabanizer

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Re: Nick Saban vs Bear Bryant: Who Is The Best Alabama Coach?

Coach Saban summed it up best. 'I do not think it's fair to judge different era's' or something to the effect. It's hypothetical, but coach Saban could be at the halfway point of his tenure. He might be able to coach into his early 70's. I'll take it.
 
peariver

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Re: Nick Saban vs Bear Bryant: Who Is The Best Alabama Coach?

I don't think it is fair to compare the two. Not only different eras but really it is kind of to me like asking yourself which of your children do you love the most.
 
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