The Great Alumni Challenge - WSJ article

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GrayTide

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I think crap is a great word, it can be used in many different ways. Don't watch ESPN if you can't take anybody not slobbering all over Alabama.
 

Maverick2

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And Knute Rockne vs. Bear Bryant?

How is that even a contest?

Rockne - 3 National Titles, 105 Career wins
Bryant - 6 National Titles, 323 Career wins


And they gave the nod to Rockne?
Bryant was head coach of Alabama for three decades. Rockne coached ND for 12 years and died tragically in a plane crash in his early 40's. Obviously he would have coached a lot longer

Rockne's 105 -12- 5 record is by far the best winning percentage (86%) in college FB history

Bryant was 0-4 against ND and he didn't even face ND's top two coaches of all time Rockne or Leahy, who won 4 NC's in the 40's.

So yes in theory you could conclude that Rockne or Leahy would have beaten Bryant.


As far as NC's, ND ONLY recognizes consensus national titles (11). For example, Rockne had 5 undefeated teams and all five squads were named NC by various polling organizations. ND however, only recognizes the three Rockne squads which were voted #1 by EVERY polling organization, and back then there were a LOT of them.

If ND counted every squad that was voted #1 by at least one polling organization like most schools do, they would have 21 NC's.
 

BAMA1979

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Bryant was head coach of Alabama for three decades. Rockne coached ND for 12 years and died tragically in a plane crash in his early 40's. Obviously he would have coached a lot longer

Rockne's 105 -12- 5 record is by far the best winning percentage (86%) in college FB history

Bryant was 0-4 against ND and he didn't even face ND's top two coaches of all time Rockne or Leahy, who won 4 NC's in the 40's.

So yes in theory you could conclude that Rockne or Leahy would have beaten Bryant.


As far as NC's, ND ONLY recognizes consensus national titles (11). For example, Rockne had 5 undefeated teams and all five squads were named NC by various polling organizations. ND however, only recognizes the three Rockne squads which were voted #1 by EVERY polling organization, and back then there were a LOT of them.

If ND counted every squad that was voted #1 by at least one polling organization like most schools do, they would have 21 NC's.
Bryant coached at Alabama from 1958-1982...not quite three decades.

Alabama would have about 19 NC's if they counted every team that was voted #1 by at least one polling organization so they don't count all of them, either.


I know this is an Alabama vs. Notre Dame article in the WSJ, but if we are strictly comparing Bryant and Rockne as head coaches then Bryant's entire body of work should be considered...not just what he accomplished at Alabama. For example...

Kentucky finished in the top 20 in the AP Poll in five consecutive seasons under Bryant. That never happened before Bryant, hasn't happened since Bryant, and probably won't happen again.

Kentucky claims a national championship in 1950 when Bryant led the 10-1 Wildcats to a victory over #1 Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.

Bryant also won an SEC Championship at Kentucky in 1950 (one of their two all-time) and a Southwest Conference Championship at Texas A&M in 1956.


I'm not trying to say one coach was better than the other. They were both legends. I'm just presenting some facts about Bryant's coaching career that are sometimes forgotten.
 
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Maverick2

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There is no doubt that Bryant was a GREAT coach and he was a great person too as he led the push to integrate college FB
 

TIDE-HSV

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Good lord! You've been one of the more level-headed visitors we've had and now you go all stupid and come up with this. Rockne's early death was tragic but it was also key in his winning percentage. Why? Because he didn't have to sustain that percentage over decades - as no coach has. Now, if you want to believe he could, then you're welcome to that belief, but it's much more akin to religious than probabilities. Also, in addition to his sustained success over decades, Coach Bryant's percentage suffers from rebuilding programs at Maryland, Kentucky, TAMU and then Bama. Rockne had one. As for your "theory" that Bryant would have lost to Rockne or Leahy, each game is it's own story and your "theory" isn't worth crap. I don't know what you graduated in, but I suspect it wasn't statistics. It seems, like a lot of ND, you majored in hero worship. Remember on 1/8 that Texas also had a winning record against Bama - until 2009...
 
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