“We’ll be back up here in 2 years. I’m not saying we’ll have a great team . But I bet we play Tenn a helluva lot stronger game than we did today. I’m looking forward to our players competing like Tenn players do against us. They knocked us down, we get up and they knock us down again. I’m confident we’re making progress toward doing that.” Comments by Coach Bryant following his first UT BAMA match-up in 1958.
Even while in aggie land a few years earlier The Coach quieted a crowd of aggie supporters that were embellishing about how great the Texas and Texas A&M rivalry was when he stood and shouted “ Yeah Alabama and Tennessee, the greatest rivalry in college football”
Coach’s first win against UT came in 1961 but what did it mean to him, well he went out and bought the players rings, rings with a red stone with the “A” inscribed on it and the name, Paul Bryant. Lee Roy Jordan has his ring in a jewelry box with the Championship ring from the same year and 2 Super Bowl rings.
Coach Bryant admitted getting so work-up, before traveling back to UT for the 1962 game, that he pulled off to the side of the road to relieve an upset stomach. This is the year and game, and you have to wonder why the BAMA game, that was the dedication of Neyland Stadium, formally Shield-Watkins Field. BAMA spoiled the dedication 27-7.
Following a 7-7- tie in 1965 Coach Bryant found himself and the team locked out of the locker room. He kicked the door down after the police officer refused to shoot off the lock. Post Game comments;
Coach Dickey: “Our punter had a lot to do with the win”.
Coach Bryant: “I take full responsibility for the loss”
The previous years tie may explain Coach Bryant’s reaction when he and the team were met by members of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce and when given a map of the city along with a Neyland Stadium Key Chain and other items he replied “H***, we didn’t come up here to go on some d*** tour”, and wadded the map and threw it to the floor.
In 1976 BAMA went 9-3, UT finished 6-5, and it was BAMA’s 20-13 win over UT that Coach Bryant said, “I think we turned the corner. I think this turns us around”. You would think there were bigger wins that year but this win was over UT.
Coach Bryant came into the Dressing room at half-time clapping his hands, saying, ”Men, we got them right where we want them”! Strangely, BAMA was trailing 17-7. He followed his bazaar statement with, “If you come back and win this game , nobody in the country will doubt that you deserve to be #1. If you come back and win today, I’ll believe that you have what it takes to win a national championship this season”.
“We need to win over Tennessee for our children, our grandchildren, our parents and grandparents, and for everyone else remotely interested in the Alabama program.” A portion of Coach Bryant’s speech to the 1981 team, Tuesday before the 3rd Sat in Oct.
Finally, Coach Bryant said, “You found out what kind of person you were, player you were and winner you were when you played Tennessee”.
Even while in aggie land a few years earlier The Coach quieted a crowd of aggie supporters that were embellishing about how great the Texas and Texas A&M rivalry was when he stood and shouted “ Yeah Alabama and Tennessee, the greatest rivalry in college football”
Coach’s first win against UT came in 1961 but what did it mean to him, well he went out and bought the players rings, rings with a red stone with the “A” inscribed on it and the name, Paul Bryant. Lee Roy Jordan has his ring in a jewelry box with the Championship ring from the same year and 2 Super Bowl rings.
Coach Bryant admitted getting so work-up, before traveling back to UT for the 1962 game, that he pulled off to the side of the road to relieve an upset stomach. This is the year and game, and you have to wonder why the BAMA game, that was the dedication of Neyland Stadium, formally Shield-Watkins Field. BAMA spoiled the dedication 27-7.
Following a 7-7- tie in 1965 Coach Bryant found himself and the team locked out of the locker room. He kicked the door down after the police officer refused to shoot off the lock. Post Game comments;
Coach Dickey: “Our punter had a lot to do with the win”.
Coach Bryant: “I take full responsibility for the loss”
The previous years tie may explain Coach Bryant’s reaction when he and the team were met by members of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce and when given a map of the city along with a Neyland Stadium Key Chain and other items he replied “H***, we didn’t come up here to go on some d*** tour”, and wadded the map and threw it to the floor.
In 1976 BAMA went 9-3, UT finished 6-5, and it was BAMA’s 20-13 win over UT that Coach Bryant said, “I think we turned the corner. I think this turns us around”. You would think there were bigger wins that year but this win was over UT.
Coach Bryant came into the Dressing room at half-time clapping his hands, saying, ”Men, we got them right where we want them”! Strangely, BAMA was trailing 17-7. He followed his bazaar statement with, “If you come back and win this game , nobody in the country will doubt that you deserve to be #1. If you come back and win today, I’ll believe that you have what it takes to win a national championship this season”.
“We need to win over Tennessee for our children, our grandchildren, our parents and grandparents, and for everyone else remotely interested in the Alabama program.” A portion of Coach Bryant’s speech to the 1981 team, Tuesday before the 3rd Sat in Oct.
Finally, Coach Bryant said, “You found out what kind of person you were, player you were and winner you were when you played Tennessee”.
