City & town life -- Kentucky -- Lexington. He got his bartender a badge and a gun. ", They'd known each other for more than 20 years by then. While his portfolio seems diverse, Bryant sees a common thread in some of his most successful undertakings: banking, gaming and reinsurance (basically insurance for insurance companies) are all highly regulated. "Well, we don't hardly know the details," he said finally. Alabama-Fans climb tree to watch "Bear" Bryant's funeral. You can reach up and feel it. You get a job out there you would have made $50 more a month. Always, Coach Bryant, just like Mary Wilkes or Sarah Catherine: Coachbryant. Unnamed sources later said if Bryant had the votes he would kill the football program. They have three daughters: Stella Gray Bryant Sykes, Mae Martin Bryant Murray, and Anna Laurie Bryant McKibbens, all graduates of The University of Alabama, and three grandchildren. Morant to miss two games after video with gun, Las Vegas prepared to give A's 'better opportunity', Richardson sets QB mark for vertical, broad jump, Curry, Iguodala probable to return vs. Lakers, Sources: Suns hiring Pistons' Bartelstein as CEO, Mbappe breaks PSG's all-time scoring record, Bruins stroll past Kane, Rangers, win 10th in row, Horns' Robinson: Versatility worthy of early pick, Inside the long-awaited return of Jon Jones and his quest for heavyweight glory, The future of the NFL combine: Is there really a chance it could end forever? He forms his right hand into a pistol and Susie laughs, but then he starts to get lost again. And yet they don't, and they almost certainly won't. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. By mid-day, with the sun shining brightly, several hundred waited for the start of the graveside service for Coach "Bear" Bryant. "It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key: That key is Russian national interest.". Bryant is a family man: He has been married to his wife, Cherry, since 1966, and they have three daughters all UA graduates and three grandchildren. "Oh, it goes so much deeper than that," Hilburn said, rolling her eyes and grinning. Each day brings its own reality. Coach Pat Dye talks with unknown person. The funeral service at the First Methodist Church in Tuscaloosa was deeply religious, with little reference to Bryant's career or character. Thirty years after Bear Bryant's final season, the man who knew him "It's exactly like that," Hilburn added. Research Account set-up and use instructions can be found at: http://libguides.uky.edu/SCRCaccount, Wyatt, John C.Lexington Leader (Lexington, Ky. : Daily)Lexington Herald-LeaderLexington Herald (Firm). One person who has known Bryant for years, but didn't want to be named here, said that Bryant is a man who guards his family's privacy. Who makes up the University of Alabama Board of Trustees? Breaking down the latest in 2024 football recruiting, from top commits to March visits, The Turnover Luck Index: Rating every 2022 team, from USC to Rutgers, Kiper's updated NFL mock draft: Who's moving up for a QB? That's the man I'll always remember.". usie Varner answers the door. Coach Bryant died Wednesday. "No kidding, it's my daughter's first name, too!" He poured a drink and chatted with guests. View the profiles of people named Paul Bryant Jr. Join Facebook to connect with Paul Bryant Jr. and others you may know. John C. Wyatt Lexington Herald-Leader photographs. Bear Bryant funeral - al.com He drove him to Birmingham one year before Christmas because Bryant got a letter from a sick girl and he wanted to surprise her. A half-hour or more has passed. Paul Bryant Obituary (2006) - Phoenix, AZ - The Arizona Republic Bryant has also had a couple of Labrador retrievers, but they passed away last year. They are retired ones that mostly just get loving, pets.. "So little coming out of it. In his hospital room, Bryant was joking with the nurses. "That's him," she says, standing so he can sit. We had some guys behind us. His first job was as general manager of the Birmingham A's of the Southern League. In addition, he chaired the committee that hired Dr. Robert Witt, past President of The University of Alabama and retired Chancellor of The University of Alabama System. Billy found a phone and called ahead, telling Susie to make her good cornbread. It happens slowly but clearly. Most afternoons, Bryant would slip into the bar and play cards with friends. Our bank that we've got now, he said, we started to try to be in communities where my family lives and will live and have it kind of be a legacy thing to be involved in the community stuff that your community banks do. Rutledge played for Bryant's first team and was an assistant on his last, and when he realized that he would be sharing new information, he clammed up. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. ear Bryant surrounded himself with people he could trust, and he trusted nobody more than Billy Varner, a tough, barrel-chested African-American. I had a lot of help starting out.. At the end, when Bryant was sicker than anyone knew, Billy heard the private coughs. "I don't ever talk to him now," Billy says. In his late 20s, Bryant helped organize Peoples Bank of Tuscaloosa, which was merged into AmSouth in the early 1980s, with AmSouth later merging with Regions Bank. "My favorite part is meeting all the folks and hearing all the different name combinations they come up with," explained Curtis Paul Parker of Anniston. It's been a good experience and I've made a lot of very close friends on the board, he said. I'm probably better evaluating them than running them, I'll say that, he said. [13], He is married, and has three daughters. [1] He was described by The Birmingham News as "among the most private of men, largely a mystery to many."[1]. Hundreds of others gathered silently outside the Methodist church to wave goodbye when Bryant's body was loaded into a hearse for the trip to Elmwood Cemetery. Oh, s--- $50 wasn't worth it. Jos et halua meidn ja kumppaneidemme kyttvn evsteit ja henkiltietoja nihin listarkoituksiin, napsauta Hylk kaikki. The patrolman understood and backed off. He was there with his daughter, Carlin Bryant Parker, who was obsessed with those carnival games. "My name is Chase Bryant Duncan," said a teenager, proudly pointing to his nametag as he stood in the food line on the lawn of the Paul W. Bryant Museum with his family. There he is. [3][7] He also served on the boards of trustees of the Alabama Heritage Foundation and the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Virginia. It's a spotlight Bryant works hard to avoid. Even Knowles sheepishly admits she has a houndstooth umbrella. The trust has over 50,000 members and more than 250,000 supporters throughout the country. You miss a lot of things you shouldn't miss.". [5] He also serves as the President of Green Group, Inc.[6], Bryant invests in "dog and horse racing, the insurance industry, cement making, catfish farming and banking. We went to the dressing room. Kobe Bryant Shares First Photo of 'Little Princess' Capri Kobe - Peoplemag Married with three daughters, Bryant is known to be a student of American history, especially the Civil War. He looked out the window at the river and the bridge to Arkansas, which led eventually to the place where his journey began: a four-room house without electricity or running water. Billy shuffles into the room wearing gray pajamas and black slippers. Wilson's father added his own nod of approval, replying loudly, though muffled by a bite of hot dog, "Rollf Tfide! He's following me. Coach Bear Bryant at the 1982 Liberty Bowl football game in Memphis, Tennessee. That's what the annual namesake reunion is all about, bringing the living tributes together to create a sense of crimson-blooded community among those linked by their labels. His voice loses its pitch and clarity, sort of like he's got a mouth full of pea gravel. another $13 mil or so, in fact, which now . Fans stand and cheer. This year's reunion was the first to feature a carnival theme, complete with cotton candy, county-fair-style games and -- wait for it -- a teddy-bear-building station. But unlike the others at the namesake reunion, his name wasn't merely a tribute. Vanessa Bryant just received a heck of a lot more money from L.A. County after her initial $15 million win last year . Paul W. Bryant Jr. was running a minor league baseball team before he was 25 years old. Bryant also has a keen interest in the Civil War, and serves as chairman emeritus of the Civil War Preservation Trust, a national historic battlefield preservation organization. In 2005, Bryant founded Bryant Bank. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Paul Bryant's dedicated service and leadership have been invaluable to the board of trustees and to the University of Alabama System, Witt said. Roll Tide!" I've had some different ones not work, too, Bryant said recently in a rare and revealing interview. Susie is short, 77, with gray hair and a walker she pushes around. According to the state Department of Insurance, Alabama Re had $240 million in admitted assets, a five person board headed by Bryant, and just two full-time employees. Lexington Leader (Lexington, Ky. : Daily), [Identification of item], John C. Wyatt Lexington Herald-Leader photographs, 1936-1990,2004AV001, Special Collections and Digital Programs, University of Kentucky Libraries,Lexington, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center. ", T A funeral procession three miles long, consisting of more than 300 cars and six buses carrying Bryant's last University of Alabama team and many of his former players, drove the 60 miles to Birmingham behind the white hearse after funeral services in Tuscaloosa. Paul W. Bryant Jr. sat down recently for a rare interview, giving insight into his involvement with UA athletics - both real and rumored - as well as a revealing glimpse into his personality, his background and the school's growth during his time on the board of trustees. Miss Mae Martin Bryant, daughter of Couch and Mrs. Paul Bryant, gives holiday tea. Photo by Dave Dieter HVT, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. Sometimes Bryant visits. Bryant asked whether there might be enough for him. It grows smaller all the time. PAUL BRYANT OBITUARY Paul Dean Bryant Jr., 47, of El Mirage, Arizona, passed away on April 15, 2006. Next fall, another great-grandson, Paul William Bryant Tyson, will be on Nick Saban's roster as a freshman quarterback. Coach was at Jimmy Hinton's house and didn't feel well. Throughout his time on the board, he was a member of the Physical Properties Committee including nine years as chairman, during which more than 360 physical properties projects were completed with a total value exceeding $2 billion. Twenty-eight days later, on a Tuesday night, Billy's phone rang. 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Fans watching T.V. (Fie Photo/ The Huntsville Times) The Huntsville Times, Former Governor George Walalce attends the funeral of Alabama coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant at the First Methodist Church of Tuscaloosa on Friday Jan. 28, 1983. Missing in the houndstooth beach balls and paint jobs is a person. Barra found himself attacked for describing one bender at the 21 Club in New York City. Few appear to believe that and instead see the trustees, with Bryant Jr. at the helm, as a force that for years has refused to support the team. Here's everything we know, The paths of KD and Kyrie: How one month changed three franchises and two superstar legacies, From bubble struggles to NCAA seed improvement, why these final weekend games matter, Foden's return to form helps mask De Bruyne's troubles, Nelson sends Arsenal into euphoria with last-gasp winner over Bournemouth. While Bryant won't talk about it, it is believed he has given millions more to UA for non-athletic needs. OBITUARIES - Daily Press Trump avoided . Bryant entered Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa on January 25, 1983, after feeling chest discomfort. George Wallace and former Washington Redskins Coach George Allen, representing President Reagan, were among the 400 dignataries, family members and friends who packed the church for the rites. 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Young man gives final salute to Coach "Bear" Bryant. It was lowered into an underground vault later. Robert Witt has worked with Bryant for the last 10 years, first as UA president and more recently as chancellor of the UA system. Reach Tommy Deas at tommy@tidesports.com or at 205-722-0224. His voice ticks up a few notches. Regularly, he refuses to believe that his old boss isn't at home waiting for a ride. Despite his famous name, business success and longtime influential role at the University of Alabama, Paul Bryant Jr. has stayed out of the spotlight. Knowles and Varner cleaned out the real version of this office after Coach died. Over 10 years, Bryant Bank has grown to over $1.5 billion in assets, becoming the largest family-owned bank in the state of Alabama. [7], He served on the board of trustees of the University of Alabama[3][6] until September 2015 and previously served as its chairman. Business districts -- Kentucky -- Lexington. Jack Rutledge asked carefully. "I said, 'Why would you name him after the greatest coach of all time when he could be named after the two greatest coaches of all time? Everyone gifted with some version of Coach's moniker wears a nametag, so as to keep them all straight. He laughs at himself when he recenters. Miss Mae Martin Bryant, daughter of Couch and Mrs. Paul Bryant, gives "What's your name?" They made small talk in the car, nothing about the life's work that had just ended. Facebook gives people the power. He puts a finger over his lips and says, "Shhh." Getty. Paul W. Bryant, Jr. - The Alabama Business Hall of Fame I'd travel with him to the games. He was with him almost 24 hours a day.". "He could eat pheasant under glass with the president," he said, "or he could eat cheese and crackers with the boys out by the caddie shack, and he'd enjoy it all just the same. Bryant, who won 323 games in his 38 seasons -- more than any other college coach -- died Wednesday of a heart attack only 28 days after retiring. "That looks like him over there," Billy says. S His clarity comes and goes. Lexington (Ky.) -- Social life and customs. A number of people wore T-shirts that said 'It Took a Giant to Replace the Bear,' referring to former New York Giants Coach Ray Perkins, whom Bryant selected to succeed him at Alabama last month. In real life, biographer Allen Barra reports, Bryant had a copy of Philip Roth's masturbation-heavy literary masterpiece "Portnoy's Complaint" on his shelf. At home, she keeps the microcassette of the last letter he dictated, the day before he died. 1983 Press Photo Alabama-Air view of Coach "Bear" Bryant's funeral procession, Alabama-Air view of Coach "Bear" Bryant's funeral procession The Birmingham News, Mae Martin Bryant Tyson, Stella Gray, Anna Laurie, The daughter of Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, Mae Martin Bryant Tyson, left, and son Paul Bryant Jr., right, attend a memorial service on the campus at Tuscaloosa, Ala., Jan. 27, 1983. We can't just have anybody who is named Paul or William or even Bryant showing up and trying to sneak into the group. Although Bryant never served in the military, he is a lifelong scholar of American military history and active in battlefield preservation. Or at least the part of Alabama that doesn't care about UAB football. He saw him cry. 'We give thanks to God for his personal strength in leading men and the tenderness with which he could touch a child,' the Rev. John C. Wyatt established and maintained the collection's original organizational scheme. Having football competitive and doing well, and so much more than that is (when) we're maintaining at a championship level every year, it makes it easier on businesses around the state, I promise you. A crowd of 5,000 -- many dressed as though for an Alabama football game -- watched in eerie silence as the grim-faced young pallbearers carried Bryant's flower-blanketed casket to the grave. Knowles has walked through the museum about 10 times. A story last year from Bloomberg News, mostly about his extensive business dealings, shows a man who is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, a fortune gained through a variety of businesses and investments spanning dog and horse racing, the insurance industry, cement making, catfish farming and banking. The John C. Wyatt photographs (LHL) consist of an estimated 2 million unique photographic negatives spanning the years 1939-2001. In 1973, the newspapers were purchased by the Knight-Ridder Corporation and in 1983 were merged into a single, morning paper that is still published as The Lexington Herald-Leader. "I'm not sure I've enjoyed all of it. "I know I've made this journey," he told a reporter just before his final season. Like his boss before him, Billy Varner has come to the place where he must consider what he did with his time. I remember all of them. Paul Bryant Jr - Bhamwiki [1][2] By 1995, they were incorporated as GreenTrack, Inc.[4] As of 2009, he owned 72% of GreenTrack. It was a hand-me-down. Alabama-Air view of cemetery at "Bear" Bryant's funeral. Former President Donald Trump Saturday insisted his former secretary of state was not taking a dig at him when Mike Pompeo warned conservatives against following 'celebrity leaders'. 'And not just the leader of Alabama football players, but of the whole nation.'. When Paul took his grandson fishing, Billy came along. Billy saw him weak and insecure. "I just don't know what's going to happen to him," Varner said. He led efforts to upgrade and expand the football stadium which bears his dad's name. Paul Bryant Jr: His famous father casts a long shadow, one seemingly "There was so much going on," he says. For his philanthropic efforts, Bryant became the inaugural recipient of the Racing Commissioners Humanitarian of the Year Award by the organization of State and Canadian Racing Regulatory Commissions. Varner went home to rest, and that's where he was when the phone rang again. Bryant loved University of Alabama Crimson Tide football, and his son appears to love it just as deeply. Mr. Bryant was Chairman of the Crimson Tide Tradition Fund, the organization that preceded the Crimson Tide Foundation. He'd eaten some sausage, and it upset his stomach is all. In 2012, Bryant Bank was awarded the Revitalizing Your Community Award by the American Bankers Association, in large part for the bank's work after the April 27, 2011, tornado that devastated the community. He only serves on one committee, but he does carry some influence with other board members. The number of people left alive who knew that Paul is small. Bear Bryant dies of heart attack - UPI Archives Paul Bryant Jr., a banker and the coach's only son, says his father established the fund in 1973. . Supporters of UAB football insist that the now-scrapped football program played an important role in helping the university attract students and build campus life. He's a 1978 national champion. Hilburn's mother was Mae Martin Bryant, and Paul Murray's mother is Mae Martin Murray, the daughter of Paul "Bear" Bryant Jr. and, like Mary Harmon Hilburn, the granddaughter of Paul "Bear" Bryant Sr. and Mary Harmon Bryant. This photograph was published on Feb 24th, 1948 (1948-02-24) Photograph Number: 1.03-1497.01 Billy was Bear Bryant's driver, bodyguard and valet, one of the few remaining people who knew him as a human being. These ties received national press attention when the board of trustees made the shocking decision to kill UAB football. The next morning, on Jan. 26, Varner ran errands, taking Bryant's daughter to the hospital and dropping off a to-do list at the office for Knowles. His voice becomes higher-pitched, quick but not rushed, with confidence in the direction of the words, without the long pauses to read the maps inside his mind. Paul, who rode in a mule-drawn cart from Moro Bottom, Ark., and in the back of Billy Varner's crimson Buick LeSabre, struggled, season after season. announced that the 2014 football season would be the last for UAB, Our view: We don't trust the process that ended UAB football, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. She'd always ask: "When y'all coming back?". "My dad says he named me Bryant so that I wouldn't grow up to be an Auburn fan. We're going into the stadium. I'm not as big on killing stuff as I am finding it with the dogs. Billy told her not to worry about Coach. Alabama-Funeral-Woman and child mourn the death of Coach "Bear" Bryant. "But we have a registration process. He is a man. Not unlike the lawn outside at the reunion, where the Pauls and Paulas and Bryants ate crimson-colored snow cones and craned their necks to read each other's nametags. A few weeks ago, as Linda Knowles took the elevator up to the fourth-floor office where she works for the Alabama faculty senate, a car with a houndstooth paint job drove past her building on Paul W. Bryant Drive, past Bryant-Denny Stadium, past the Paul W. Bryant Museum, which is filled with what can only be called relics, then past the Bryant Conference Center. To his right is the famous painting "315" that shows Bryant on the sideline as he breaks the all-time wins record, and down the wall from that is a pencil-and-ink drawing of Bryant as a young man. Currently, Bryant is president of the privately held holding company, Greene Group, Inc. which has operated a multi-state business engaged in reinsurance, finance, leasing, par-mutual racing, casino management, cattle ranching, aquaculture, catfish processing and distribution, fuel distribution, outdoor recreation, wildlife management, and concrete/aggregate construction. Paul Bryant Jr. Profiles | Facebook My dad wanted to set me on the right path as soon as I was born! A man looks up and he's 76 years old, with memories he can't touch and not much else. [1] [2] She sits down and tells the story her husband can no longer tell. They have three daughters: Stella Gray Bryant Sykes, Mae Martin Bryant Murray, and Anna Laurie Bryant McKibbens, all graduates of The University of Alabama, and three grandchildren. The bird dogs are German shorthaired pointers and English pointers. "I host the family holidays here at my house in Tuscaloosa, and we have so many Pauls and Marys and Mays that I have to draw up place cards for everyone and I have to use a very sophisticated system of last initials. Early life and family background. "What do you mean, I didn't play football? Any William needs to be prepared to really make his or her case to be included, but many have successfully done so. A lot of them we've got don't hunt because they're older. -- Kentucky -- Lexington. Since then, Moore says, daughters of Joe Namath and Ken Stabler have attended Alabama on . A few days before the game, as a television crew interviewed him, Bryant walked by and cracked, "Don't rush yourself, Billy, I'll bring the car around. And he did! XFL Week 3 preview: Can AJ McCarron, Battlehawks continue their fourth-quarter heroics? This was Bryant's last game as the head football coach at the University of Alabama. After an hour and a half, Bryant, looking tired and old, walked into his bedroom. Which non-quarterback group will define each top-25 team's season? When Alabama football is winning, it's just better.