Coach Bryant vs "Bear"

[BamaFanTraeInGeorgia]

Please vote...

 

[crimsonaudio]

I can't believe people get worked up over this.
http://bryant.ua.edu/

 

[BamaFan in Germantown]

I'm not sure about friends in General, but his close friends, players, coaches and those in the Athletic Dept. always addressed him as Coach or Coach Bryant. Even his players away from the him always called him," The Man".
Some nicknames do always feel welcomed by the person who has been tagged with the nickname.... ROLL TIDE

 

[Bama Bo]

If he disliked the nickname as bas some say he did, why did he include the nick name when he autographed things?

 

[GrayTide]

If you are old enough to remember, his contemporaries, such as Joe Paterno, John McKay, Frank Broyles, Darrell Royal and Woody Hayes referred to him as Paul.

 

[92tide]

bear. he was more than a coach.

never even thought of calling him coach bryant til i read some of the threads here over the last couple of years.

 

[BamaFan in Germantown]

If he disliked the nickname as bas some say he did, why did he include the nick name when he autographed things?

Just because you sign your name or nickname does not always mean you like it.My nickname in service was one that I did not like, but my Colonel and my platoon buddies all called me that nickname. Even now when we talk they still use it.
I don't know if Coach Bryant liked it or not, but those close to him never used the nickname when talking to him.

 

[bmcklv]

As long as it's used in a respectful manner, it should be a non-issue. I call him coach, because that's what I remember him as; a coach.

My wife, on the other hand, never got to meet him, but has bled Crimson since she was a youngster in the 50's. She remembers when he first came to T-town; and heard the story of him wrestling the bear. She had the pleasure of seeing all of the Title games he won as our coach; and she'll defend her position that he is the greatest coach ever against all comers. The way she explains it; she calls him Bear because her fondness of him; and calling him Bear makes her feel closer to him.

 

[bayoutider]

It's been 25 years since Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant prowled the Alabama sidelines so in my eyes things have changed. I would have never called Coach Bryant anything other than Coach or Coach Bryant but now I see no harm in refering to Coach Bryant as "Bear". If that is how people remember him so be it at least he is still remembered.

 

[80UoAGrad]

I personally cringe when I hear people refer to Coach Bryant as "Bear" Yeh, I've heard all of the arguments (i.e. it's his nickname, he signed things that way, etc, etc.) In all of my years of talking with former players and coaches who were on his staff, I have yet to hear one of them refer to him as "Bear". I was surprised when reading the book by Bo Schembechler, that he referred to Coach Bryant as Bear. If he were alive today, would you walk up to him and say "how you doing Bear?" I think not. You may call him what you wish but to me, he will always be Coach Bryant.

 

[Pachydermatous]

Help! We're running out of topics. By July we'll be down to shoes, helmets, and John Parker Wilson moving to LB.

 

[Ldlane]

To me "Coach Bryant" shows respect. "Bear" to me shows that the person has little or no connection with the legacy, or is very informal in manner. I call him Coach Bryant as a manner of professionalism and my respect for him.

When I started coaching I had a problem being called "Coach" because in school it seems to carry a negative connotation historically in the "Academic" world. My players call me Mr. Lane because I deal with them daily in class and that doesn't bother me on the court. My coaching colleagues call me "Lance" or "Coach" because we interact socially at athletic events and other events. My next door neighbor is an official for many of our games and he calls me "Coach".

To me however Coaching and Teaching are the same things with different subject matter and the name "Coach" no longer bothers me.

 

[bama_at_uab]

The only memory I have of coach Bryant was when I was a very very young kid I got to meet him and he signed an autograph for me.

He signed it
Paul "Bear" Bryant

/just reaffirming what other's have stated
// for the record, I would never address him as "bear" because that would be very disrespectful but I think it's ok when people refer to him as such.

 

[92tide]

"Bear" to me shows that the person has little or no connection with the legacy, or is very informal in manner.

i refer to him as bear and always held him in awe growing up. my grandfather, who worked around campus since the early 20s and is about as avid/knowledgeable fan of bama football as you can be (i sat in his assisted living room in northport with him last year on his 101st birthday watching that arkansas debacle and listening to him yell at the tv) referred to him as bear. believe me, with the folks i grew up with, the name "bear bryant" was associated with awe, and a deep respect of his legacy. it wasnt a factor of little or no connection or of rank informality.

i can see how people want to respect him by calling him "coach" and have no problem with that. but, please don't try to minimize or marginalize those of us who refer to him as bear.

 

[Ldlane]

i refer to him as bear and always held him in awe growing up. my grandfather, who worked around campus since the early 20s and is about as avid/knowledgeable fan of bama football as you can be (i sat in his assisted living room in northport with him last year on his 101st birthday watching that arkansas debacle and listening to him yell at the tv) referred to him as bear. believe me, with the folks i grew up with, the name "bear bryant" was associated with awe, and a deep respect of his legacy. it wasnt a factor of little or no connection or of rank informality.

i can see how people want to respect him by calling him "coach" and have no problem with that. but, please don't try to minimize or marginalize those of us who refer to him as bear.

I wasn't trying to minimize or marginalize a person that calls him "Bear". Just sharing an "outlook" for someone like his colleagues and why they may have called him Bear.

To me he was a "Grandfather" figure though no blood relation and to me that demands respect.

 

[92tide]

To me he was a "Grandfather" figure though no blood relation and to me that demands respect.

that implies a disrespect in calling him bear. i am saying that there is no inherent disrespect in referring to him as bear bryant.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

I think it's a bit disingenuous to start a "poll" with a polemic intended to influence the vote. Therefore, I've edited your intial post, Trae. Feel free to re-post it as a response...

BTW, I agree with Bayou. There's just no way we older guys who had contact with him by one means or another can explain our feelings about the man to younger folk. It's just impossible to convey. Given that, I'll not censure "Bear," unless I feel it's being used in a disrespectful manner. (Doesn't happen much here, but it does elsewhere.)

 

[Ldlane]

that implies a disrespect in calling him bear. i am saying that there is no inherent disrespect in referring to him as bear bryant.

I think it is up to each person and their "comfort zone" with the subject. I personally would never call him "Bear", but I don't "look down" on other that do. I would never post something saying "He needs to be called Coach Bryant!" I'm old school with "Yes Sir" and "No Ma'am".

 

[TRU]

Help! We're running out of topics. By July we'll be down to shoes, helmets, and John Parker Wilson moving to LB.

Let's just jump right in. Is is going to be white shoes or black shoes this year? How about thinking outside the box and going with crimson shoes with a white Nike swoosh?

 

[bama61]

Really don't imagine that Coach Bryant cares one way or the other at this point in time. I never use "Bear" myself, but thats more out of deference to my mother who despised hearing him called that than any strong feelings on my own part. As far as respecting or being disrespectful, to me the man's accomplishments speak for themselves and no mere usage of nicknames is going to change them.

By the way, Frank Howard who was a former Bama player and an assistant under Frank Thomas when Bryant was a player always referred to him as "Beah" (his pronunciation) both when speaking to or about Coach Bryant. On the other hand, none of his former players that I can remember having heard speak of him have called him anything other than Coach or Coach Bryant.