"Inside an Alabama halftime: what goes on behind the doors..."

[Hannibal Lecter, MD]

I can't quite remember this exactly like it was but I'll do my best.

 When Jim Lampley first started his career in broadcasting,he was the first or one of the first to be on the sideline during the game doing interviews during the game. Bama was playing and had tried a play before the half that failed miserably and when Coach Bryant was walking to the dressing room at the half Lampley stopped him for an interview. He asked Coach Bryant who's idea was it to call that play that failed so bad and why did they call it. Coach Bryant looked at him in a mean way and you could see the hair raise up on the back of his neck and he responded "I am the head coach and I called the play and I called the play because I wanted to" and walked off. The announcers in the booth, it could have been Keith Jackson not sure, got one big laugh out of that and they say that is what got Lampley so popular that early in his career.

Maybe I'm naive between the game then and now, but I doubt Coach Bryant actually called the play.  Likely he was just taking the blame for poor performance as he always did.  He was the consummate gentlemen in that he always took blame but deflected praise.  Young coaches could really learn a few lessons from the MAN's demeanor.

[Jamos]

He didn't want Lampley on the sideline at all becuase he thought it was a distraction to the players but most of all he didn't want someone questioning, especially a greenhorn reporter, what Bama was doing in the game.

You might remember also that the roll of paper in his left hand wasn't a newspaper, it was his game plan.

[Guest]

Username:
Password:
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

There aren't any users online.

Loading Tweet...