REC welcomes Jack Arute

[Jamos]

For the third time, Jack was invited to speak to the REC last night and as always he was entertaining. Some of you may not know much about Jack but he started his career working with Keith Jackson and that is enough to make most Bama fans our age want to hear what he has to say. I would have to say that Keith Jackson is the darling of all sportscasters that Bama fans remember and relish. I say all of this in leading up to what was on Jack's mind last night and what he wanted to share with us.

After Bama won it's sixteenth national championship recently, there was a lot of talk on television and radio about where does this put Nick Saban in the legacy of Alabama football and the analysts were asking, is he greater than the legendary Bear Bryant. Jack, having loads of knowledge of college football from our younger years, chose to talk about all of the legendary coaches of those years and where time is taking us today. He chose the word legacy and what it means to folks our age and where time is taking us today in remembering all of those coaches that has made college football the favorite sport in America.

He stated that if you went into the locker room and asked every player on the team who is George H. Denny, how many players would know of him, probably none. They might connect the name to Bryant Denny Stadium but who would really know who he is. He told a story about a big group of little league players who were asked who is Babe Ruth and none of them knew who he was. Here is probably the greatest name in baseball history but yet none of the kids knew who he was. Babe Ruth's name has been replaced many times with the names of our popular players of the now era, sad but true. It is true in all sports that yesterday's legends are being forgotten, they are a thing of the past. This now gets us to his point of eras and what it will mean to football fans across the country, especially at Alabama.

Bear Bryant is no doubt the most popular football coach talked about in college football today, easily identified and remembered by his hounds tooth hat. Bama fans have no problem identifying Bear by what he accomplished on the field but if you asked people across the country who he is, some may not remember what he did in coaching football but if you held up a hounds tooth hat they would remember who is the hat. It's sad because Bear was a great coach but time passes fast and those great names are soon replaced with new ones, it's all about eras. There was someone recently asked on a very popular quiz show, who is the Crimson Tide and he answered, Auburn. That wouldn't have happened a few years ago but time does change people's lives and their likes and dislikes. What seemed to be important to some a few years ago is meaningless now.

That takes us to where we are today in Alabama football, where does Nick Saban belong in the long and great history of football at the University of Alabama? Here is a man that has won National Championships in four of the last seven years that he has coached at Alabama, an amazing feat by anyone's standards but where does it put him in the legacy of the sport at Alabama? Jack pointed out that football and all sports are about eras and how television has provided a way to permit folks to soon forget about how great a coach might have been in his era at a particular school. He is from the great Ohio State era and quickly referenced to Wood Hayes, one of the greatest football coaches ever. He asked how many kids today would remember Woody Hayes as being a great coach or would they remember him as the coach that hit an opposing player during a game that ended his career. How soon they forget the greatness of someone because if Woody is talked about today during a game by the commentators it's about how he left football not about what he accomplished before the incident. The same applies at Alabama with what is happening now, where does Bear Bryant belong after all of Saban's success since his arrival at Bama.

Jack also stated that Bama fans are proud fans and hopefully they will battle what television is doing and put Nick Saban beside the Bear and never ahead of him. Bear's legacy is one that should never be pushed to the side regardless of how great of a job the next coach does , it is one that should be shared with the next greatest coach and not be forgotten as so many famous sports figures have been over the years of sports. Eras are something that affects folks lives in so many ways whether it's music, clothing, or sports and the times have a way of changing  everyone's idea of what is cool and what is not.

I thought what Jack brought to us last night is something of worth to us Bama fans, how will the Nick Saban era affect what was accomplished during Bear Bryant era. Will the young ones in the new era push the memories of Bear to the side as all of us in the Bryant era gradually leave this earth? It could happen, remember George Denny? Hopefully it will not because Bear Bryant changed college football to what it is today, a very competitive sport that draws more attention than any other sport in America. On the other hand where do you put Nick Saban, he is the greatest football coach in America today. I agree with Jack Arute, you put Saban right beside Bear Bryant and talk about the two greatest football coaches ever in the game of college football. Don't let something as great as the history of Alabama football be washed away with the new era, it took too much effort from the Bama coaches, players, and fans to put it's name where it is today, at the top.

[BillBrosky]

He is right and that was well spoken.  I personally do not like the talk of who is better, and having grown up during Bear's years at the Capstone choose to put them on equal footing.

It is sad how subsequent generations will forget about the legends of the sport.  As far as Woody Hayes, yes I remember that game, Gator Bowl versus Clempson.  However, I remember the Sugar Bowl after the '77 season, when it was billed as two great coaches, all the wins between the two, and the national championships between the two.  Then Bama goes out and gives them a 35-6 curb stomping.  That's what I choose to remember first.

[2Stater]

Great write-up, J! 

That was the nail on the head. No one can ever take away what Bear Bryant accomplished at Alabama. He made Alabama football what it is today. Even though Saban took over a rebuilding project, he inherited the Alabama legacy and rebuilt the program to what it is today.

Yep, put him beside Bear Bryant. How lucky are we that the 2 greatest college football coaches ever, coached at Alabama! 

[N.AL-Tider]

Great write-up Jamos, thanks for sharing it.  IMO, the term "greatest" is just to give the media something else to write about.  Was Bear Bryant the greatest coach of all time?  What about Paterno? Bowden?  What about some of the smaller school's coaches?  Coach Bryant won 323 games while losing 85 and tying 17 as the head coach at 4 different schools.  Coach Saban has 191-60-1 record as the head coach at three schools (not even looking at his NFL years).  Saban is currently 64 y/o (just 5 years shy of how old Coach Bryant was when he died) and even though it is possible for Coach Saban to win more NC's than Coach Bryant, there is no way that he can even come close to the number of wins by the time he turns 69 even if he goes undefeated the next 5 years. At his current rate of winning games, I think it will take Coach Saban 12 more years to equal the number of total wins that Coach Bryant has.  Now, how many of y'all think Coach Saban will continue coaching until he is 76 y/o?  Not me...and until he surpasses Coach Bryant's number of wins and championships he cannot be considered the greater coach...

[bama57]

Great write up Jamos!    
On a side note I can't help but believe 3 things were instrumental in Nick Saban coming to BAMA!
Bear Bryant's Legacy
Bama football tradition
The persistence of Mal Moore

[Jamos]

Great write up Jamos!    
On a side note I can't help but believe 3 things were instrumental in Nick Saban coming to BAMA!
Bear Bryant's Legacy
Bama football tradition
The persistence of Mal Moore

Jack talked about the hiring of Nick Saban at Alabama and what made it possible to happen and mentioned that Mal asked Saban one question and the deal was done, "what do you want." He said folks will never remember how Mal made the big hire possible, a hiring that everyone across the country, media wise, said was impossible to make.

[ricky023]

  e-cred to JAMOS for a great report.
Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant was the greatest coach of his era. Coach nick "Process" Saban is the greatest coach of his era. The word here is "era" to be looked at. They can not be compared but they will stnad side by side through history as everytime the Word Alabama is spoken.  RTR!

[Hannibal Lecter, MD]

Great write up Jamos!    
On a side note I can't help but believe 3 things were instrumental in Nick Saban coming to BAMA!
Bear Bryant's Legacy
Bama football tradition
The persistence of Mal Moore

Jack talked about the hiring of Nick Saban at Alabama and what made it possible to happen and mentioned that Mal asked Saban one question and the deal was done, "what do you want." He said folks will never remember how Mal made the big hire possible, a hiring that everyone across the country, media wise, said was impossible to make.

I believe Miss Terry liking Coach Moore was also vital.  He won her over, and Coach Saban didn't stand a chance.

[N.AL-Tider]

Great write up Jamos!    
On a side note I can't help but believe 3 things were instrumental in Nick Saban coming to BAMA!
Bear Bryant's Legacy
Bama football tradition
The persistence of Mal Moore

Jack talked about the hiring of Nick Saban at Alabama and what made it possible to happen and mentioned that Mal asked Saban one question and the deal was done, "what do you want." He said folks will never remember how Mal made the big hire possible, a hiring that everyone across the country, media wise, said was impossible to make.

I believe Miss Terry liking Coach Moore was also vital.  He won her over, and Coach Saban didn't stand a chance.

And you can't leave out Miss Terry's fondness of Jamos.  You do know she wears Jamos pajamas, right? 

[Hannibal Lecter, MD]

Great write up Jamos!    
On a side note I can't help but believe 3 things were instrumental in Nick Saban coming to BAMA!
Bear Bryant's Legacy
Bama football tradition
The persistence of Mal Moore

Jack talked about the hiring of Nick Saban at Alabama and what made it possible to happen and mentioned that Mal asked Saban one question and the deal was done, "what do you want." He said folks will never remember how Mal made the big hire possible, a hiring that everyone across the country, media wise, said was impossible to make.

I believe Miss Terry liking Coach Moore was also vital.  He won her over, and Coach Saban didn't stand a chance.

And you can't leave out Miss Terry's fondness of Jamos.  You do know she wears Jamos pajamas, right? 

That might make me a little jealous if I were Nick.

[2Stater]

Great write up Jamos!    
On a side note I can't help but believe 3 things were instrumental in Nick Saban coming to BAMA!
Bear Bryant's Legacy
Bama football tradition
The persistence of Mal Moore

Jack talked about the hiring of Nick Saban at Alabama and what made it possible to happen and mentioned that Mal asked Saban one question and the deal was done, "what do you want." He said folks will never remember how Mal made the big hire possible, a hiring that everyone across the country, media wise, said was impossible to make.

I believe Miss Terry liking Coach Moore was also vital.  He won her over, and Coach Saban didn't stand a chance.

And you can't leave out Miss Terry's fondness of Jamos.  You do know she wears Jamos pajamas, right? 

 

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