Customer Reviews

COACH: The Life of Paul "Bear" Bryant

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

All told, "Coach: The Life of Paul 'Bear' Bryant" is probably the best in-depth analysis of Bryant as not only a coach but as a man. Although "The Last Coach", a new Bryant biography, may eventually take this particular book's place in that regard, this is nonetheless the standard text for those seeking an in-depth look at Paul "Bear" Bryant.

Most Bryant biographies lack depth and real analysis, and mostly just repeat common knowledge such as "Mama called", etc. However, this particular book thoroughly analyzes and details Bryant as he grew up in the Moro Bottoms of rural Arkansas, and what were the influences that shaped his life. It has a great section regarding Bryant as a player, and the writing on Bryant as a coach is particularly good, dealing with Bryant's views on the psychology, philosophy and strategy of the game. Moreover, the sections of the book regarding the Bryant / Butts scandal, and the Holt / Granning incident are all particularly good.

I would recommend this to anyone looking to read about Bryant.

This book makes you think you knew Coach Bryant, or at least makes you wish you had. It is entertaining, as well as informative, for college football fans of all ages. For Alabama Fans it is a must. Thank you, Keith for bringing Coach Bryant's life to those of us who missed seeing him while he was alive.

Mr. Dunnvant admits from the beginning that, like many Alabamians, he grew up in awe of Paul Bryant. But he has succeeded in writing a fair, balanced portrayal of a complicated man. Bryant's failings are not glossed over, nor are they treated with sensationalism. A solid biography and a good read for college football fans.

This book describes the life and times of one of the most influential men in America over the last 40 years. Just as everyone knows where they were when Kennedy was shot, generations of southerners, more succintly Alabamians, knew exactly where they were when the Bear went home. That is just how much influence he had in shaping a culture over almost 4 decades. This book does shows just how Bryant could take a boy from any walk of life and not just make him a winner on the field, but a champion and a man off of it. His struggles growing up, his struggles while coaching, the way he would sacrifice for any of his boys, all made him the leader he was and to a degree, still is. The shadow he casts in the state of Alabama is not only accepted, but revered and Keith Dunnavant does an outstanding job of showing just how and why this is so. No, the "Bear" is not and never will be truly gone as long as there is someone to wear the crimson and gray.

This is a great book as written by Keith Dunnavent. It really puts you in touch with a side of the Bear that I didn't know

This is the third straight coaching biography that I read (following on the footsteps of an Urban Meyer biography and a Bill Walsh biography).

This was far and away the best of the three biographies. I was quickly absorbed in the life of Bear Bryant and enjoyed the fair account of his life (both the good and the bad).

Fortunately, the book does not get bogged down in a game by game analysis as does David Harris' biography of Bill Walsh. Rather, it provides a sweeping look at the man himself in the context of his overall profession.

A very good read!

I never saw an Alabama game that Coach Bryant was a part of, at least that I remember, because he retired when I was a kid. But I love college football and the history and Bear was the biggest figure of all. The book does a great job on his history and achievements and is never boring but I think it may have been written with a little bit of homerism. I would like to see some of the darker sides portrayed more in depth (racism, rules violations, etc.) Overall, a great introduction to a great program, a great coach and the best sport, college football.

I didn't know a lot about Bear Bryant, but as a huge college football fan I wanted to know more. I knew he had a unique way about him and was a legendary football coach. I also knew he was a hard man... a man's man. This book confirms that belief that Bryant was a Man's Man, but it only touches on the things that truly made Bryant human.

The Bear was to college football what John Wooden was to college basketball but the men definitely are different away from the field. The author touches on Bryant's drinking and other warts but doesn't go into any detail. I can only think he doesn't expand on these because he doesn't want to hurt the Bear's legacy and that is fine.

If you are looking for a truer account with less legend and more detail on what made Bryant human, you might look elsewhere. If you want a great account of a legend with a nice mix of the past and presdent then this is a good book to read.

To finish, I really liked the flow of the book. It read chronologically, but also had a subject-by-subject way about it. It detailed his coaching life prior to Bama completely but not in so much detail as to make the book needlessly lengthy. It also includes quotes and stories from just the right number of explayers, coaches and associates.

It was really an easy read which is very important in a sports bio when I try to get away from the detail you normally get in a political, military or historical bio.

Definitely worth a read but bring your Bama pom poms.

The book is a bunch of short stories on Bear Bryant that have no logical / chronological flow. Tough being a college football fan who wants a better appreciation of Bear Bryant and can't get into it. Some of the stories the author does not even finish, sort of sets you up for the punch line without the punch. Bama fans probably love it, as an SEC fan I appreciate the stories, but it is a brutal read. Dissapointing.

"Coach" is a well researched biography of Paul Bear Bryant, but like many of the other books written about Bryant, author Dunnavant is relunctant to tread on issues that might tarnish the image of the man in the houndstooth hat. For instance Dunnavant's reporting about the Condredge Holloway recruiting story is interesting; but Dunnavant does not allow himself to express how Bryant could have become a conduit for change regarding the civil rights movement in the South. Dunnavant quotes Bryant as saying "I'd love to have you ( Holloway) at Alabama, but Alabama's not ready for a black quaterback". That one sentence tells me that Bryant lacked the courage and moral integrity to change the acceptance of Blacks as leaders in the state of Alabama. Instead Bryant shrewedly hedged his position with the likes of George Wallace. Dunnavant also quotes Bryant as saying "We're not recruiting Negro athletes; that's a policy decision for others to make". According to Dunnavant, Bryant made that quote in a 1965 interview for Look magazine. Paul Bryant wielded tremendous power and influence; he could have been that individual to change "policy decisions". Instead 2,000 miles away, in a town nearly void of Blacks called Green Bay, Wisconsin, Vince Lombardi took the stand that Bryant backed away from. Lombardi did not see white or black players, he saw players that were Green Bay Packers. It should also be noted that Lombardi sought out Black players as early as 1958, seven years before Bryant's interview with Look magazine. Bryant was "forced" to recruit black players at Alabama when he realized that he could not compete with other Division I programs with an all white Crimson Tide team. Dunnavant also reluctantly avoids any mention of the unlimited NCAA football scholarships that Bryant took full advantage of. When Bryant's winning teams were storming through the South in the 1960's and early 70's they did it with close to a hundred players on football scholarships. Since the University of Alabama placed such a high premium on its football program, the university could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on players; money that other Division I colleges in the South would not do. A 18 year old boy in the South recruited by Bryant had an easy choice. Get a full 4 year scholarship and maybe play 2nd or 3rd team (that is why Bryant's platoon system worked so well) or be a back-up at another university as a non-scholarship player. Bryant stockpiled scholarship players because he had deeper pockets than other coaches. When the NCAA limited football scholarships to 30 incoming freshman; (75 total) things began to change at the University of Alabama. How many national championships has Alabama won since the Bryant era? Not many. The final issue that Dunnavant avoids is Bryant's record against Bowl teams. Sure Bryant's teams made it to 29 bowl games, which Dunnavant cites in bold print on p. 331. But Dunnavant omits that Byant won only 15 of those bowl games. This is barely above a .500 winning percentage, well below Bryant's lifetime winning percentage of .780. When the playing field was even and Alabama began to face football powers outside its conference, Bryants success diminished. Dunnavant fails to make any mention of this glaring fact. A Bear Bryant team, never beat Notre Dame. Bryant's teams were 17-14-3, against Tennessee, the only other formidable SEC team during the Bryant era. It was easy for Alabama to steamroll over SEC teams that the Crimson Tide were "locked into" such as Vanderbilt, Southern Mississippi, Virginia Tech, Tulane, and Mississippi State. Lombardi's Packer teams of the 1960's lost 1 playoff game, the NFL championship to the Eagles in 1960. The Packers never lost a playoff game again under Lombardi, and they went on to win 5 NFL championships, 3 championships in a row. I have read 5 books about Bear Bryant. He was a very good football coach who demanded commitment and excellence from his players and coaches. What I still don't feel from my readings, especially from this book, is a sense of Bryant's character,integrity, and human emotion. It seemed that author Dunnavant wrote this book high atop Bryant's famed practice tower, afraid to expose the soul of a man who is considered great by many, but is considered shallow by this reader.