Written by Matt Zemek at Bloguin
Plenty of great coaches come and go, winning games and receiving acclaim.
In the history of the Southeastern Conference and the long existence of college football, better coaches than Stephen Orr Spurrier have walked the earth. Urban Meyer and Nick Saban are the two men who most readily come to mind in the present tense. Bear Bryant and a fellow named Bobby Bowden — the man who never lost to Spurrier in Tallahassee, Florida — rate as more accomplished coaches from the past.
In college football and in every other sport, plenty of all-time legends — players and coaches alike — perform at the highest level. They do what they do best, and it’s more than enough for a lifetime. Yet, it’s all we remember them for: the spectacular plays or the uncanny ability to coach a juggernaut, reloading every year without missing a beat.
Yet, for almost all of the truly special people who define themselves as college football’s most revered winners and achievers, that’s where our memories end.
We do remember the other three coaches on the Mount Rushmore of the SEC — The Bear at Alabama, Johnny Vaught of Ole Miss, and General Robert Neyland of Tennessee. However, we remember them simply as great coaches.
Bear Bryant is a somewhat exceptional figure, and the stories about him certainly possess a larger-than-life quality, dating back to “The Junction Boys” with Texas A&M in the 1950s, before his rise to power and immortality at Alabama. Yet, as charming and memorable as The Bear was, he still fit into a very specific mold, that of the old-time Southern ball coach who preached defense, field position, and the kicking game. He did reinvent himself by adopting the wishbone in the 1971 season, setting the table for a second dominant era at Alabama in the 1970s, but the larger principles at the heart of his approach remained the same.
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