By: The University of Alabama
Where’s the Bear? Right over there – commemorated at the University of Alabama’s Paul W. Bryant Museum. Here’s what you need to know.
1. Bryant Museum is not just about Bear Bryant. Or football.
In fact, there is plenty in the museum about UA’s legendary coaches, like a clay maquette of Nick Saban that would become the iconic sculpture at Bryant-Denny Stadium. And the museum elevates stories in sports besides football, including the first 25 years of UA softball and a celebration of men’s basketball.
2. But the Bear is still very much there.
A bust of a hatless Bear Bryant greets visitors. Why no hat? Because Coach Bryant believed wearing hats indoors is bad manners. The museum also displays Bear-related memorabilia, such as one of his signature houndstooth hats, his reading glasses, a full-sized reproduction of his office and even the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, awarded to him posthumously, in 1983, by President Ronald Reagan.
3. The Bryant Museum maintains the largest collection of football footage in the SEC.
The museum’s expansive archives are a treasured resource both on and off campus. In the final days of the space shuttle program, NASA reached out to the Bryant Museum with a request for footage. The idea was to correlate great fourth-quarter football performances with the “fourth quarter” of the shuttle program, which was phased out in 2011. The museum has also provided footage to “Dancing with the Stars,” “The Biggest Loser,” the Country Music Awards and multiple sports documentaries.
The Alabama Weather Blog is pleased to present an excerpt from a featured article in partnership with the Alabama News Center. For the full post including images, videos, and related links, please visit the article HERE.
