Bear The Legendary Life of Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

by Don Keith

Many biographies have been written about the larger-than-life college football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant as well as an autobiography containing the coaches own memories. Other works have focused on an aspect of Bryant's career, his coaching methods, or his philosophy. The The Legendary Life of Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant stands alone among them all. Based on a screenplay by the late sportswriter and columnist Al Browning, it showcases many of the most memorable moments of Bryant's life―many of them told by the coach himself―as stories filled with the immediacy and drama that go with a good story told well. The relationship Bryant and Browning shared went beyond that of coach and journalist. They were close friends, giving Browning a unique view of the man that few people had ever seen, especially in Bryant's final years before his retirement and death a short while later. Some of the stories in this book have been heard before, but without the rich background and detail conveyed here. As such, the book validates many of them while clarifying others and occasionally correcting some inaccuracies. "I just have a taken for finding the heart of a football team," Bryant once explained, and it was certainly true. It is equally true that All Browning found the heart of Bryant, and The The Legendary Life of Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant has captured the essence of the man from Fordyce, Arkansas, for whom winning was no just the most important thing. It was the only thing.

187 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2006

About the author

Award-winning and best-selling author of more than 40 published works, Don Keith was born in 1947 and has lived in the South all his life. He attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa where he received his degree in broadcast and film communication with a minor in English and literature. While working as a broadcast journalist, he won awards from the Associated Press and United Press International for news writing and reporting. He was also the first winner of Troy State University's Hector Award for innovation in broadcast journalism. As an on-the-air broadcaster, Don won the Billboard Magazine "Radio Personality of the Year" in two formats, country and contemporary. Keith was a broadcast personality for over twenty years in Birmingham and Nashville, and also owned his own consultancy, co-owned a Mobile, Alabama, radio station (WZEW-FM), and hosted and produced several nationally syndicated radio shows.

His first novel, THE FOREVER SEASON, was published by St. Martin's Press in the fall of 1995 to commercial and critical success. It called heavily on Keith's own athletic and academic experiences. Reviewers praised its unique approach and powerful story. The novel won the Alabama Library Association's "Fiction of the Year" award in 1997, joining works likewise honored from Harper Lee and others, and was re-issued in the fall of 2002 by the University of Alabama Press as part of its prestigious Deep South Books series.

He has written both fiction and non-fiction, including several books on WWII history, biographies, and military thrillers. His co-written thriller, HUNTER KILLER, was the basis for the hit movie starring Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman.

Reviews

[Jacob Folker]

Roll Tide Roll!...but not a great book.

[Brendan Roberts]

I recommend this book to any sports enthusiast and anybody that knows anything about Paul “Bear” Bryant. I gave the book five stars because I thought it conveyed the life of Bear Bryant and told some really interesting highlights of his life. I gained knowledge about Bryant’s life and the game of football. It tells stories about Paul Bryant throughout his life and a lot of his coaching jobs. The book consists of a lot of different stories from different times and settings. I was really into the book it made me feel connected with the author at all times. I approve of the main character because I feel that Bear Bryant is a role model no matter how old you are. It tells stories throughout Paul bryant's life.

[Matt]

For all that he accomplished, Bear Bryant should get ten stars - a remarkable career indeed. For this book, however, I can't give more than three; it's a very quick, uneven read (particularly on a Kindle) that jets through his life while leaving huge chunks of the football story out. Case in point: he's shown in his office talking about a bowl game, then talking to the team about the game, and then suddenly it's the post-game interview with only a brief mention of the score.

There have to be better biographies of the Coach out there; I'll certainly be looking for one. If you're looking for a very brief read that doesn't challenge you much, this is the book for you.

[Seth Gorman]

This book is not meant to be a full biography of Bear Bryant's life. This book is actually a screen play meant for theatre or a movie. While reading it, I could see how it was better fit for theater. There are large amounts of information left out and the scene often changes from paragraph to paragraph. Overall, this is a nice, easy read and good for someone just wanting to get a small understanding of Paul Bear Bryant.