Bear Bryant Research Paper
Try this, turn the laughing stock of all of college football and make them into a force to be reckoned with and in the national talk not once, but twice, this is exactly what coach Bill Snyder did with the Kansas State Wildcats. Bill Snyder is a 77 year old man who is a college football coach for the Kansas State Wildcats and is coming close to the end of his outstanding career as a head coach. Not only has he turned around a football program, but a community. Snyder has an exceptional record and he is revered as a great coach. He is a mentor that builds relationships between players and their families, remains involved in the community, and builds his program out of players that typically would not be starters at other schools, or even second
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string players. For those reasons, Bill Snyder should be considered the best college football coach of all time. There is definitely an argument to be made for other coaches, especially based off of records, like these legendary coaches: Nick Saban, Bear Bryant, or even Knute Rockne. Then the question becomes, how does someone come to the conclusion of who the best college football coach is? Nick Saban, currently the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, winner of multiple college football championships, is considered one of the best college football coaches of all time. Saban is 65 years old and has been the head coach at Alabama since 2007, where he has 118 wins and only 18 loses along with 4 college football championships (Sports-Reference.com). His record at Alabama is no joke, and his teams are no joke, they have been the powerhouse in the SEC (Southeastern Conference) for many years, especially ever since he has been the coach. Even with this outstanding repertoire though, he is not called the villain of college football for no reason. Many speculate that he is just a man that is kind of rough around the edges and that people say he is a bad person because like Matt Murschel from the Orlando Sentinel said, “Recruiters need every advantage out there when competing with a powerhouse like Alabama, and what better tool than making Saban out to be a villain.” There is something to be said for the fact that coaches and recruiters that have to compete with Alabama and other top programs, do try to pump themselves up and try to get top recruits by making the other schools sound not as good, and one way to do that is to tell them about how bad the coaches are, or their systems and what is wrong with them. With all of that said, Nick Saban has still been known to not take responsibility for what he has done, and also is known for making comments that have been controversial or hurtful towards players and reporters and other coaches. One story that was told by Heath Evans, a former Miami Dolphins fullback, was,”’According to Evans, during two-a-day practices in the South Florida heat and humidity, Dolphins lineman Jeno James collapsed, vomiting and convulsing. Evans went on to say that Saban simply stepped over James and proceeded to his office without a word or acknowledgment of the fallen player’”(The Sportster). The story, of course, does not determine what Nick Saban is always like, because if he was always like that, he would never have a job, but it does show that as good of a coach he is, he is not the funnest or kindest guy to be around. Another coach that would be argued as one of the best coaches of all time, would be Knute Rockne, the head coach at Notre Dame from 1919-1931. At Notre Dame, he had a record of 105-12-5 with 5 undefeated seasons and 3 national championships (Biography.com). Knute was also one of the first coaches to implement the forward pass, which, obviously, revolutionized the game later on. Another thing that made Knute such an outstanding coach, was his power of speaking. “What made Rockne’s oratory skills all the more remarkable was the fact that he wasn’t born with them; for most of his life he had stammered when he tried to speak publicly. But he worked on this weakness, taking speech lessons and practicing until he had attained a powerful silver tongue” (The Art of Manliness). He was one of the first and one of the best at locker room speeches, getting his players fired up and ready to go out onto the field to dominate, which is exactly what his teams would do, a lot. Not only did Knute have an outstanding record and build a powerhouse of a football program, he helped make Notre Dame into what it is now, a well known, prestigious school. “Rockne did more than build a great football team. The money he raised through football helped build Notre Dame” (ESPN.com). He had a great impact, not only on the Notre Dame football team, but also on the overall fanbase and community of Notre Dame and will forever be remembered. One coach that is also revered as one of the best college football coaches of all time, is Bear Bryant, former coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide from 1958-1982.
Bear Bryant has one of the winningest records of all time, with a 323-85-17 (Sports-Reference.com). Bryant coached at Alabama for 25 years, and in that span, he won 6 national championships, but Alabama was not the only place that Bear coached, he also coached at Maryland, Kentucky, and Texas A&M previous to Alabama (Biography.com). At Alabama was where he got his 323rd win all time, and one month after his final game, he died at the age of 70 in 1983. At the time of his 323rd win, that was the most wins ever by a college football coach, but it now sits at 8th on the all time wins list, which is still outstanding. Bear Bryant was, and still is a big deal in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where the community has buildings and streets named after him, which shows just how much Bear meant to the Alabama football community, and the community. Not much is known about the personal side of Bear, he was very reserved, and even his inner circle of people do not give much away about the person of Mr. Bear Bryant. He was not home very often, because he was always on the road with the team or at his office, or meetings, but of the few stories there are of Bryant, they are of his generosity, or how he would joke with people, so based off of the stories give, he seemed like a pretty nice guy to be around. On the field, he was a demanding coach that wanted the best effort from his players and wanted to win. Off the field, he did not give much away about himself, making it hard to make a clear judgement of what he was
like. Last, but not least, there is Bill Snyder, present coach of the Kansas State Wildcats football team, where he has only ever coached, but it has been in two stints. He started coaching at Kansas State for his first tenure in 1989 and that went to 2005, and his second tenure was in 2009 to the present. Kansas State football, before Bill Snyder in 1989, was literally the worst team in college football, the laughing stock of the nation. When teams would play Kansas State, it was almost a guaranteed win. Here is a quote to give perspective to how bad this team was:
“Kansas State was, without question, the worst program in college football history. When Bill Snyder's predecessor, Stan Parrish, won his first game at K-State in 1986, he improved the school's all-time record to 298-480-40. Certainly the Wildcats would be able to hit the 300 win mark before they hit the 500 loss mark.
When Parrish got fired after his third season, K-State was 299-510-41.
It wasn't just wins and losses that spelled K-State's ineptitude. Kansas State was dead last among Division I-A teams in total offense over the previous 40 seasons. That meant that no other school had played consistently worse offensively than the "Mildcats." Not to be outdone, the Cats also were last in total defense during that same 40-year stretch.” (UPI.com)
Then along came Bill, the coach who turned it all around. After his first season at Kansas State, he was 1-10, but after that, everything took off, and they started winning. In Snyder’s two tenures at Kansas State, he is presently 201-105-1 (Sports-Reference.com). Through his first stint at KSU, he had six 11 win seasons and they went to 11 straight bowl games from 1993-2003 where their bowl record was 6-5, and in his second stint, they have gone to 7 straight bowl games where they are 1-5, and they have their 7th bowl game this year. Not only has Bill Snyder turned around a football program, but he has turned the community around Manhattan, Kansas into a family. Bill Snyder has made the mantra of Kansas State, family, which is the golden rule there. He is one of the few coaches who have ever been inducted into the Hall of Fame while still coaching. The community in Manhattan loves Mr. Snyder, the stadium that the Wildcats play in is Bill Snyder Family Stadium, he has a highway named after him, and really, the city’s mantra is also family. Along with the fact that he is an outstanding coach, he not only builds programs, he builds men, and that is what a great coach does. He holds his players responsible and cares for them and many past players have said that if it wasn’t for coach Snyder, they wouldn’t be the man they are today. Joan Friederich, Snyder's secretary, complimented him in saying, "He's a very kind man. He really cares about people and he cares about his football players and he's instilled discipline in so many players lives. They've called and told me it has helped them in the real world and they are so thankful that they played for coach Snyder." (Capital-Journal). Based off of what Snyder has done, not only as a coach, but as a mentor to his players and even the community, he is definitely one of the best coaches ever, and since the best coach ever should not only be based off of records, but how they have impacted a community and their players for the better, who should the cake to? In conclusion, Bill Snyder, Bear Bryant, Nick Saban, and Knute Rockne are all amazing coaches, that is no debate, but who is the best? Nick Saban has an outstanding record, and has done very well, but he is not liked as a person around the league and by past players and staff. Knute Rockne was also outstanding, his record was great, and was liked, he kicked was one of the better speakers for coaches and was an innovator, but his career was too short-lived. Bear Bryant was great as well, and not only does his record show that, but his impact of coaching helped the Alabama football program, but only going based off of record makes it hard to judge the man, especially when very little is known about his personal life, why is that? Finally, Bill Snyder, a coach that also has an outstanding resume, but also has his name next to the biggest turnaround in college football history. His name is everywhere around Manhattan, Kansas, a highway, the stadium, and the city also owns the mantra of family, his fingerprints are everywhere, even on the players that have gone through the football program and the staff, not a word of negativity has been said about the old man from Kansas. Bill Snyder is the best college football coach of all time. FAMILY.
string players. For those reasons, Bill Snyder should be considered the best college football coach of all time. There is definitely an argument to be made for other coaches, especially based off of records, like these legendary coaches: Nick Saban, Bear Bryant, or even Knute Rockne. Then the question becomes, how does someone come to the conclusion of who the best college football coach is? Nick Saban, currently the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, winner of multiple college football championships, is considered one of the best college football coaches of all time. Saban is 65 years old and has been the head coach at Alabama since 2007, where he has 118 wins and only 18 loses along with 4 college football championships (Sports-Reference.com). His record at Alabama is no joke, and his teams are no joke, they have been the powerhouse in the SEC (Southeastern Conference) for many years, especially ever since he has been the coach. Even with this outstanding repertoire though, he is not called the villain of college football for no reason. Many speculate that he is just a man that is kind of rough around the edges and that people say he is a bad person because like Matt Murschel from the Orlando Sentinel said, “Recruiters need every advantage out there when competing with a powerhouse like Alabama, and what better tool than making Saban out to be a villain.” There is something to be said for the fact that coaches and recruiters that have to compete with Alabama and other top programs, do try to pump themselves up and try to get top recruits by making the other schools sound not as good, and one way to do that is to tell them about how bad the coaches are, or their systems and what is wrong with them. With all of that said, Nick Saban has still been known to not take responsibility for what he has done, and also is known for making comments that have been controversial or hurtful towards players and reporters and other coaches. One story that was told by Heath Evans, a former Miami Dolphins fullback, was,”’According to Evans, during two-a-day practices in the South Florida heat and humidity, Dolphins lineman Jeno James collapsed, vomiting and convulsing. Evans went on to say that Saban simply stepped over James and proceeded to his office without a word or acknowledgment of the fallen player’”(The Sportster). The story, of course, does not determine what Nick Saban is always like, because if he was always like that, he would never have a job, but it does show that as good of a coach he is, he is not the funnest or kindest guy to be around. Another coach that would be argued as one of the best coaches of all time, would be Knute Rockne, the head coach at Notre Dame from 1919-1931. At Notre Dame, he had a record of 105-12-5 with 5 undefeated seasons and 3 national championships (Biography.com). Knute was also one of the first coaches to implement the forward pass, which, obviously, revolutionized the game later on. Another thing that made Knute such an outstanding coach, was his power of speaking. “What made Rockne’s oratory skills all the more remarkable was the fact that he wasn’t born with them; for most of his life he had stammered when he tried to speak publicly. But he worked on this weakness, taking speech lessons and practicing until he had attained a powerful silver tongue” (The Art of Manliness). He was one of the first and one of the best at locker room speeches, getting his players fired up and ready to go out onto the field to dominate, which is exactly what his teams would do, a lot. Not only did Knute have an outstanding record and build a powerhouse of a football program, he helped make Notre Dame into what it is now, a well known, prestigious school. “Rockne did more than build a great football team. The money he raised through football helped build Notre Dame” (ESPN.com). He had a great impact, not only on the Notre Dame football team, but also on the overall fanbase and community of Notre Dame and will forever be remembered. One coach that is also revered as one of the best college football coaches of all time, is Bear Bryant, former coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide from 1958-1982.
Bear Bryant has one of the winningest records of all time, with a 323-85-17 (Sports-Reference.com). Bryant coached at Alabama for 25 years, and in that span, he won 6 national championships, but Alabama was not the only place that Bear coached, he also coached at Maryland, Kentucky, and Texas A&M previous to Alabama (Biography.com). At Alabama was where he got his 323rd win all time, and one month after his final game, he died at the age of 70 in 1983. At the time of his 323rd win, that was the most wins ever by a college football coach, but it now sits at 8th on the all time wins list, which is still outstanding. Bear Bryant was, and still is a big deal in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where the community has buildings and streets named after him, which shows just how much Bear meant to the Alabama football community, and the community. Not much is known about the personal side of Bear, he was very reserved, and even his inner circle of people do not give much away about the person of Mr. Bear Bryant. He was not home very often, because he was always on the road with the team or at his office, or meetings, but of the few stories there are of Bryant, they are of his generosity, or how he would joke with people, so based off of the stories give, he seemed like a pretty nice guy to be around. On the field, he was a demanding coach that wanted the best effort from his players and wanted to win. Off the field, he did not give much away about himself, making it hard to make a clear judgement of what he was
like. Last, but not least, there is Bill Snyder, present coach of the Kansas State Wildcats football team, where he has only ever coached, but it has been in two stints. He started coaching at Kansas State for his first tenure in 1989 and that went to 2005, and his second tenure was in 2009 to the present. Kansas State football, before Bill Snyder in 1989, was literally the worst team in college football, the laughing stock of the nation. When teams would play Kansas State, it was almost a guaranteed win. Here is a quote to give perspective to how bad this team was:
“Kansas State was, without question, the worst program in college football history. When Bill Snyder's predecessor, Stan Parrish, won his first game at K-State in 1986, he improved the school's all-time record to 298-480-40. Certainly the Wildcats would be able to hit the 300 win mark before they hit the 500 loss mark.
When Parrish got fired after his third season, K-State was 299-510-41.
It wasn't just wins and losses that spelled K-State's ineptitude. Kansas State was dead last among Division I-A teams in total offense over the previous 40 seasons. That meant that no other school had played consistently worse offensively than the "Mildcats." Not to be outdone, the Cats also were last in total defense during that same 40-year stretch.” (UPI.com)
Then along came Bill, the coach who turned it all around. After his first season at Kansas State, he was 1-10, but after that, everything took off, and they started winning. In Snyder’s two tenures at Kansas State, he is presently 201-105-1 (Sports-Reference.com). Through his first stint at KSU, he had six 11 win seasons and they went to 11 straight bowl games from 1993-2003 where their bowl record was 6-5, and in his second stint, they have gone to 7 straight bowl games where they are 1-5, and they have their 7th bowl game this year. Not only has Bill Snyder turned around a football program, but he has turned the community around Manhattan, Kansas into a family. Bill Snyder has made the mantra of Kansas State, family, which is the golden rule there. He is one of the few coaches who have ever been inducted into the Hall of Fame while still coaching. The community in Manhattan loves Mr. Snyder, the stadium that the Wildcats play in is Bill Snyder Family Stadium, he has a highway named after him, and really, the city’s mantra is also family. Along with the fact that he is an outstanding coach, he not only builds programs, he builds men, and that is what a great coach does. He holds his players responsible and cares for them and many past players have said that if it wasn’t for coach Snyder, they wouldn’t be the man they are today. Joan Friederich, Snyder's secretary, complimented him in saying, "He's a very kind man. He really cares about people and he cares about his football players and he's instilled discipline in so many players lives. They've called and told me it has helped them in the real world and they are so thankful that they played for coach Snyder." (Capital-Journal). Based off of what Snyder has done, not only as a coach, but as a mentor to his players and even the community, he is definitely one of the best coaches ever, and since the best coach ever should not only be based off of records, but how they have impacted a community and their players for the better, who should the cake to? In conclusion, Bill Snyder, Bear Bryant, Nick Saban, and Knute Rockne are all amazing coaches, that is no debate, but who is the best? Nick Saban has an outstanding record, and has done very well, but he is not liked as a person around the league and by past players and staff. Knute Rockne was also outstanding, his record was great, and was liked, he kicked was one of the better speakers for coaches and was an innovator, but his career was too short-lived. Bear Bryant was great as well, and not only does his record show that, but his impact of coaching helped the Alabama football program, but only going based off of record makes it hard to judge the man, especially when very little is known about his personal life, why is that? Finally, Bill Snyder, a coach that also has an outstanding resume, but also has his name next to the biggest turnaround in college football history. His name is everywhere around Manhattan, Kansas, a highway, the stadium, and the city also owns the mantra of family, his fingerprints are everywhere, even on the players that have gone through the football program and the staff, not a word of negativity has been said about the old man from Kansas. Bill Snyder is the best college football coach of all time. FAMILY.