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Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

2000 HALL OF FAME

Paul "Bear" Bryant

  • Position Head Coach, Alabama/Kentucky
  • Hometown Moro Bottom, Arkansas
  • Classic Memories 1952 Classic: Kentucky 20, TCU 7; 1968 Classic: Texas A&M 20, Alabama 16; 1973 Classic: Texas 17, Alabama 13; 1981 Classic: Alabama 30, Baylor 2; 1982 Classic: Texas 14, Alabama 12

Biography

Paul "Bear" Bryant, the coach who made the houndstooth hat famous, shared many exciting moments in the Cotton Bowl. In five appearances, he was one of only three coaches to lead more than one university to the Classic. His first trip to Dallas came in 1952 when he guided Kentucky to a 20-7 victory over TCU. Then, with his move to Alabama, he and the Crimson Tide made four more Cotton Bowl appearances. However, The Bear may be remembered more for a game he lost than for his two victories. In the 1968 Classic, Gene Stallings, one of his former players, directed Texas A&M to a 20-16 upset. After the game, Bryant gave his former pupil a congratulatory bear hug...a moment frozen in time in the lore of the Cotton Bowl.