When people think of Alabama football, there are several things that come to people’s minds: Nick Saban, Bear Bryant, national championships and houndstooth. If you’ve ever been in Tuscaloosa on a game day, you’ll see fans dressed in crimson, white, and tons of houndstooth. You’ll also see statues of Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Paul “Bear” Bryant, Gene Stallings, and Nick Saban, all which won national championships while at Alabama. But no matter how many times Nick Saban wins, how many championships he has led Alabama teams to, and no matter how many top recruits he brings to Tuscaloosa, the questions keeps being asked: Who is the better coach, Nick Saban or Bear Bryant? I think it’s a question that will never be able to be answered, and a question that needs to stop being asked.
Before we dive deep into comparing both coaches, let’s begin with Paul “Bear” Bryant. Many people often forget that when Bear Bryant took over as head coach for the Crimson Tide, no one had any idea what was about to happen in Tuscaloosa, especially given the way Alabama had performed before Bryant’s arrival under Jennings Whitworth.
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Bryant’s first season in Tuscaloosa was certainly not his best, by a long shot. Alabama went 5-4-1 in 1958. But just a few seasons later, in 1961, Alabama went 11–0 and defeated Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl and were named the national champions. But, that was just the beginning.
Led by Bear Bryant, Alabama proceeded to win back to back national titles in 1964 and 1965. And from that point forward, Alabama became the team that everyone not only wanted to beat, but also wanted to be, something that hasn’t changed today.
In his 25 years at Alabama, the Bear led Alabama to 6 national championships and 13 conference championships.
Fast forward to 2020. Alabama head coach Nick Saban has already won 5 national championships and 6 conference championships in his 13 years in Tuscaloosa.
They both won their first national title within three years of being at Alabama, and then a few seasons later, both won back to back national titles.
So, we once again ask the question? Who is the better coach?
And once again, I say, it’s a question without an answer. Why?
Several reasons. First off, the game has evolved so much since Bear Bryant coached. The style of play, the way players are recruited, and even how the game is played. SO much has changed since Bryant’s time in Tuscaloosa.
And honestly comparing Saban to Bryant is a lot like comparing Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant or Lebron James.
The NBA has changed since Jordan was in his prime. And Jordan and Bryant’s way of playing was completely different too.
Simply put, it’s difficult to compare two goats (greatest of all time) to one another, because they became a “goat” for different reasons.
For Bryant, he was one of the first coaches to create a legacy and dynasty in Tuscaloosa.
For Saban, he was the first coach since Gene Stallings in 1992 to win a National Championship for Alabama. Nick Saban was regenerating the hope, passion, and demand for excellence that Bryant helped create in Tuscaloosa in the late 1950s.
One might argue that Bryant would still win as many games today and he did then, maybe so.
And one might argue that Saban is a better coach than Bryant because he has done almost as much for Alabama in less time, maybe so.
But at the end of the day, both Bryant and Saban have helped shape and mold Alabama into becoming one of the best football programs of all time.
What both of these coaches have done while at Alabama will not only go down in history, but it will, and has, changed the game of college football forever.
Will Saban ever pass Bear Bryant as being Alabama’s best (and maybe even most winning) coach in the eyes of Bama fans? Maybe so.
But does it really matter? I don’t think so. There are stats and opinions to favor both coaches.
Both Saban and Bryant have one big thing in common: team success. Both coaches were more concerned with their team winning and their players becoming better men, than they are (and were) about their own personal success. That’s why they are who they are, and that’s why they’ve both made such an impact on the game of football.
If and when Saban ever decides to retire from coaching, he isn’t going to care about how much closer he is to being better than Bryant. He isn’t going to cae if he won more games than Bryant, or if he will finally be out of Bryant’s shoes and shadow. He’s going to care if he himself did the very best he could to leave behind a program that’s better than when he got it.
And we can safely say he has. Nick Saban has not only created a dynasty in Tuscaloosa, he has changed the game of college football.
Just like Bear Bryant did.
Both, Alabama and college football in general, are better because of both, the Bear, and Saban.