Chasing the Bear: How Bear Bryant and Nick Saban Made Alabama the Greatest College Football Program of All Time

by Lars Anderson

Overview

A dual biography of two coaching legends — Bear Bryant and Nick Saban — who built the Alabama Crimson Tide into a true football dynasty.


Both Bear Bryant and Nick Saban are undeniable kings of college football, two coaches at Alabama who have each won more national championships — six apiece — than anyone else in the history of the game. CHASING THE BEAR examines how they did it, revealing along the way their similarities in style, background, football philosophy, and recruiting methods, while providing readers a rare inside look at two of the greatest leaders in the history of sports.

Bear Bryant and Nick Saban never met, but they have more in common than either of them realize. Both grew up in small towns — Bryant in Moro Bottom, Arkansas, a dot on the map, and Saban from Monongah, West Virginia, population five hundred. As a child, Saban pumped gas at his father's service station, washing and waxing cars and doing anything he could to help the business. Bryant's father suffered from multiple physical ailments, which forced Bryant to work to keep the family farm going. Both men knew the value of hard work from the time they were young boys, and both understood that there were no shortcuts to success. But both dreamed of escaping their hometowns, and both used football as the means to do so.

Separated by two generations, Bear Bryant and Nick Saban are mythic figures linked by a school, a town, and a barroom debate centering on one question: Which is the greatest college coach of all time?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538716472
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	09/15/2020
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	258,046
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 5.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Lars Anderson is the New York Times bestselling author of six books, including The Stormand the Tide, Carlisle vs. Army, and The All Americans. A twenty-year veteran of Sports Illustrated, Anderson is a senior writer at Bleacher Report and an instructor of journalism at the University of Alabama.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Bryant and Saban: On the Same Team at Last 1

Chapter 2 Mamma Called 6

Chapter 3 The Secret Mission 25

Chapter 4 The Bear Builds 51

Chapter 5 The Rising of Saban's Tide 62

Chapter 6 Be Brave 78

Chapter 7 "This is the Beginning" 98

Chapter 8 The Founding Football Document 125

Chapter 9 The Genesis of the Process 145

Chapter 10 A Secret Plan 180

Chapter 11 The Play that Changed Nick Saban 193

Chapter 12 The Fall Surprise 203

Chapter 13 The Search for Answers 212

Chapter 14 The Gut Check 220

Chapter 15 Tying the Bear 234

Chapter 16 The Bear in Winter 241

Chapter 17 Chasing the Bear 255

Acknowledgments 265

Notes 269

Index 279

About The Author 293

Editorial Reviews

07/29/2019

Sportswriter Anderson (The Storm and the Tide) draws on his decades of experience writing about the Alabama Crimson Tide football team in this fascinating dual biography of two legendary college football coaches. Anderson tells the story of how Bear Bryant and Nick Saban created college football’s most successful dynasty, but rather than provide a season-by-season account, he illuminates the uncanny similarities in character between the two men who created the titan of Alabama football. In chapters that alternate between Bryant arriving at Alabama in 1958 and Saban in 2007, Anderson shows how the two men­­­—both from small-town, working-class families—felt drawn to the University Alabama and how their work ethics bore similarities, such as Bryant making football “a year-round activity” with a “torturous off-season” and Saban’s legendary emphasis on discipline (Anderson recalls Saban’s first comments to his new Alabama team were for them to sit up straight in their chairs). Anderson discusses their similar drive as coaches to uncover “what they were going to do tomorrow to get better.” This is a must-read for devotees of college football, Crimson Tide fans or not. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"This isn't just a great football book; this is a beautiful piece of literature that reveals the secrets of the two greatest college football coaches of all-time. The parallels are stunning. Lars Anderson has given us another narrative masterpiece here."—Rick Bragg, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author of My Southern Journey

"I covered Bear Bryant and I know Nick Saban. I'm telling you: Lars Anderson, in his usual lyrical style, has achieved something remarkable in these pages: He's shed new light on these coaching giants. A must read for anyone who wants to know about leadership, the molding of character, and what it takes to succeed in life. A brilliant book that transcends sports."—Paul Finebaum, ESPN Radio host and New York Times bestselling author of My Conference Can Beat Your Conference

"Bear Bryant shaped me as a coach and Nick Saban has been a friend for years. No writer in the country could have written this book with the perspective and grace of Lars. Every football coach in America — and every parent — will learn about what it takes to win in these pages."—Bruce Arians, two-time AP NFL coach of the year and current head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

"A must-read for devotees of college football, Crimson Tide fans or not."—Publishers Weekly

"For college fans looking for insight beyond the field, this investigation of a great program's success will make a fine start to 2019's college-football literature."—Booklist

"Anyone wishing to better understand leadership, the molding of character, and what it takes to succeed in life should read these exceptional books."—Bookreporter

"A captivating comparison of two legendary figures in college football that will draw interest from all football fans."—Library Journal

From the Publisher

08/01/2019

In 1982, Paul "Bear" Bryant (1913–83) retired having won the most games in college football history. He still holds the record for the most national championships in the modern era with six, all won at Alabama. At age 68, current Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban is chasing the Bear's tracks, tying Bryant with six championships, five in Tuscaloosa. This joint biography from Anderson (journalism, Univ. of Alabama; The Storm and the Tide) takes a fresh look at their lives and careers, with alternating chapters describing the coaches at comparable points in their careers and stressing the similarities of these two very different men. Bryant is portrayed as a powerful man who commanded complete respect from his players but also exuded a warm, human touch. By contrast, Saban is pictured as a leader who also demands respect but who is brusquer and more businesslike in his personal interactions. What they share in Anderson's view is dedication to their coaching methods and a flexible approach to the game itself. VERDICT A captivating comparison of two legendary figures in college football that will draw interest from all football fans.

Library Journal