"His nickname was Bear. Now imagine a guy that can carry the nickname Bear," said Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath.  Bear Bryant is best know for his years coaching at Texas A&M and Alabama. When he came to Texas A&M, a school official told him, “We’ll be the last football team in the Southwest Conference to integrate.”  “Well,” Bryant replied, “then that’s where we’re going to finish in football.” Bryant integrated the team — just as he had done earlier at the University of Kentucky — and two years later A&M won its conference championship.  The legend of Bear Bryant is burnished in how he prepared his teams for game day. Cruelly hard is one phrase that comes to mind. The “survivors” of Bryant’s first infamous training camp with A&M in Junction, Texas, became known as the Junction Boys.  The training camp did much to write Bryant’s legacy as a disciplinarian. "I don't want ordinary people," Bryant said. "I want people who are willing to sacrifice and do without a lot of those things ordinary students get to do. That's what it takes to win."  Bryant eventually left College Station for his roots at the University of Alabama. During his 25 years at Alabama he won six national championships.  "He was simply the best there ever was," former Nebraska coach Bob Devaney said.

It’s not the will to win that matters — everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.

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