Eli Gold

Bear’s Boys Reflect on the Legend

New book digs deep into the icon of Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant

(July 2007) Nashville, Tenn. - There is perhaps no college coach in the second half of the 20^th century who commanded a bigger presence than Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. With six national championships and thirteen SEC titles, Coach Bryant created a “Crimson Tide” powerhouse that was as fearsome as any battalion. It is said he knew the game better than any before him, but the Crimson Nation was the institution to reap the rewards.

On the Bermuda grass football fields of the University of Alabama, Coach Bryant dished out a tough love that most of his former players cringe to recall. He was a giant of the game that incoming freshmen cowered beneath while exiting seniors loved as a father. But aside from the record, the national championships and the unparalleled desire to win, Coach Bryant was a beacon of moral righteousness with a higher purpose. He had strived every day to impart wisdom and life’s lessons to his players. It is this legacy as life-coach that the fraternity of players, known as “Bears Boys”, cherishes beyond the memories of the game.

Bear’s Boys (Thomas Nelson, August 2007) is authored by Eli Gold, the Voice of Alabama Crimson Tide Football and biggest fan of the Bryant philosophy. With years of affiliation with the renowned football program and intimate relationships with staff and former players, Gold gives voice to those who “lived” Alabama football and soaked up the lessons of Coach Bryant’s philosophy: “Take care of your parents. Go to church. Give 100% in everything you do.”

Bear’s Boys proves the Bryant influence is vast – stretching far beyond the four corners of the field and deep into the depths of the real world where a little something extra is needed to overcome great odds. It is the “something extra” that was the Bryant way. It is what his former players keep close at hand when the all-to-real “life’s not fair” cliché rears its head. From Super Bowl standouts like Bob Baumbower and Paul Crane; to multi-million dollar businessmen such as Mike Hall to standout coaches and sports executives such as Ozzie Newsome and Ray Perkins, Bear’s Boys is a fraternity of thirty-six players and coaches who knew him intimately and have the best of stories to tell.