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Paul "Bear" Bryant (1913)close

Paul Bryant was born in Moro Bottom and raised in Fordyce, Arkansas. He earned his nickname as a young man by wrestling a bear at the Fordyce Theater. He served as the head coach of the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide from 1958-1983 and became the college football coach with the best record having earned 323 victories and six national championships, a benchmark that has now been overtaken. Five weeks after retiring as head coach, he died of a heart attack.

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