UA, Bryant Museum to Commemorate 100th Birthday of Legendary Coach

Note to editors/news directors: A media availability with Ken Gaddy, director of the Bryant Museum, is set for 11 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 10, at the Bryant Museum to preview the commemoration of Coach Bryant’s 100^th birthday.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama and the Bryant Museum will commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the birth of legendary coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant with a variety of activities and events. Coach Bryant would have celebrated his centennial milestone on Sept. 11, 2013.

Plans include new additions to the Bryant Museum’s section on the coach and a new book and a new documentary about Bryant’s life.

The museum has remodeled the Coach Bryant displays in the exhibit hall as part of the celebration, adding trophies and information about plays and players from the Bryant era at the Capstone.

“We have kept the re-creation of Coach Bryant’s office, but everything else in the Bryant era is new, including a re-creation of the set of the Bear Bryant TV show,” said Ken Gaddy, museum director.

A new book, Inside the Vault: The Paul W. Bryant Collection, uses photographs of items in the museum’s collection to tell the story of Bryant’s life.  “We wanted to let the pictures tell the story and use as few words as possible. We begin with his humble beginnings in rural Arkansas and end with his Presidential Medal of Freedom,” said Taylor Watson, museum curator and the book’s author.

In association with the UA Center for Public Television, the museum has produced a documentary titled Mama Called. Gene Stallings, Bobby Bowden, Bob Baumhower, Nick Saban, Jerry Duncan, Kenny Stabler and many more were interviewed to chronicle the life and legacy of the coach and the person. “Mama Called is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a film maker,” said Rob Briscoe, executive producer of the documentary.

As part of the commemoration on Sept. 11, the Bryant Museum will be open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at no charge for the public to see the new exhibits. Copies of the book and DVDs of the documentary will be on sale.

Fans can participate in the centennial celebration by entering their memories of Coach Bryant at www.Bryant100.com.  Written comments, audio and video submissions will be accepted.

In addition, the museum will issue a new poster each game day to honor Bryant. The summer 2013 issue of Alabama Heritage Magazine included an article about the coach written by acclaimed author and UA graduate Winston Groom, and the fall issue of The University of Alabama Alumni Magazine will feature a story about Bryant written by award-winning writer and UA professor Rick Bragg.

For more information, contact the Bryant Museum at info@BryantMuseum.com or call 1-866-772-BEAR (2327), visit www.BryantMuseum.com and follow the museum on Facebook and Twitter. The museum is open daily from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and is located at 300 Bryant Drive on The University of Alabama campus.