Tide Talk

[TinkTanker]

Through Paul Bryant, Alabama and Texas A&M have been connected like brothers

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – Like people, schools have relationships. Often they are described in familial terms, such as sister institutions and sibling rivalries.

Alabama and Texas A&M seem more like brothers. Not twins, mind you, but close.

These schools have met only four times in football, yet they seem to share DNA.

What explains the strong connection? Jackie Sherrill points to the patriarch.

"You'd have to say Coach Bryant," he said. "That's the biggest connection."

But hardly the only one.

Paul Bryant played at Alabama and later coached at Texas A&M (1954-57) before returning to Alabama in 1958.

Gene Stallings played for Bryant at Texas A&M, coached for Bryant at Alabama, then went on to be the head coach both at Texas A&M and Alabama.

Sherrill played for Bryant at Alabama and later was the head coach at Texas A&M.

Dennis Franchione had no connection to Bryant and attended neither school, but he was the head coach at Alabama (2001-02) and Texas A&M (2003-07).

This is just the beginning of a long list of people who have ties to both schools.

Now Texas A&M, in its first year in the Southeastern Conference, is preparing for its first visit to Bryant-Denny Stadium. The No. 15 Aggies (7-2, 4-2 SEC) will meet top-ranked Alabama (9-0, 6-0) at 2:30 p.m. CST in a game that will be televised nationally by CBS.

Tonight, at the Paul W. Bryant Museum, Paul Bryant Jr. is playing host to a reception that will welcome more than 30 former Aggies who played for his father.

One of those is the only player who also played for Bryant at Alabama.

Darwin Holt is the only man who played for Paul Bryant both at Texas A&M and Alabama.

"Uniqueness has been my whole life," said Darwin Holt, who was a freshman for the Aggies in 1957.

Bryant's departure at the end of that season was a jolt.

"I came to A&M to play for him, not because it was A&M," Holt said. "I decided I was going to get out of there. The first big reason, after he left, was there were no girls there."

A&M now has more than 50,000 students, but it was a small, male military school then.

Holt talked to Bryant about transferring to Alabama.

"He said, 'If you come here, you'll win a national championship,'" Holt recalled.

Holt went to a junior college in 1958, then played at Alabama from 1959-61. A knee injury his first season led to a medical scholarship. He was the signal caller on a defense that allowed 56 points in 1960 and a national championship team that allowed 25 points and shut out six of 11 opponents in 1961.

Stallings was Holt's position coach. Stallings was one of the famous "Junction Boys" who survived Bryant's brutal preseason camp in the broiled summer of 1954.

Freshmen such as John David Crow didn't go to Junction, Texas, for that ordeal. But he went on to become Bryant's and A&M's only Heisman Trophy winner in 1957, despite playing in only 7½ of 10 games. Bryant had said if Crow didn't win the award, they should stop giving it.

"That's the reason I got it," Crow said.

After an 11-year pro career, Crow served three years on Bryant's staff at Alabama. In that last season of 1971, Crow helped the Tide switch to the wishbone offense. Alabama went 11-0 before losing to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

A few years later, John David Crow Jr. played halfback in that Alabama wishbone offense.

The pipeline between the schools still is going strong, long after Bryant's death in 1983.

Doug Walker, Alabama's associate athletics director for athletics communication since 2006, is a Texas A&M graduate and worked for his alma mater early in his career. Milton Overton, Alabama's senior associate athletics director for technology advancement, previously worked seven years at Texas A&M. When Alabama looked for a director of performance nutrition, it hired Amy Bragg in 2010. She had worked six years at Texas A&M. Second-year track and field coach Dan Waters was an A&M assistant for seven seasons.

The connection continues in other ways. Crow has had grandchildren attend both A&M and Alabama.

Crow eventually served as A&M's athletics director. He's retired and lives in College Station, Texas.

"Of course, I'm an Aggie, and I'll be pulling like crazy for us Saturday," he said. "But Alabama is a close second to me. If we're not playing, I'm pulling for them."

Holt's allegiance is to Alabama, but he still has feelings for Texas A&M. "Once an Aggie, always an Aggie," he said.

Besides Bryant and his disciples, the common denominator between the two schools is a fan base with a passion for football.

Holt settled in Alabama. He'll testify to the fact that former players aren't forgotten.

"I live in Birmingham, and every day that I'm here, it's the greatest ego trip that you could possibly have," Holt said. "It is so nice. Everybody loves you. Everybody knows you. It's just unbelievable. You're ready to go every day, because you're going to see someone that knows football and knows you. "

http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2012/11/through_paul_bryant_alabama_an.html

[geogal]

I'm sneaking out of house arrest to go see Skyfall this morning, but my butt will be back in time to watch this game.  Good luck

[TinkTanker]

Gig 'em Aggies... Just not today!

[Spooky]

Of all the teams that are on the top right now I have no rooting interests. Any sane Washington fan wants Oregon to lose. I only root for Alabama at times because of Tink. I could care less about ND. I have rooted for K State from time to time as my stepdad is an alum. I guess I want it all to sort out so that K State is one of the teams playing for the title.

[Spooky]

The Aggies are looking tough.

[geogal]

Not a fan of these all white uniforms.    I am a fan of how we're playing. For the most part

[Spooky]

Johnny Manziel is a slippery snake.

[TinkTanker]

Congrats on playing a near-perfect game. Great win, the Aggies are one hell of a team. I said weeks ago that this game scared me more than LSU and you can see why now. I have nothing but respect for A&M, always have, always will.

[geogal]

Congrats on playing a near-perfect game. Great win, the Aggies are one hell of a team. I said weeks ago that this game scared me more than LSU and you can see why now. I have nothing but respect for A&M, always have, always will.

Back at y'all.  It was a good game and we were also lucky.  My heart breaks for that guy who got that last penalty--his life is going to be miserable for a while. 

[TinkTanker]

It's meltdown time, the Alabama edition.

Very NSFW language, carpet-bombing with f-bombs.

http://www.rollbamaroll.com/2012/11/13/3637412/its-meltdown-time-week