A tale of two Bears..

ESPN ushered in a new era of sports programming in the late seventies, introducing to America a total sports network that gave new meaning to the term "fanatical support". The infant network left no stone unturned covering everything from hoops to bass fishing. As a product of the mid seventies, I have been privileged to grow up in this golden age of sports entertainment journalism. Every network has been trying to recreate the authentic swagger of ESPN when reporting sports news to the American public. If we could have an intervention with our society, the consensus would expose our serious Jones for sports. I've seen all of the major networks commemorate several milestones. Jordan's last shot was overly celebrated and analyzed. The Boston Red Sox coming from a 3-0 deficit in the world series was on every network and rightfully celebrated. Tiger Woods first win at Augusta National was one for the ages but the passing of UTEP coach Don Haskins was mentioned like a speed bump in a crowded parking lot. I'm convinced that the same admiration was due to Haskins but another guy known as the Bear would've gotten all world attention. Bear Bryant is larger than life for the Alabama program. The Alabama Bear won 323 games as a coach, multiple national championships, and dominated the SEC with his tough as nails football teams.



In Fairness, it is tough for any coach to ascend to legendary status. The mount rushmore of sports celebrity is an exclusive fraternity with a very bias selection commitee. The biggest tragedy is that Bear Bryant will always get more respect. It's the same in professional wrestling. (Forgive me, Sports entertainment as the WWE prefers to be known as...) WE will always remember the character the Nature Boy. Several guys "traveled" under this character. Buddy Landell and Fred Blassie come to mind. Ric Flair in many of our minds is the true "Nature Boy" In Hip Hop, there were two guys known as "Dr. Dre". One was a hip producer from the west coast while the other was once a D.J. turned V.J. for the influential show Yo MTV raps. Guess which Doctor we still remember most? Both Bears deserve their respect but I have to give the edge to the "Bear" that coached at UTEP. He wasn't afraid to shake things up in an era when white coaches showed very little courage outside of the "gentleman's agreement".

College basketball was slightly more liberal in its attempts to integrate. As early as 1915 blacks were on some basketball teams. (Not in the South of course) The "gentleman's agreement" varied by region but most times the rule was to never allow more than three on the team with limited playing time. George Gregory was an All-American at Columbia his senior season of 1931. Don Barksdale was the first Black to be declared a "consensus" All American. (In those days there were multiple All American teams) Loyola University won the NCAA basketball championship featuring 4 black starters in 1963. Football however was moving at a snail's pace. Some of the teams would have maybe one black person on scholarship that barely played. Paul Roberson was allowed to play on the Columbia team in the early 20th century but was treated very badly. While coaching at Kentucky Bear Bryant "attempted" to recruit a black player but the athletic director refused. (This may be an old wives tale)

The SEC was one of the last football conferences to integrate holding out until the late 60's and for some squads the 1970's. A fair question to ask is where was the courage of Bear Bryant to speak out in the recruiting of the best players? Don Haskins did it why couldn't he? One reason to consider is that the UTEP's basketball program wasn't as successful. Alabama on the other hand was a successful program that had already won national championships. However there aren't many stories(if any) about Bear Bryant feeling a sense of social responsibility in helping to bring change to a state that viewed him as a God. It is a fair question to ask why didn't he use his celebrity to speak out. In the same vain you could see why he did not. Most people in those days stuck to the rules whether they agreed with them or not.


Don Haskins never viewed himself as some crusader for race relations. This Bear recruited and played the best players that fit his philosophy. The "Alabama Bear's" philosophy of smaller and quicker players wore down the opponent in the fourth quarter worked for him in the era of "two platoon" players. The infamous gym class training prepared his players mentally propeling them to have a psychological advantage on the field. The old Southwest conference was one of the first to integrate their football teams. As early as 1963 the University of Texas agreed to lift their ban on black football players. SMU had its first player in 1965, Jerry Levias. Syracuse University featured Jim Brown in the Mid fifties and also produced Ernie Davis who went on to become the first black Heisman trophy winner in the early 60's. It was his cotton bowl performance that probably set the wheels in motion for the powerful SWC and SEC to at least consider intergration.

Five SEC schools Alabama, Tennessee, Auburn, Ole Miss and LSU were sent a survey about whether or not they would recruit or compete regularly with integrated schools. Neither of these schools responded. SO you can see why the Bear of Alabama was held in check but still I can't help but wonder could he have done more. The Bear of UTEP won a national championship, went to the NCAA tournament multiple times, and is recognized by his peers as a hall of famer. However it seems as though he is forgotten because he dared cross the lines of the "gentleman's" agreement. The story of his 66 team rarely got any coverage nor was it celebrated as it should of been after they won the game. Loyola's team now has surpassed the UTEP as the forgotten team. Quite Frankly there are many untold stories of triumph in the pre- integration era that defined the struggle for social change in American society at large. One Bear was polarized by the status quo while the other did the right thing according his personal convictions. History should rightfully remember both men but one Bear stands head and shoulders over the other. That Bear's name is Don Haskins....

Thanks for Reading....