It was a heat wave and drought that lasted for nearly four years. Paul W. “Bear” Bryant was hired as head coach, taking over for Ray George, at Texas A&M. Bryant would eventually become named one of the greatest coaches to ever walk the sideline.
People say that he was one of the hardest coaches to play for in college history. Today’s players would not even come close to making it through one of Bryant’s camps. Two of Bryant’s players eventually coached in the NFL and college.
Jack Pardee was one of the boys that went through football camp hell. He would later go on to coach for NFL teams like the Chicago Bears, Houston Oilers, and Washington Redskins. He was placed into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.
Another great player to coach was Gene Stallings. Gene followed in the Bear’s footsteps and would take over as head coach at Texas A&M and eventually become coach at Alabama from 1990 – 1996. He would also be the only one of the Junction Boys to ever coach under Bear Bryant at Alabama. Gene would also win the SWC Championship in 1967, the SEC Championship in 1992, and the National Championship in 1992. Other great awards included the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award in 1992 and the Walter Camp Coach of the Year award in 1992.
The The Junction Boys is based on what these boys went through in the Texas heat. There were times when Bear would deny water breaks during camp, pushing these players to complete breakdown, waking them up before daylight and making them run through the morning.
The movie teaches us that the only way to succeed in life is to dig deep and work hard for all we receive. The Junction Boys will help you understand that hard work is rewarded.
Two of my favorite quotes from Bear Bryant are:
Losing doesn’t make me want to quit. It makes me want to fight that much harder.
And:
If wanting to win is a fault, as some of my critics seem to insist, then I plead guilty. I like to win. I know no other way. It’s in my blood.
One of the greatest coaches to ever walk a sideline no matter what anyone says.You want to challenge me on that and you all thought I lost my game. No one person knows what hell feels like until you go through a football camp at high heat temps.
Thanks for the ‘heads up’ on this movie. Never heard of it but will check it out. My father was a football coach when I was a kid. He put them through the paces and they loved him. I was always jealous of that. There’s just something about a good coach. I think of the lives he has affected and it makes me proud now. Lots of talk about ‘The Bear’ in our house when I was growing up. Looking forward to the movie. You can’t beat a good story about good a good man.
Thanks.