Turnaround: The Untold Story of Bear Bryant's First Year as Head Coach at Alabama

Bryant, who had played football at the University of Alabama and had built a reputation as a hard-driving and winning coach at Texas A&M, was lured to Tuscaloosa in 1958. The Alabama program, once among the strongest in the nation, had lost its aggressiveness in the mid-'50s, reaching its nadir in the 1955-1957 seasons with only four wins during those years. Bryant was a man obsessed with victory, a coach who terrified his players. On taking over at Alabama, he began to build a team according to his specifications: he did not care about the heft of his players so long as they were tough, dedicated, impervious to pain (as an undergraduate, Bryant had played part of a game with a broken leg) and superbly conditioned. The result was a winning season (5-4-1) and a bowl bid, which was spurned. The book is readable, but it is difficult to see how this particular bit of hagiography will have much appeal for anyone who did not play on the 1958 Alabama team. Stoddard is a public relations executive. Photos. (Oct.)