It was the most talked-about breakup since Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s highly publicized “de-coupling.” After nearly two decades and six Super Bowl Championship rings with the New England Patriots and longtime head coach Bill Belichick, quarterback Tom Brady left Boston’s trademark chowder in favor of stone crabs, key lime pie, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. For the record, I live in Florida and have tasted my fair share of key lime pie—it’s quite the delectable recruiting pitch. But football fans nationwide questioned the split and then speculated over which party would find success and which would fall flat.
Bear Bryant’s Genius Decision 50 Years Ago Shaped College Football Today
If you’re a college football enthusiast, like I am, then this is the most beautiful time of the year (fingers firmly crossed!). It’s when the clash of helmets and shoulder pads gives you a jolt better than doubling up on morning coffee. It’s when rooting for your favorite school becomes an opportunity to witness, in unison, a significant moment that will be remembered forever. This decade is easily linked to the University of Alabama and head coach Nick Saban. The Tide has won four National Championships in the past 10 seasons—five in the past 11.
And I don’t believe it would have happened if the Tide hadn’t first made a groundbreaking decision a half-century ago. It was 50 years ago this week that two legendary college football programs played a game in Birmingham that many argue completely altered the course of college football.