The Bear Bryant Show
| The Bear Bryant Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sports |
| Starring | Bear Bryant |
| No. of seasons | 25 |
| No. of episodes | 250+ |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Birmingham, Alabama |
| Release | |
| Original network | WVTM-TV |
| Original release | 1958 – 1982 |
The Bear Bryant Show was a weekly coaches' show that served as a weekly recap of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team's previous day's game. The show ran during the tenure of former head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant from the 1958 through the 1982 seasons. Co-hosted by John Forney (1961–1965), Bill Austin (1966), Charley Thornton (1967–1981) and Steadman Shealy (1982), The Bear Bryant Show was a cultural phenomenon within the state of Alabama that contributed to the rise in popularity and awareness of the university's football program during the 1960s and 1970s. The show ran for an hour during its entire run.
As part of Bryant's contract with the University, he retained all of the rights to Alabama football game films. As such, he became one of the first collegiate football head coaches to have his own television program with the start of The Bear Bryant Show in 1958. Bryant was paid $3,000 per show and insisted on it being an hour long in order to cover the game in its entirety and for its perceived recruiting benefits. In 1966, the show became one of the first television shows produced in the state of Alabama to be broadcast in color.
During the 25-year run of the program, several persons served as its co-host alongside Bryant. From the 1961 through 1965 seasons, the show was co-hosted by former Alabama broadcaster John Forney. Bill Austin, Sports Director of WCFT-TV Tuscaloosa co-hosted the 1966 season, Charley Thornton was later brought on as co-host and served alongside coach Bryant through the 1981 season. At the conclusion of that season, Thornton left Alabama to become an executive athletics director at Texas A&M University. In September 1982, former Crimson Tide quarterback Steadman Shealy was selected to serve as the co-host for the show. The announcement was made by the producer of the program, Sloan-Major Advertising. The show ended at the conclusion of the 1982 season with the retirement of Bryant as head coach of the Crimson Tide. During its run, over 250 episodes were produced and for several years the show was one of the highest-rated syndicated television shows in the country.
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