This is an opinion cartoon.
“I think he’ll have some problems following me, but he’s a capable person,” Bryant said near the end of his final season. “And the first thing is, he’s one of us.” - from Joseph Goodman’s column.
Sacrifice, commitment to Alabama defined Ray Perkins
More from Goodman’s column: Perkins is the guy that Bryant hand picked to succeed him at Alabama not because it was going to be easy and the job was some kind of reward. It was the opposite. Bryant’s ability to recruit had fallen way off in his final years because of poor health. He asked Perkins to carry his torch in Tuscaloosa because he knew what an impossible and difficult task it was going to be.
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Goodman: “A complete honor just to be considered the coach that follows, I repeat, follows, the greatest coach of all time,” Perkins said at the time. “It’s a dream-type thing, and I look forward to it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If it was any place else, any other pro team, any other college team could not lure me away from the New York Giants.”
Perkins handed the team over to Parcells, and Parcells then won two Super Bowls. Those were Perkins’ Super Bowls, too.
Perkins was football royalty, and few people have ever been a part of so many legendary careers. He caught passes from Joe Namath, Steve Sloan, Kenny Stabler, and Johnny Unitas. He played for Bryant and Don Shula. He hired Parcells, Belichick and Romeo Crennel.
Why Perkins, though? Bryant must have known two things. One, that Perkins wouldn’t turn him down. Most importantly, though, it’s that Bryant knew Perkins would persevere. They had a history together.
Read all of Goodman’s column here
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JD Crowe is the cartoonist for Alabama Media Group and AL.com and 2020 RFK Human Rights Award winner for Editorial Cartoons. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter @Crowejam and Instagram @JDCrowepix.
