Alabama football rebuilds: Who had the tougher task, Bryant or Saban?

Alabama football can claim the two GOAT coaches. Picking ‘The Greatest’ between Bryant and Saban is tough. Comparing the rebuilding jobs of the two is easier.

Among Alabama football fans the debate over the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time) college football coach has two entrenched camps. Those siding with Bear Bryant are probably in the minority, due to as much as anything, the passage of time.

For those born after the Bryant years, Saban is the clear favorite. Some of us who have had the great fortune of living through both eras take a middle ground. Bryant was the best of his era, Saban is the best of his.

Even those of us who revere Bryant must agree with one more future national championship, Saban will be the GOAT. Perhaps he already is.

There is another point of comparison between the two coaches and it yields a clear conclusion. The rebuilding of the Alabama football program from 1958-1961 surpasses the rebuild from 2007-2009. Bryant and Saban took over Alabama football programs in disarray. In both cases, old glories were far in the past.

Beyond that similarity, what each man inherited was quite different. The Alabama football program in 1957 was much worse than it was in 2006. As a result, the Bryant turn-around was more of a feat than the Saban turn-around. Let’s review some Crimson Tide history that backs up our assertion.

Alabama Football Five Years before Bryant (1953-1957)

The highlight of the Red Drew years in Tuscaloosa came in 1952 when the Crimson Tide went 10-2. Alabama destroyed Syracuse in the 1953 Orange Bowl, 61-6. The final two seasons of Drew’s tenure, the Tide was 10-8-5.

What followed was the worst three seasons in Alabama football history. Former Alabama football player, Jennings B. Whitworth succeeded Drew. Ears Whitworth was placed in a tough position. His staff was almost totally dictated to him, including Athletic Director, Hank Crisp who was the line coach.

Whitworth was not particularly successful as the Oklahoma A&M head coach (now Oklahoma State) with a record of 22-27-1. He would not come close to matching those numbers in Tuscaloosa. In Whitworth’s three seasons as Alabama football head coach, the Tide was 4-24-2.

In the five-year period before Bryant, the Tide was 14-32-7, a 26 percent winning record.

Alabama Football Five Years before Saban (2002-2006)

Alabama football had a total of four head coaches during this five-year period. One of them, Mike Price never coached a game. Another, Joe Kines coached one game after Mike Shula was fired.

Before Dennis Franchione earned the name of ‘The Weasel’ from Alabama football fans, his 2002 team went 10-3. After the Mike Price debacle, Mike Shula was called upon to rescue his alma mater. In the four Shula seasons, the Tide was 26-24, including a 10 win season in 2005. Mike Sula deserves credit for his effort to revive the Tide but unfortunately, he was not up to the task.

In the five-year period before Saban, the Tide was 36-27, a 57 percent winning record.

It took Bryant four seasons to win a national championship in 1961. Saban bested that pace with a national championship in 2009 after three seasons. Whichever side fans choose in the GOAT debate, Bryant took over an Alabama football program in much worse shape than did Nick Saban.

Next: Tide-Saban Dynasty is GOAT

Other college football programs can claim pairs of great coaches. Rockne and Leahy at Notre Dame is a good example. Howard Jones and John McKay at USC is another. But only Alabama football can make a credible claim for having the two-best. RTR Forever!