In celebration of the Alabama Crimson Tide being #1 in the AP Poll, some Bear Bryant Quotes:

Happy Monday! Been while since I updated the blog but I am back. The team I shed blood and tears for, the Alabama Crimson Tide (12X National Champions), are now ranked #1 in the Country ahead of the Gators of Gainesville in the AP Poll, and #2 in the BCS poll (HOW?!). In celebration, some quotes from one of the finest men to ever reside in the State (and the greatest college football coach of all time); Bear Bryant.

"How many people watch you give a final exam? [About fifty is the reply.] Well, I have 50,000

watch me give mine - every Saturday!"

• To English Professor Tommy Mayo (at Texas A&M) when questioned about his emphasis on winning and his salary.

"I left Texas A&M because my school called me. Mama called, and when Mama calls, then you just have to come running."

• On why he had to leave Texas A&M with six years left on his contract.

"Hell, no! A tie is like kissing your sister!"

• After being asked if he had considered going for a field goal when trailing by three points.

"What the hell's the matter with you people down there? Don't y'all take your football seriously?"

• Upon calling Auburn at 6 AM only to find out that none of the coaches were in their offices yet.

"What matters...is not the size of the dog in the fight, but of the fight in the dog."

"I ain't never been nothing but a winner."

"Never quit. It is the easiest cop-out in the world. Set a goal and don't quit until you attain it. When you do attain it, set another goal, and don't quit until you reach it. Never quit."

"The old lessons (work, self-discipline, sacrifice, teamwork, fighting to achieve) aren't being taught by many people other than football coaches these days. The football coach has a captive audience and can teach these lessons because the communication lines between himself and his players are more wide open than between kids and parents. We better teach these lessons or else the country's future population will be made up of a majority of crooks, drug addicts, or people on relief."

"What are you doing here? Tell me why you are here. If you are not here to win a national championship, you're in the wrong place. You boys are special. I don't want my players to be like other students. I want special people. You can learn a lot on the football field that isn't taught in the home, the church, or the classroom. There are going to be days when you think you've got no more to give and then you're going to give plenty more. You are going to have pride and class. You are going to be very special. You are going to win the national championship for Alabama."

"At Alabama, our players don't win Heisman Trophies. Our teams win National Championships."

• After being asked why no Alabama player has ever won a Heisman Trophy.

"I'll beat you with my team today, and I'll beat you with your team tomorrow."

"If you want to walk the heavenly streets of gold, you gotta know the password, "Roll, tide, roll!"

• After being asked of his dedication to the University of Alabama