Feuds are not uncommon in sports. Look through the history of any sport and you will find plenty of deep rooted, personal, and sometimes downright hostile clashes between all sorts of people. There are feuds between teammates that break apart dynasties like Shaq and Kobe or Kyrie and LeBron. There are feuds between players on opposing teams that turn every meeting into a game within the game. There are coaching feuds like Belichick and Mangini or Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh. And of course there are rivalry games fueled by pure hatred. Every Red Sox Yankees series, Cowboys Eagles showdown, Bruins Canadiens tilt, early 2000s Pacers Pistons brawl fest, or Arsenal Spurs derby has the potential to boil over at any moment.
But rare is the feud of one man versus an entire athletic program. Not one player. Not one coach. Not even one team. The entire program. A feud rooted in power, ego, and family legacy. A feud that spans decades.
This is the story of that feud.
This is the story of a son defending the legacy of his father.
This is the story of a trustee wielding influence like a weapon.
This is the story of Paul Bryant Jr versus UAB athletics.
Gene Bartow Lights the Fuse
The story really begins with Gene Bartow, the longtime UAB basketball coach and athletic director. Bartow was the architect behind the Blazers’ rise as a fully functional Division I athletic program. Sharing the state of Alabama with the much more powerful University of Alabama meant Bartow was always aware of how delicate that relationship could be.
In 1991 Bartow became frustrated with what he believed were ongoing NCAA violations at Alabama. He sent a letter to the NCAA requesting an investigation. In that letter he referenced Alabama football and, most importantly, he invoked the name of Bear Bryant.
Using Bear Bryant’s name in a negative context in Alabama is basically heresy. Word of the letter spread quickly across the state. Eventually it reached the one person Bartow absolutely did not want to anger.
Bear Bryant’s son, Paul Bryant Jr.
A Powerful Name and Even More Powerful Influence
Paul Bryant Jr was already one of the most influential figures in Tuscaloosa. He had the combination of wealth, political reach, decades of family connections, and a last name that carried generational weight across the state. He had already donated millions to the Alabama athletic department, especially to the football program.
In 2000 Bryant Jr was appointed to the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees. According to several UAB officials, once he got on that board his mission became clear. He wanted revenge for Bartow’s letter, and he wanted UAB athletics diminished, if not dismantled entirely.
Soon after joining the board he served three straight terms as president pro tempore, giving him immense influence over decisions that affected the entire University system.
Suspicious Decisions Start to Pile Up
Once Bryant Jr gained that level of control, several decisions raised eyebrows in Birmingham.
Blocking the Jimbo Fisher Hire (2006)
In 2006 UAB attempted to hire LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher. Fisher and the school agreed to contract terms. Then out of nowhere the Board of Trustees blocked the hire. Rumors circulated that Bryant Jr wanted to keep Fisher available for Nick Saban’s arrival at Alabama.
UAB had to settle for Neil Calloway, a former Bear Bryant player who went 18-42 over five painful seasons.
Killing the On-Campus Stadium (2011)
In 2011 the Board rejected UAB’s proposal to build an on campus stadium. Many insiders believed Bryant Jr orchestrated the decision and that the board was stacked with allies. Several trustees were even employed at one of Bryant Jr’s banking ventures.
Stories circulated across Birmingham that the University system had become an old boys network, one that conveniently benefited the Bryant family and those close to them.
Despite all of this, UAB football continued on. Until it didn’t.
The Day UAB Football Was Shut Down
In 2014 UAB president Ray Watts stunned the sports world by announcing that the football program would be eliminated. He cited an internal financial study claiming the team would need fifty million dollars to operate the next season. Watts insisted the decision was his alone.
Almost nobody believed that. Many saw it as the moment Bryant Jr finally achieved what he had wanted for years: the death of UAB football.
The reaction across Birmingham was instant and furious. Students, alumni, donors, former players, and the city itself erupted in protest. National media picked up the story and questioned how a Division I football program could be erased overnight.
For a moment it looked like Bryant Jr had won the feud.
The Blazers Fight Back and Rise Again
Public outrage reached a level nobody expected. Fundraising campaigns launched all across the city. Politicians weighed in. The community rallied so aggressively that the university reversed course.
UAB football would return in 2017.
Bryant Jr had stepped off the board by then and retreated into a far more private life. Meanwhile UAB football not only returned, it thrived. The Blazers won conference championships and became one of college football’s best turnaround stories.
A Feud That Never Fully Disappears
Today the feud remains quiet. There are no public outbursts, no scandals, no new battles. But the scars exist on both sides.
Maybe Bryant Jr still resents Bartow’s letter. Maybe UAB still believes it was targeted by one man’s pride. Maybe neither side will ever fully let it go.
For now the feud sits dormant. Dormant does not mean dead.
Simply waiting.
Want more Sandman? Come connect with us here at sandmansports.com/staging/8269/onestopshop
