Chasing the Bear, Lars Anderson
Chasing the Bear, Lars Anderson
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Chasing the Bear
How Bear Bryant and Nick Saban Made Alabama the Greatest College Football Program of All Time

Author: Lars Anderson

Narrator: Dan Woren

Unabridged: 8 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/03/2019


Synopsis

A dual biography of two coaching legends -- Bear Bryant and Nick Saban -- who built the Alabama Crimson Tide into a true football dynasty.
Both Bear Bryant and Nick Saban are undeniable kings of college football, two coaches at Alabama who have each won more national championships -- six apiece -- than anyone else in the history of the game. CHASING THE BEAR examines how they did it, revealing along the way their similarities in style, background, football philosophy, and recruiting methods, while providing readers a rare inside look at two of the greatest leaders in the history of sports.

Bear Bryant and Nick Saban never met, but they have more in common than either of them realize. Both grew up in small towns -- Bryant in Moro Bottom, Arkansas, a dot on the map, and Saban from Monongah, West Virginia, population five hundred. As a child, Saban pumped gas at his father's service station, washing and waxing cars and doing anything he could to help the business. Bryant's father suffered from multiple physical ailments, which forced Bryant to work to keep the family farm going. Both men knew the value of hard work from the time they were young boys, and both understood that there were no shortcuts to success. But both dreamed of escaping their hometowns, and both used football as the means to do so.

Separated by two generations, Bear Bryant and Nick Saban are mythic figures linked by a school, a town, and a barroom debate centering on one question: Which is the greatest college coach of all time?

About Lars Anderson

Lars Anderson is the New York Times bestselling author of ten books, including Chasing the Bear and The Quarterback Whisperer (with Coach Arians).  A twenty-year veteran of Sports Illustrated, Anderson wrote over two-dozen cover stories for the magazine. From 2015–17, Anderson was a senior writer at Bleacher Report, where he was the sport site’s primary long-form writer. Currently on the faculty of the University of Alabama as a senior instructor in the department of Journalism and Creative Media, Anderson specializes in teaching sports writing and long-form writing. He is also the co-host of the “The Jay Barker Show with Lars Anderson” that airs Monday through Friday on a dozen radio stations throughout the South. A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, Anderson earned his Master’s degree from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama. 


Reviews

Goodreads review by William on September 11, 2019

Good, quick read that summarizes the similarities and differences between Alabama's two famous coaches. I was aware of some of those similarities, but Anderson structures the book to show how each, at different points of their careers, made similar moves that ensured the long-term viability of their......more

Goodreads review by Kadin on October 07, 2024

This is the best sports book I've read since Moneyball. A biography of two greatest coaches in college football history, this is a must-read for Alabama fans, football fans, or anyone who wants an inside look at what made two of the most successful coaches in history who they were. It's as much a bo......more

Goodreads review by Mark on July 31, 2024

I’ve become a fan of Lars Anderson’s sports histories…I thoroughly enjoyed “The Storm and the Tide,” and now enjoyed his dueling biographies of Bear Bryant and Nick Saban in “Chasing the Bear.”......more

Goodreads review by Scott on March 27, 2023

I love any book that covers the discipline of Nick Saban. Anderson contrasts this with the dogged determination of Bear Bryant. An excellent story!......more

Goodreads review by Jonathan on September 21, 2021

I have a complicated relationship with my father. I love him, and I know he loves me, but we were never close. To this day we struggle to have a conversation. When we spend time together on holidays there is a tension, or distance in the room. We just don't have that close relationship. What we do h......more


Quotes

"This isn't just a great football book; this is a beautiful piece of literature that reveals the secrets of the two greatest college football coaches of all-time. The parallels are stunning. Lars Anderson has given us another narrative masterpiece here."—Rick Bragg, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author of My Southern Journey

"I covered Bear Bryant and I know Nick Saban. I'm telling you: Lars Anderson, in his usual lyrical style, has achieved something remarkable in these pages: He's shed new light on these coaching giants. A must read for anyone who wants to know about leadership, the molding of character, and what it takes to succeed in life. A brilliant book that transcends sports."—Paul Finebaum, ESPN Radio host and New York Times bestselling author of My Conference Can Beat Your Conference

"Bear Bryant shaped me as a coach and Nick Saban has been a friend for years. No writer in the country could have written this book with the perspective and grace of Lars. Every football coach in America -- and every parent -- will learn about what it takes to win in these pages."—Bruce Arians, two-time AP NFL coach of the year and current head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

"A must-read for devotees of college football, Crimson Tide fans or not."—Publishers Weekly

"For college fans looking for insight beyond the field, this investigation of a great program's success will make a fine start to 2019's college-football literature."—Booklist