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Robert Stacey McCain's encomium to Alabama football this morning is wonderful stuff. The Bear was indeed a beloved figure, not just in Alabama but in New Orleans too, where I grew up. He always was particularly good to the Sugar Bowl -- taking the Crimson Tide there whenever there was any real choice in the matter, and also working to cement a longstanding tie-up between it and the SEC -- and there were years, or rather decades, when New Orleans desperately needed the prominence the Bear brought its way via his Sugar Bowl appearances. I particularly remember being in the Dome when Barry Krauss and Marty Lyons (I think it was those two) stopped Penn State on the goal line to preserve the Tide's national championship; I was looking down from the end zone, directly behind the spot where Krauss and Lyons met the Penn State runner. Awesome!

I particularly appreciated the Bear's loyalty to the Sugar Bowl because the game meant a great deal to my family: My grandfather was a backup on the Tulane team that played in the first-ever Sugar Bowl.

So, Roll Tide, indeed.And thanks to The Good McCain for his column.