The Second Annual Bear Bryant Bowl Powl
Dr. B’s family was doing a bowl pick em waaayy before it was cool.
By: Dr. B
Started last season, “The Deep South’s Oldest Column” is a weekly feature from Biscuits & SEC. Each week during the season, B&S contributor Dr. B will examine an SEC topic from a cultural perspective. There will be examinations of the conference we love and why we love it. Stories of the role models who passed on the love of football in the South. Fun will be poked at other conferences - and often at ourselves. There will be introspection, life lessons, tales of big wins, crushing losses, history, tear-jerkers, joy...and the ties that bind us together.
Coaching legend Paul Bear Bryant of Alabama, donning his famous houndstooth hat. Photo via Associate Press
It’s that strange part of the college football season, the proverbial “dead” period where the regular season and the rivalry games have passed, the playoff matchups are set, and we await a full bowl slate. At present, there are a total of 42 post season bowls, and there has been talk in recent years that there are too many…that the sheer number waters down the experience…that all that really matters are the playoffs anyway. I beg to differ, as I have a deep love for the bowl season and its multitude of contests. When else can you see a classic matchup between a Sun Belt squad and a team from the MAC duke it out in a bowl named after a cartoon cereal icon (actually, this year’s “Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl” pits Miami (FL) and Washington State, which should be a good one).
Maybe you are like me…you have a deep love of college football and any game is better than no game. Going deeper, the bowl season means a lot more to me than just my love for the game. You see, as mentioned in earlier columns, I grew up in a family that loved college football, and I also grew up in a family that honored traditions. We made our own fun traditions for the holidays (Christmas was always a fun, extravagant affair) and one of the most memorable had to do with the college football bowl season. Back in the 80’s, there were about 20 bowl games and our beloved Crimson Tide seemed to always be playing in a big one. I tend to remember that we were in the Sugar and Cotton Bowls a lot back then against the likes of college football royalty such as Penn State, Arkansas, and Ohio State. To make the bowl season interesting, my dad created a family competition where we tried to pick the winners of each bowl game. It started off simple…for $5, participants pick the winners and whoever had the most correct picks after New Years Day, which served as the grand culmination of the bowl season, got to keep the cash. Every bowl game was important and we as a family would gather around the television and watch every obscure bowl that we could, cheering like crazy for teams we normally couldn't care less about.
1990 Sugar Bowl between #7 Alabama and #2 Miami. The Hurricanes outlasted the Tide in this one 33-25. Graphic via Bama Rewind on YouTube
It started with family…my parents, grandparents, siblings, and a cousin or two would participate. My dad, who claimed the title “Commish” and a younger brother would create an elaborate chart from a poster board with everyone’s picks and hang it in our kitchen. The board was frequented often, as we joyfully compared our choices with one another and figured out the scenarios necessary that would bring us victory. This tradition became known as the bowl powl, and eventually, it was named after Bama’s legendary coach and was christened “The Second Annual Bear Bryant Bowl Powl”. No doubt the name was created by my dad, and it fit him well…fun, imaginative, and somehow linked to his beloved Crimson Tide. For some reason, the edition never changed and it was always a “2nd annual” event.
As the years went by, friends learned about the contest and wanted to be a part of it, and so the bowl powl grew. At its height in the 90’s, I remember up to 50 people/families being involved with the powl. There were only two major requirements to be a part of the competition: first, no matter what game and who the opponent was, all participants were “strongly encouraged” to pick Alabama to win their game (I do remember there were several outliers, those that wanted to test the system and choose the Tide’s opponent. The end result was no doubt social alienation and the possibility of not getting an invite to next year’s powl). Second, my parents were terrific entertainers and were well known for throwing great adult parties. At the end of the bowl season, mom and dad would throw an elaborate bash at our house where all participants were “required” to attend and were treated to a meal and an endless stream of cocktails and conversation. The night concluded with the giving of awards, including the reveal of who won that year’s powl and the jackpot. It became very much the social event of the year for those fortunate enough to be invited to participate.
Dad passed away unexpectedly in February of 2016, fittingly after Nick Saban and company topped Clemson in a 45-40 thriller for the national title (quick side note…that 2015 Tide coaching staff included Kirby Smart, Lane Kiffin, Mario Cristobal, Mel Tucker, and Billy Napier…my goodness). Yet the tradition of the 2nd Annual Bear Bryant Bowl Powl remains to this day, as one of my brothers heroically carries the mantle and has assumed the role of the Commish. The party is no more, as participants are now located all over the country, yet the excitement of the powl remains for all who continue to participate. Not only is it a fitting tribute to my dad, one of college football’s greatest fans of all time, but it also has given me and my brothers the opportunity to pass the tradition to our spouses and kids. My wife, son, and daughter look forward to the bowl powl each year, and every December, my 14 year old son’s eyes have an extra twinkle in them as he begins to plan what teams he will pick in hopes of being crowned bowl powl champion. My 11 year old daughter gets excited as well, and she pays close attention to trends of teams to make sure she makes the best picks come bowl season. For all of us, the biggest threat to achieving our dream of being crowned bowl powl champion is my niece, Molly, my brother’s daughter who is a junior in college, a Tide diehard, and has won the powl numerous times. As always, we feel like this may be our year.
Wisconsin celebrates their 2020 victory over Wake Forest in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, one of our favorite bowl games. Photo by Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images
There has been a lot of talk this season about how special the sport of college football is…how it unites people and has been used to help many deal with difficult times. I can honestly say that my household is better this year because of college football, and it is not just because Bama is in the playoffs (again) and hit the rival trifecta with wins over Tennessee, LSU, and Auburn (although that certainly helps). It is also because of the fact that my kids are growing up in a household where we hang on each and every bowl game…where the home of Dr. B. will certainly be the only one in central Virginia glued to the New Mexico Bowl between UTEP and Fresno State. I am blessed enough to have had a father that created a priceless family tradition around bowl season, and a brother who refused to let that family tradition die. The 2nd Annual Bear Bryant Bowl Powl is kicking off this week, so I need to do my research on Middle Tennessee State and Toledo as they kick off bowl season in the Bahamas Bowl. I know Molly is doing her homework on the Blue Raiders and the Rockets, so I need to keep pace with my niece. After all, this is my year.
Dr. B
Dr. B has lived and taught throughout the South, attending The University of Alabama and earning a Ph.D. from The University of Georgia. He has come to know and love the people and rich traditions of the SEC and its rabid fan bases.