Shrine Time

IF YOU'RE looking for the epicenter of Alabama's rich football history, head east on Paul Bryant Drive, turn right onto 2nd Avenue, turn left on 9th Street and look for the third building on the left. That's where you'll find the Paul W. Bryant Museum, a 16,500-square-foot monument to Alabama football. In 1981, two years before his death, Bryant suggested the establishment of a museum to honor former players and assistant coaches, and seven years later the museum opened its doors. The shrine averages 40,000 visitors per year and features, among other artifacts, footballs from famed victories and national championship trophies, a larger-than-life bust of the Bear and a re-creation of his office. The crown jewel may be the Waterford crystal replica of the Bear's hat--encased in glass, perched on a pedestal and rotating slowly on a black velvet pillow.

1900 HEADGEAR FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF THE CRIMSON TIDE

1966 THE MOST FAMOUS HOUNDSTOOTH HAT IN ALABAMA

1964 JOE NAMATH TURNED NUMBER 12 INTO AN ALABAMA ICON

1931 HELMET WORN IN THE TIDE'S ROSE BOWL WIN OVER WASHINGTON

1961 AN 11-0 SEASON GAVE THE BEAR HIS FIRST NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

1964 BRYANT WON A SECOND TITLE AFTER A 10-1 CAMPAIGN

1965 AN ORANGE BOWL WIN OVER NEBRASKA SECURED BACK-TO-BACK TITLES

1973 LOSING THE SUGAR BOWL WAS THE ONLY SETBACK FOR THE UPI CHAMPIONS

1978 A GOAL LINE STAND AGAINST PENN STATE GAVE THE BEAR A FIFTH TITLE