Ranking every Texas A&M Football coach in school history
6. Bear Bryant (1954-1957)
Record: 25-14
Bryant would be much higher on this list if he hadn’t gone on to Alabama. He led the Aggies to an undefeated season in 1956 going 9-0-1. In 1957, his final year at Texas A&M, Bryant’s team was ranked number one in the nation during a portion of the regular season. No coach since Bryant has elevated Texas A&M to a No. 1 ranking in more than half a century of football since.
“I left Texas A&M because my school called me,” Bryant said. “Mama called, and when Mama calls, then you just have to come running.”
During his playing days, Bryant was a defensive end at Alabama. It’s hard to fault the Aggies for losing Bryant to his Alma Mater. When he accepted the job as the head man in Tuscaloosa he addressed the aspect of coming home: “I left Texas A&M because my school called me,” Bryant said. “Mama called, and when Mama calls, then you just have to come running.”
Some would still argue that Bryant deserves to be honored as the greatest college football coach of all time. His six national titles stands far above all but Nick Saban. Unfortunately for the Aggies, he achieved just one conference title at Texas A&M. Oh what could have been.
In his brief time in College Station, Bryant had a .604 winning percentage in conference play. That ranks fifth all-time among Aggie head coaches. He went 1-9 in his first season as he worked to get his feet underneath him. Once he got up and running Bryant went 24-5 over his final three seasons.