# 3148 - 1997 32c Football Coaches: Bear Bryant, red bar
US #3148
1997 Bear Bryant (Red Line) – Football Coaches
- Honors one of the greatest US football coaches of all time
- Also issued in pane of 20 with four stamp designs (no red line)
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Legendary Football Coaches
Value: 32¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Days of Issue: August 7, 1997
First Day Cities: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Quantity Issued: 20,000,000
Printed by: Printed for Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. By Sterling Sommer of Tonawanda, New York
Printing Method: Offset, Microprint
Format: Panes of 20 (Horizontal 4 across, 5 down)
Perforations: 11.1
Tagging: Large tagging block over all 20 stamps, covering the stamps to the edges
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate one of the greatest US football coaches in history: Paul “Bear” Bryant.
About the stamp design: The stamp pictures a design by artist Daniel Moore. It pictures coach Bryant in his trademark houndstooth hat and sport jacket. The artwork was based on a limited-edition print, The Coach & 315. It pictures Bryant’s record-breaking 315th college football victory in 1981. In the original print, players wearing jersey numbers 3 and 15 are pictured on the sidelines. In the stamp, the helmet numbers of the players standing next to the coach are 3 and 23, representing his total of 323 wins.
Special design details: The design of this stamp differs from the stamp that came from the pane of 20 issued in July (US #3145) in that there is a red line or bar above the name of the coach. It also has microprinting which reads “ALABAMA” on the face mask of the player standing behind Coach Bryant.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held August 7th at the Paul W. Bryant Museum at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
About the Legendary Football Coaches set: A four-stamp set picturing some of US sports history’s greatest football coaches: Paul “Bear” Bryant, Glenn “Pop” Warner, Vince Lombardi, and George Halas. All designs picture art by Daniel Moore. The stamps picture each coach in a different setting based on reference photographs and other sources.
History the stamp represents: Paul Bryant has been described as one of the top coaches in the history of American college football. Coaching at several notable universities, he achieved his greatest success a the University of Alabama where his impressive record of 323 regular season wings, 85 losses, and 17 ties broke the record at that time for the most victories.
Bryant began his football career at the University of Alabama where he played blocking end from 1932 to 1936. He then went to serve as the assistant coach at Alabama (1936-40) and Vanderbilt University (1940-41). After serving in the Navy during World War II, Bryant returned to coaching in 1945 as head coach for the University of Maryland.
A year later, he moved to the University of Kentucky where he coached for eight years. In 1954, Bryant moved to Texas A&M University, where he remained until he became head coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide in 1958.
Nicknamed “Bear” because of his large size and gruff manner, Bryant was a demanding coach and strict disciplinarian. But his sense of fair play and his active interest in the players’ lives outside of football inspired his teams to do their best.
US #3148
1997 Bear Bryant (Red Line) – Football Coaches
- Honors one of the greatest US football coaches of all time
- Also issued in pane of 20 with four stamp designs (no red line)
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Legendary Football Coaches
Value: 32¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Days of Issue: August 7, 1997
First Day Cities: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Quantity Issued: 20,000,000
Printed by: Printed for Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. By Sterling Sommer of Tonawanda, New York
Printing Method: Offset, Microprint
Format: Panes of 20 (Horizontal 4 across, 5 down)
Perforations: 11.1
Tagging: Large tagging block over all 20 stamps, covering the stamps to the edges
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate one of the greatest US football coaches in history: Paul “Bear” Bryant.
About the stamp design: The stamp pictures a design by artist Daniel Moore. It pictures coach Bryant in his trademark houndstooth hat and sport jacket. The artwork was based on a limited-edition print, The Coach & 315. It pictures Bryant’s record-breaking 315th college football victory in 1981. In the original print, players wearing jersey numbers 3 and 15 are pictured on the sidelines. In the stamp, the helmet numbers of the players standing next to the coach are 3 and 23, representing his total of 323 wins.
Special design details: The design of this stamp differs from the stamp that came from the pane of 20 issued in July (US #3145) in that there is a red line or bar above the name of the coach. It also has microprinting which reads “ALABAMA” on the face mask of the player standing behind Coach Bryant.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held August 7th at the Paul W. Bryant Museum at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
About the Legendary Football Coaches set: A four-stamp set picturing some of US sports history’s greatest football coaches: Paul “Bear” Bryant, Glenn “Pop” Warner, Vince Lombardi, and George Halas. All designs picture art by Daniel Moore. The stamps picture each coach in a different setting based on reference photographs and other sources.
History the stamp represents: Paul Bryant has been described as one of the top coaches in the history of American college football. Coaching at several notable universities, he achieved his greatest success a the University of Alabama where his impressive record of 323 regular season wings, 85 losses, and 17 ties broke the record at that time for the most victories.
Bryant began his football career at the University of Alabama where he played blocking end from 1932 to 1936. He then went to serve as the assistant coach at Alabama (1936-40) and Vanderbilt University (1940-41). After serving in the Navy during World War II, Bryant returned to coaching in 1945 as head coach for the University of Maryland.
A year later, he moved to the University of Kentucky where he coached for eight years. In 1954, Bryant moved to Texas A&M University, where he remained until he became head coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide in 1958.
Nicknamed “Bear” because of his large size and gruff manner, Bryant was a demanding coach and strict disciplinarian. But his sense of fair play and his active interest in the players’ lives outside of football inspired his teams to do their best.