Randy Roberts and Ed Krzemienski’s Rising Tide traces how Joe Namath and Paul “Bear” Bryant helped transform Alabama football into a national force during the 1960s. Their intertwined stories unfold against a backdrop of resistance to integration and the shifting cultural landscape of the Deep South. It’s a compelling blend of biography, football history, and social context.
Title/Author:
“Rising Tide: Bear Bryant, Joe Namath & Dixie’s Last
Quarter” by Randy Roberts & Ed Krzemienski
Rating:
4 of 5 stars (very good)
Review: Two legendary figures—Joe Namath and
Paul “Bear” Bryant—stand at the center of Rising Tide, Randy Roberts and
Ed Krzemienski’s absorbing look at how Alabama became a college football
powerhouse in the 1960s. Their parallel stories, set against the state’s fierce
resistance to integration, give the book both its narrative drive and
historical weight.
The authors write with depth and clarity about both men,
offering rich background on Namath and Bryant before their paths converge in
1961, when Namath arrived on campus. Although freshmen were ineligible for
varsity play, Namath immediately impressed on the freshman team and soon became
the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback. His tenure—marked by standout
performances, a suspension late in the 1963 season, and ultimately an All‑American
year capped by a national title in 1964—is covered with nuance. Roberts and
Krzemienski also give welcome attention to Namath’s high school career and the
intense recruiting battle that brought him to Tuscaloosa.
Bryant’s portrayal is equally strong. While the book offers
little on his Texas A&M years or the famed Junction Boys, it delivers vivid
stories from his Alabama tenure—most memorably his habit of watching practice
from a tower and his rare invitation for Namath to join him there. The authors
capture Bryant’s near‑mythic status in Alabama, where his authority and
popularity seemed unshakeable as long as the team kept winning.
The book’s most compelling section, in my view, is the
detailed account of the lawsuit Bryant and Georgia coach Wally Butts filed
against The Saturday Evening Post. After the magazine accused Butts of
giving Bryant confidential game information before their 1962 matchup, both men
fought back, ultimately winning their cases and damages. The courtroom drama is
expertly rendered, and the episode underscores just how deeply Bryant was
revered throughout the state.
While the chapters on Alabama’s resistance to integration
and the broader Dixie landscape are informative, they lack the depth and
freshness of the football‑centered material. Readers new to this history will
find value, but those familiar with the era may not encounter much that feels
new.
For college football fans, Crimson Tide loyalists, or anyone
interested in two of the sport’s defining figures, Rising Tide is an
engaging and worthwhile read.
