Ralph "Shug" Jordan and Paul "Bear" Bryant will forever be tied together in history.

This was the last time they'd met on the field. Auburn's season was over, they were playing for pride, and Alabama was looking to another Sugar Bowl appearance.

Here, though, stood two great leaders of men, heroes and patriots. Jordan's tie tack marked the U.S. bicentennial. Bryant served in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant commander during the war. Jordan served with the U.S. Army and invaded North Africa, Sicily, France and as a front line officer Okinawa and in the Philippine campaign, rising to the rank of major, earning a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.

Bryant and Bama won this last game 28-0 against an overmatched Tiger squad, but Jordan won his share. In fact his one of the few Jordan one of the few coaches to defeat Bryant three times in four years.

Each inspired legions of fans, their names ring with meaning and heft and have hundreds of former football players who sing their praises as coaches and men.

Jordan retired from the field, but served as a member of Auburn's Board of Trustees until his death in 1980.

And now for the odd part. In this series this photograph is numbered 82. Bryant's last season was 1982. Bryant died in 1983, the same number of losses Jordan had in his career.

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