Mal Moore With Steve Townsend Quotes & Sayings

I thought I heard Billy sniffling and I asked him what was wrong. He said, "Mal, you haven't heard, have you?"
"Heard what?"
"Coach Bryant died this morning."
I don't remember saying another word. I don't remember hanging up the telephone or even leaving the phone booth. It was the saddest moment of my career.
I just leaned up against the aging brick wall of the coffee shop and cried. — Mal Moore With Steve Townsend

I would like to clarify one thing about the 1970 USC game. Talk about urban legend. There have been numerous stories and documentaries about Coach going to the USC dressing room after that game and bringing Sam Cunningham back into our locker room and saying, "This is what a real football player looks like." I was there and it didn't happen. It wasn't unusual for Coach Bryant to go to a visiting locker area after a game and congratulate the other team if they beat us and he did do that after the game. But he never brought anyone back to our dressing room. — Mal Moore With Steve Townsend

I want to say this about the textbook situation. Our associate athletic director for compliance at the time, Chris King, did a superb job of sifting through a maze of paperwork, finding out exactly what the problem had been and setting the course to correct it. The gist of the issue was a worker in the bookstore who was friendly with the athletes, was giving the athletes textbooks, which was an extra benefit. The players did repay the full amount of the costs of the books and had their eligibility restored after sitting out four games. Despite the — Mal Moore With Steve Townsend

People would ask, "Why don't you put her in a nursing home?" I always answered, "I feel it is my responsibility, because she's my wife and Heather's mother. I love her and it's my job to take care of her for as long as I physically and mentally can."
Every day, I would rush home at lunch, prepare her something to eat and drive her around a little, too. She loved to ride in the car and that seemed to keep her smiling. By late October, she had really gone down. We were playing Ole Miss in Oxford, in a game that is probably best remembered for David Palmer replacing an injured Jay Barker and putting on a show that had Heisman voters buzzing.
Sadly, what I remember most was getting off the team plane and calling home. Charlotte didn't answer and I began to panic and started calling some of our neighbors. I finally reached one of the neighbors and she went to the house and found Charlotte just staring ahead. I don't think Charlotte ever answered the phone again. — Mal Moore With Steve Townsend

In my talks with Coach Fran, I did tell him, "Fran, the worst thing you can do is take the job and then leave in two years, if we go on probation." He told me I had nothing to worry about, that he would be in it for the long haul. — Mal Moore With Steve Townsend

I guess the moral of these stories is that you better recruit winners. They may not always be the so-called can't-miss-stars, but a player that expects to win and wants to win helps make a championship environment. — Mal Moore With Steve Townsend

Two days later, January 28, they had Coach Bryant's funeral. I'd be totally dishonest if I didn't say I was disappointed that the coaches who hadn't been retained weren't included on the manifest to ride the team buses to Birmingham for his burial. I know that the other coaches felt like I did. We had been there with Coach Bryant until the end and we should have been offered the dignity of being there for his final interment, but that was not the case. — Mal Moore With Steve Townsend