The Snail on the Wall, UA alum co-host ‘Chasing the Bear’ signing

HUNTSVILLE – A new book by Lars Anderson explores the similarities of two Alabama sports legends, Bear Bryant and Nick Saban.

Author Lars Anderson will appear at a book signing on Sept. 23 for “Chasing the Bear: How Bear Bryant and Nick Saban Made Alabama the Greatest Football Program of All Time.” Co-hosts are The Snail on the Wall and Madison County Chapter of the University of Alabama Alumni Association for the event at 5:30 p.m. at AC Hotel in Huntsville.

The signing is free and open to the public, with no tickets required, Dr. Lady Vowell Smith said. Smith owns The Snail on the Wall independent bookseller. “Come have a cocktail in the AC Hotel Lounge, meet Lars Anderson and mingle with fellow football fans,” Smith said.

The Snail on the Wall will sell copies of the book.

In “Chasing the Bear,” Anderson develops a dual biography of coaching legends Bryant and Saban who built the Alabama Crimson Tide into a true football dynasty. “Both Bear Bryant and Nick Saban are undeniable kings of college football, two coaches at Alabama who have each won more national championships, six apiece, than anyone else in the history of the game,” Anderson said.

The book “examines how they did it, revealing along the way their similarities in style, background, football philosophy and recruiting methods,” Anderson said. Bryant and Saban never met but share many facts in common.

Both men were born in small towns and pursued manual labor to keep the family businesses alive. “Both men knew the value of hard work from the time they were young boys, and both understood that there were no shortcuts to success,” Anderson said.

“But both dreamed of escaping their hometowns, and both used football as the means to do so,” Anderson said. “Separated by two generations, Bear Bryant and Nick Saban are mythic figures linked by a school, a town and a barroom debate centering on one question: Which is the greatest college coach of all time?”

Currently, Anderson teaches sports writing in UA’s Department of Journalism and is a longtime “Sports Illustrated” magazine contributor. He is a “New York Times” bestselling author of six books.

To contact Snail on the Wall, call 256-508-9093 or visit snailonthewall.com.