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What: “The Bear: The Legend of Coach Paul Bryant”

Where: Channel 2, Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

This excellent 90-minute documentary opens with Paul Bryant’s sister, Louise Goolsby, telling the story of her brother wrestling a bear at age 14 for a dollar. “The man skipped out of town, and he never got his money,” she says.

But Bryant got a nickname that lasted a lifetime. Another story is told by Larry Allen, the brother of broadcaster Mel Allen. Bryant once borrowed a houndstooth hat from Mel Allen, liked it and, from then on, that type of hat was his trademark.

In chronicling Bryant’s life, which began Sept. 11, 1913, in the tiny rural town of Moro Bottom in southern Arkansas, producer Black Canyon productions touches on all aspects--the good and the bad. In the end, the good far outweighs the bad. One criticism of Bryant was that it took him too long to integrate his team with black players. It seems he thought he couldn’t force it.

He scheduled USC for a home-and-home series in 1970 and ’71. When the Trojans, featuring Sam Cunningham at fullback, came to Alabama in 1970, Bryant knew what he was doing. He was showing his fans Alabama needed black players. Cunningham, plus USC assistant coaches Craig Fertig and Willie Brown, talk about that game, which USC won, 42-21. Fertig says Bryant approached Coach John McKay afterward and said, “Thanks a lot, ol’ buddy.”