We thought that we would link this interesting article from ESPN in light of the NC Highway Patrol Trooper that is a mainstay with Chuck Amato.
It’s a football tradition that, by most estimates, dates back nearly 50 years. And like many football things that sprang from the Deep South, most everyone is convinced it began with Bear Bryant.
Sutton is something of a historian on the subject. He believes the Bear first got his trooper escort in 1958 (Bryant’s first year as head coach at Alabama) or ’59.
Naturally, Sutton said, Auburn coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan got one shortly thereafter.
And it gradually spread around the South from there, as coaches and schools tried to put on Bear airs. At Florida State, trooper Billy Smith began escorting the head football coach in 1964 and simply never stopped. He retired as a cop more than 20 years ago, but he still puts on his uniform and accompanies Bobby Bowden on the sidelines for every game.
