For the rest of time Jan. 26 will forever be known as a day of tragedy in the sports world.
Firstly for Alabama football fans due to the passing of legendary head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and now for the shocking death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant.
Life truly works in mysterious ways and the world of sports is no different. For two titans of their respective professions to leave the world on the same day is inexplicable. But the date the two share is one of the only facets of this situation the two had in common for, at the time of both of their deaths, they were at completely different stages of their lives.
Before his passing, Coach Bryant had just finished his final game as the head coach of the Alabama football team where he led the team to a 21-15 victory over Illinois in the Liberty Bowl. It was a sweet way to end an otherwise rough 7-4 season, but the Bear was able to leave the Crimson Tide as a winner.
But less than four weeks later the bowl game victory became an afterthought as Coach Bryant died from a heart attack at the age of 69. To this day it is a difficult day for members and fans of Alabama football, especially those who were around to watch or worked with coach Bryant.
At the same time though, there is some relief knowing that these things happen to us as humans. One day the timer will go off and that will be that and for coach Bryant, it went off at the age of 69. But for someones to sound off as early for Kobe and Gianna’s is just overwhelming.
Kobe’s legacy on the basketball court is well documented and rich with moments and records which can only be matched by very few. Yet, basketball wasn’t going to be the only thing Kobe wanted to have on his resume.
He wanted to tell stories, he did so by winning an Oscar for his short film “Dear Basketball.” He wanted to be a business mogul and had just begun doing so with his capital firm Bryant Stibel. But most importantly he wanted to be a father to Gianna, Natalia, Bianca and his infant Capri, along with being a husband to his wife Vanessa.
Kobe had so much life left to give which hurts all his loved ones and everyone who looked up to him.
Although there may be a bit more closure in Coach Bryant’s passing it still can’t overshadow the sheer sadness the world will feel when Jan. 26 comes around every year.
If anything is to be taken away it’s to love the ones close to you and let them know as often as you can.
Because you never know when it’ll be the last time.
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
