Major Cary Sutton of the Alabama State Police, who has worked with the Crimson Tide for 14 years, said he had heard that Bryant had started the tradition in 1958 or 1959. He said the job has enabled him to make contacts in other states who have been helpful in his other police work, because "I know who to call."
Sutton is thinking about retiring. "A lot of people will be jockeying for my spot," he said. "I've been to Hawaii twice. This is a great gig."
Fanatical fans
But the work has its tense moments. Sargent Randy Schambach of the West Virginia State Police recalled when a fan tried too enthusiastically to congratulate Mountaineers Coach Rick Rodriguez.
"He comes on a full sprint run, more or less to jump on him because they won," said Schambach, who stepped in front of the fan and dropped him with a body block. "The assistant coach said, `Hey, good hit!'" Schambach said. "The guy looked up and said, `Hey, what are you doing?' He was intoxicated."
Schambach said he and his partner, Corporal Glen Doyle, wear hats with five-inch brims, "just like the drill instructors" in military boot camp. The fashion varies by region. Lance Coleman, a Texas Ranger who protects Mack Brown, the Longhorns' coach, said his attire includes cowboy boots, a gun belt and a cowboy hat. "A tan, buckskin cowboy hat," he said.
For games outside Texas, the troopers wear plain clothes, but their expressions do not change, home or away. "A poker face," Coleman said. "Our job is to be neutral."
On the outside, at least.
"I grew up in Austin," he said. "I love Texas football."
The Longhorns play Michigan in the Rose Bowl today.
There is some humor and friendly rivalry among the troopers. Sargent Steve Rushton of the Georgia State Police guards the Bulldogs.
"Tennessee always carries an entourage," he said. "We always joke that it takes six or seven of them to do what two of us do."
Sargent Tim Reuss of the Northwestern University police said that campus officers, not Illinois troopers, patrol the Wildcats' sidelines.
"We're not that aggressive," he said. "We don't overdo our job."
The Northwestern officers counsel players, take them on patrol and instruct them on how to act if stopped by the police, Reuss said.
"Be polite, be honest, be straight-forward," Reuss said he tells them. "You guys have a lot to lose. And don't use my name to get out of trouble. This is not a get-out-of-jail-free card."
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