Throwback Thursday: Paul W. Bryant Hall

When Alabama built Bryant Hall, it was considered among the nicest athletic dorms in the country

Image courtesy of Jimmy Bank

The plush lobby of the dorm

Now known as the Paul W. Bryant Academic Center, Bryant Hall was, at one time, the residence/dorm for University of Alabama athletes for three-plus decades. 

Constructed for $1 million in 1963 and equipped with rooms for 136 athletes plus a dining hall to feed 150, Bryant Hall was one of the finest athletic dorms in its time.

The dorm was so nice that it was often referred to as the “Bryant Hilton”.

Named for then athletic director and head football coach Paul W. "Bear" Bryant, it was the first building in the state of Alabama named for a living person and required the state legislature to waive a law that prohibited buildings from being named after a living person.

In the late 1990s, the NCAA passed legislation that eliminated athletic-specific housing and dining so part of Bryant Hall was then turned into an academic center.

In 2005, the venerable building was transformed into the Crimson Tide's Academic Center. The renovation converted Bryant Hall into a state-of-the-art academic facility covering 52,300 square feet and featuring the most modern technology to benefit all UA student-athletes.

Formally re-dedicated on April 22, 2005, The Bill Battle Academic Center serves as a full-service academic facility and the home for the Center for Athletic Student Services (CASS) staff. 

The latest enhancement to the Bill Battle Academic Center came during the 2013-14 academic year, when the Susan & Gaylon McCollough A-Club Career and Leadership Development Center opened. The career center is located on the second floor of Bryant Hall.

University of Alabama