Today marks the anniversary of a watershed day in not only the history of Alabama football, but in the state of Alabama.

At 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 26, 1983, legendary Crimson Tide football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant died at Druid City Medical Center in Tuscaloosa after suffering cardiopulmonary arrest. He was 69.

Bryant’s death came just four weeks after he’d coached his final game at Alabama, a 22-15 victory over Illinois in the 1982 Liberty Bowl. He’d announced his retirement from coaching on Dec. 15, 1982, but remained on board as the school’s athletics director.

Bryant was head coach at Alabama from 1958-82, winning 13 SEC championships and six national titles in 25 seasons. His 323 career victories were a major-college football record at the time.

Then-Alabama Gov. George Wallace said Bryant “brought great fame and honor to Alabama. No amount of words will permit to describe the loss we have suffered with Coach Bryant’s passing. He was widely loved and respected by all.”

As you might imagine, Bryant’s death made national news. Then-president Ronald Reagan offered his condolences, saying, “Today we Americans lost a hero who always seemed larger than life.”

Bryant’s funeral took place on Jan. 28, 1983, with hundreds attending the memorial service at Tuscaloosa’s First United Methodist Church and more than 5,000 at the graveside service at Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham. The funeral procession from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham included 400 cars and was viewed by thousands of mourners who stopped along I-20/59 and stood on freeway overpasses to bid the coach farewell.

Linked below is a collection of AL.com’s coverage of Bryant and his legacy over the years.

Read Alf Van Hoose’s 1983 Birmingham News column on death of Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant

The last days of Bryant: Six weeks that changed the face, future of Alabama football

This week in 1982, an Alabama sports writer did the unthinkable … or at least people thought he did

Looking back at the legacy of Alabama’s ‘other’ historic game with USC, 50 years later

What if Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant had taken the Miami Dolphins job in 1970?

Check out vintage photos from the 1981 Iron Bowl, Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant’s 315th victory

Memorable Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant quotes: Thoughts on winning, life, Alabama and more