Don Bryant (baseball)

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Donald Ray Bryant (born July 13, 1941 in Jasper, Florida) was a catcher and coach in Major League Baseball. He was nicknamed "Bear" by baseball teammates in homage to University of Alabama football coaching legend Paul "Bear" Bryant.

After playing parts of three seasons in the National League (see "Teams," below), batting .220 with one home run and 13 runs batted in, Bryant was acquired by the Boston Red Sox and became a playing coach for their AAA affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox, in 1973. The following year, Pawtucket manager Darrell Johnson was promoted to Boston as field boss, and brought Bryant with him as bullpen coach. Bryant coached under Johnson in Boston (1974-76) and with the Seattle Mariners (1977-80) before leaving the game.