Alabama QB Jalen Milroe knows the legendary coach very well As Saban turns.

Alabama QB Jalen Milroe knows the legendary coach very well As Saban turns.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Pam Lee’s legs were shaking. She had done everything she was supposed to do, called ahead of time to make an appointment and had kept her composure once she entered the office of the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant.

It was 1975, and Lee, a student at the University of Alabama, wanted to wear a red elephant costume on the field during the Auburn game that year. But to get on the field, you needed Bryant’s permission, and he famously didn’t like the elephant mascot that had been loosely associated with the school since a sportswriter from Atlanta described Alabama as a rumble of the elephants in 1930.

With trepidation, Lee made her case, unsure how the coach would react.