But beyond the goal posts, this citadel of gridiron power - rich with the legends of Bear Bryant, Ken "Snake" Stabler and Joe Namath and Co. - is home to one of the nation's largest corporate collections of American paintings and sculpture. Bulldog fans coming to Tuscaloosa for the Alabama-Georgia game Oct. 1, or on any other occasion, may want to stretch their visit to combine the disparate pursuits available here.

Displayed in three locations, two of which are open to the public, the Warner Collection was assembled by Jack Warner, chairman of the board of Gulf States Paper Corp. In it are several hundred works by virtually every major American artist of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

"Jack Warner's collection is definitely among the dozen finest private collections of American art in the country," said Judy Larson, curator of American art at Atlanta's High Museum of Art. "It is especially strong in 19th century landscapes, but overall it is broad- based and of very high quality."

The paintings you can see are in the Mildred Warner House, near the University of Alabama campus, and in Gulf States' corporate headquarters on the outskirts of Tuscaloosa. The only ones off limits - unless you can wrangle a special invitation - are in the members-only Northriver Yacht Club.

Welcomed by peacocks

The corporate headquarters is the most astonishing, not only because of the works, but also for the building that houses them. You drive through the gates and then through a pine forest before arriving at what appears to be a Japanese temple or imperial palace. No cookie-cutter office building, this, not with peacocks spreading their fantails as you head down the front walk.

Designed by celebrated Atlanta architect Cecil Alexander, the two- story building, with its high-peaked roofs and elongated eaves, wraps around an outdoor pond full of swans and exotic ducks. Inside, large windows illuminate offices and hallways hung with dozens of paintings, tapestries and pieces of sculpture.

While enjoying coffee in their break room, employees can look around at 35 original John James Audubon prints, part of Warner's much larger Audubon collection. Looking up from their computers, they can rest their eyes on works by Mary Cassatt, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, the Wyeths, Albert Bierstadt, George Catlin and members of the Hudson River School and Ashcan School (so-called because critics said that's where the works belonged).

Also displayed is a lifelike 93-painting collection of "Wild Birds of America," which Warner commissioned from British artist Basil Ede.

Several paintings are by Georgia O'Keeffe, but visitors need not look for her name. A guide will tell you why: "Georgia O'Keeffe signed her name on the back, rather than on the front, because she wanted the paintings to give you such an impression you wouldn't care who the artist was. She put a Star of David on those she really liked, such as our `Red Hills with Flowers.' "

As a small price for all this beauty around them, the building's personnel are obliged to keep their desks as neat as a Marine recruit's barracks. Visitors come on guided tours after work on weekdays, and on Saturdays and Sundays.

From humble beginnings ...

The Warner House, downtown, originally was built as a log cabin in 1822, with a four-story brick addition in 1835. When Warner purchased the house in 1976, it had been abandoned for 10 years. He named it for his mother, the late Mildred Warner.

The floors, many of the windows and much of the woodwork are original. Among the outstanding works displayed in the parlors and bedrooms - even in an upstairs bathroom and in the attic - is a portrait of George Washington by renowned 18th-century artist James Peale. Another one, Bierstadt's "Donner Lake," is considered one of his finest pieces. It typifies the mid-19th century Hudson River School's romanticized landscapes with mellow light reflected on water.

Other paintings in the Warner House are by Cassatt, Rembrandt Peale, Sargent, Maurice Prendergast, James Whistler and Hudson River School artists Sanford Gifford and John Fredric Kensett. Downstairs, in the brick-walled former wine cellar, William Aiken Walker's American folk paintings depict romanticized Southern plantation scenes.

In addition to the paintings, the house has a large collection of Duncan Phyfe furnishings and antique Oriental carpets. The Warner House is open only on weekends.

Another architectural treasure

Carol Ballard of Montgomery, the Southeastern representative for Christie's Auction House, heaps praise on Warner and his collection. "It's simply outstanding," she said. "He [Warner] has an excellent eye and very eclectic tastes, and that's what makes him a great collector."

Warner, 77, grew up in Gulf States Paper Corp., which his grandfather founded. Although he rarely gives interviews, he is said to be very personable.

A short drive or pleasant walk across the campus from the Mildred Warner House, the Gorgas House is an architectural treasure. Built in 1829 from ballast stones from English ships, the raised cottage is the only structure in the original university master plan not burned by the Union Army in 1865.

In 1879, it became the home of Josiah B. Gorgas, who had served as chief ordinance officer of the Confederacy. His son, Brig. Gen. William Crawford Gorgas, made construction of the Panama Canal possible by eradicating malaria-causing mosquitoes.

Go, if only to see an exquisite collection of Spanish colonial silver serving pieces from Ecuador, Peru and Colombia.

Sample gridiron gang, barbecue tang, crafts shebang

Following the fine art trail: Your first stop to see the Gulf States Paper Corp.'s collection should be its corporate headquarters, 1400 River Road, a mile east of U.S. 82. Free guided tours are available 5 to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and holidays; and 1 to 7 p.m. Sundays. Free. (205) 553-6200.

The next stop should be the Mildred Warner House, 1925 Eighth St. (at 20th Avenue), near the University of Alabama campus. Free guided tours are available 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays; 1 to 6 p.m. Sundays.

The Gorgas House, on the Alabama campus, offers free guided tours from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; and from 3 to 5 p.m. Sundays. (205) 348-5906.

Drop back and punt: As hard as you may try, you can't come to Tuscaloosa and completely avoid football. So devote an hour or two, or longer if you're an Alabama fan, to the Paul W. Bryant Museum. The 7,000- square-foot building in the center of the campus is a shrine to Bama football, back to its origins in 1892. A film documents Bryant's amazing career as a player and coach and honors all the others who've carried the Crimson Tide to glory through the years.

Paul Bryant Museum, 323 Bryant Drive, on the Alabama campus. Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Adults, $2; children 6 to 17, $1. (205) 348-4668. Oh, and sorry, movie fans: You won't find any tribute to "Forrest Gump," the fictional Bama All-American, at the Bryant Museum; the university wouldn't have anything to do with the Tom Hanks film, which was shot mainly in South Carolina.

While you're exploring: If you enjoy browsing antique and crafts stores, cross the Black Warrior River to the reviving old community of Northport. Along Main Avenue, drop by the Kentuck Museum, a small gallery that showcases folk and contemporary art and traditional crafts. The museum's shop sells pottery, glassware, leather, fabrics and other art by Alabama crafters. It is staging the Kentuck Festival Oct. 15-16, one of the Southeast's largest arts and handicrafts celebrations with hundreds of exhibitors, live entertainment and food. 503 Main Ave., Northport. (205) 333-1252.

Adams Antiques specializes in English antiques. Among the "new wave," you'll also find an old-fashioned barber shop, hardware store and feed-and-seed. 426 Main Ave., Northport. (205) 758-8651.

When hunger strikes: At lunch or dinnertime, take a table at The Globe. One of Northport's biggest attractions, the restaurant, in a late- 19th-century dry goods store, is Tuscaloosa's most imaginative eatery. Co- owners Jeff Wilson and Gary Wise have done up the two dining rooms and long bar area with large drawings of Shakespearean characters, old photos of Northport and framed paintings and scenes from plays. The wide-ranging menu includes quesadillas, Thai green curry, paella, shrimp tarragon, tandoori chicken and poached salmon. 430 Main Ave., Northport. (205) 391- 0949. Globe, Etc., across the street, is a self-serve place with pastas, breads and salads. (205) 391-9982.

Dreamland, a rustic joint 10 minutes from downtown, is the barbecue capital of this barbecue-crazy state. For true believers, a plate of Dreamland ribs, dripping with sauce, with a side of white bread, is matched in ecstacy only by a Bama victory over Auburn. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. 5535 15th Ave. East, a 10-minute drive from downtown. (205) 758- 8135.

Kid stuff, the old way: If you're looking for something for youngsters to do, take them to the Children's Hands-On Museum in downtown Tuscaloosa. In this former mercantile store, they can explore a Native American village, play nurse and doctor, view the night skies in a planetarium, print stationery, "borrow" money at a turn-of-the-century bank and find the answers to such intriguing questions as these: Who killed the dinosaurs? How do bees see? Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is $3 for visitors 3 and older. Children must be accompanied by an adult. (205) 349-4235.

For the kid in the grown-up: If you'd like to relive your college days, do "the Strip" across from the Alabama campus. It's like Broad Street in Athens, with a string of all-night bars, clubs and pizza joints jumping from early evening until the last students come out to face the dawn.

Where to stay: Sheraton Capstone Hotel, on the campus next to the Bryant Museum, has 152 rooms, a restaurant and a sports bar. Rates for a double room start at $90. (205) 752-3200.

Sleep Inn, I-59 at Exit 76, 10 minutes from downtown, has 73 very nice rooms. Rates range from $42 to $75 double and include continental breakfast. (205) 556-5696.

Getting there: Tuscaloosa is about 200 miles west of Atlanta. Take I- 20 west to Birmingham, then I-20/59 southwest to Tuscaloosa. Passing through the small community of Vance, between Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, you'll see the site of the new Mercedes-Benz plant.

Information: Tuscaloosa Convention and Visitors Bureau, P.O. Box 032167, Tuscaloosa, Ala. 35403. (800) 538-8696.

Free-lance writer William Schemmel lives in Decatur.

(This information was current at the time of publication, but hours and prices may have changed. It's always a good idea to call before you travel.)