Football and business make an interesting breakfast combination.

A roomful of local business leaders seemed to enjoy the change of pace at Thursday’s Buttonhole breakfast sponsored by Alabama Power and the Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce with a guest that many Alabama fans know well.

Darwin Holt, the only person who played for former Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant at two schools, spoke to those in attendance about his time with the legendary coach.

“This breakfast is just another way for business owners to network and share information on business,” said Sheryl Smedley, the executive director of the Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce.

To help spread that information, Holt came to Selma on behalf of the Alabama Technologies Network.

“We provide training to existing manufactures and industries,” said Bruce Perdue, Project engineer for Alabama Technology Network. “Darwin is one of our techniques for raising awareness.”

Holt was the star of the breakfast, however.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said Holt. “I hope that I am bringing some information to this state on this fine company.”

Holt gave the crowd stories on his time with Coach Bryant as the primary signal caller for the defense for Alabama in 1960 and 1961.

Holt was a linebacker for the Crimson Tide and won a National Championship with Alabama as the head of a defense that was labeled at the number one defense in college football over the past 50 year by MSNBC in 2007.

He now lives in Vestavia Hills where he runs the Darwin Holt Company, LLC, a public relations and marketing company.