The days of Nick Saban as a coach are over. But the legend of college football will always remember him for his supremacy over the sport.
More than any other major college football coach, Nick Saban has won seven national titles. He transformed Alabama back into a national powerhouse and broke the record for the longest straight seasons at No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. Saban announced his retirement on Wednesday.
According to a statement from Saban, “The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me.” “The legacy and the way we approached it are more important than the number of games we won and lost. We always made an effort to do things correctly.
After assuming control in 2007, 72-year-old Nick Saban brought the Crimson Tide team, which had been managed by Paul “Bear” Bryant, back to the pinnacle of collegiate football. As he continued to win, Saban’s notoriety in the state of Alabama rose to regal proportions.
He ruled the sport for a while, and there wasn’t much that could be done to stop him.
Over the course of his 17 seasons at Alabama, Saban won six titles. In 2003, he won his first with LSU. His Tide teams broke the previous record of seven straight seasons held by Miami by finishing first in the AP poll for an astounding 15 straight seasons.
Terry, Saban’s wife, wrote on the Nick’s Kids Foundation Facebook page about their “incredible run” at Alabama.
Terry Saban wrote, “We hope that the winning tradition on the field and helping others and making a positive difference in people’s lives will be the Saban legacy.”
With his retirement, Nick Saban concludes a career that enabled Kirby Smart of Georgia, Steve Sarkisian of Texas, and Lane Kiffin of Mississippi get their start or get back on track as head coaches.
In his final season, he finished just short of the top spot. He guided the Alabama Tide from a rough start to a Southeastern Conference championship and back into the College Football Playoff, where they ultimately lost to Michigan in overtime in the Rose Bowl semifinal.
He was hailed as “one of the greatest coaches of all time, in any sport” by Greg Byrne, athletic director at Alabama.
Byrne said in a statement, “He is the epitome of a coach, mentor, and leader, and his impact is felt far beyond the football field.”
With a 14-0 season at Alabama in 2009, Saban earned his first national championship while coaching the Tide to nine SEC titles. In 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020, titles reappeared. Along with LSU, he won the SEC in 2001 and 2003
