TUSCALOOSA, ALA—Nick Saban, Alabama’s legendary Head Coach abruptly retired on Wednesday afternoon. The seven-time National Champion is on a short list of the greatest coaches in the history of Sports.
Saban, 72, spent the last seventeen years leading the Crimson Tide to a dynasty spanning nearly two decades. On New Year’s Day, Alabama lost the Rose Bowl to Michigan, 27-20 in a thrilling overtime game which became an instant classic.
Saban got his college start at Toldeo, where he spent one season in 1990. He then spent five seasons at Michigan State and another five at LSU, where he won his first national championship in 2003.
He briefly jumped to the NFL and led the Miami Dolphins for two seasons before he landed at Alabama ahead of the 2007 season. Saban restored Alabama’s pride and legacy by winning six National Titles in his tenure.
Pacing the sidelines with his slicked back hair on pristine Saturday afternoons, Saban struck fear into the hearts of opponents with his fierce desire to win and his coaching brilliance.
Bama won its first title since 1992 in 2009 and went on to win two more titles after the 2011 and 2012 seasons before the implementation of the College Football Playoff.
Alabama won the second College Football Playoff at the end of the 2015 season and then won the national title again in the 2017 and 2020 seasons. The title game in January of 2018 featured one of the greatest endings in college football history when Tua Tagovailoa hit DeVonta Smith for a national title-winning touchdown in overtime over Georgia.
His remarkable career puts him in the conversation as the greatest coach in college football history. Luminaries such as Bear Bryant, John Robinson, Barry Switzer and Woody Hayes are on that list alongside Saban.
Saban ends his illustrious career with a 297-71-1 record, which included 11 SEC titles and seven national championships — six with Alabama and one with LSU — to his name.
Saban hearkens back to an era where head coaches were given reign over their programs.
