Longtime Alabama football Head Coach Nick Saban has retired from college football after spending 17 seasons in charge of the Crimson Tide. The January 10th announcement came as somewhat of a surprise as the 72 year-old coach hadn’t previously indicated that retirement was coming. Upon learning of Saban’s decision to retire, support for the high profile coach rolled in with famous alumni like former Alabama quarterback Joe Namath, Alabama Senator Katie Britt, and CNN Anchor Kaitlan Collins, discussing the impact Saban’s coaching tenure had on the sport of college football. Sports pundits like Kirk Herbstreit also weighed in.
Nick Saban began his legendary coaching career at Toledo in 1990. In his lone season with Toledo, he guided the Rockets to a 9-2 record and MAC Conference championship title. From 1991 to 1994, Saban was the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns before returning to college football in 1995 to fill the head coaching vacancy at Michigan State.
In 1995, Saban’s first season as the head coach at Michigan State, the Spartans went 6-5-1 and earned a spot in the Independence Bowl, where they lost to LSU. The Spartans made it to bowl games in 1996 and 1997 and lost both times. They missed out on a bowl game in 1998. In 1999, the Spartans had their best season under Saban finishing 9-2 and earning a spot in the Citrus Bowl. However, Saban departed the program after the end of the regular season and didn’t coach in the Citrus Bowl. The Spartans went on to win that game and finished 10-2. Saban later accepted the head coaching position at LSU ahead of the 2000 season.
Nick Saban was the head coach at LSU from 2000 to 2004 and led the Tigers to bowl games in all five seasons. The Tigers won the National Championship in 2003. This would be Saban’s first of 7 total National Championship titles as a college football head coach. Saban compiled a 48-16 record as head coach of the Tigers, including an impressive 28-12 against SEC Conference opponents. Saban left the Tigers for the NFL following the 2004 season, but he returned to college football three years later to take over head coaching duties at Alabama.
Nick Saban’s first season as Alabama head coach was 2007. The Crimson Tide won the 2009 BCS National Championship, the first of 6 national titles for Saban in his 17-year tenure as the Crimson Tide head coach. The Crimson Tide won back to back BCS National Championships in 2011 and 2012 bringing his total at Alabama to 3. Their next title came in 2015, the first of 3 in the playoff era. Saban led the Crimson Tide to two more College Football Playoff National Championships in 2017 and 2020, bringing his total to 6 National Titles at Alabama. Saban’s 2020 National Championship tied former legendary Head Coach Bear Bryant for most all-time by an Alabama head coach. It was also Saban’s 7th overall National Title, having won the national championship at LSU. Saban’s 7th National Title is most all-time for a Division One head coach, breaking Bear Bryant’s previous record of 6. In addition to winning 6 National titles, Saban led the Crimson Tide to 11 SEC Conference Championship titles, including their most recent one in 2023. In 17 seasons coaching the Crimson Tide, Saban compiled an impressive 201-29 record, including 117-18 against the SEC. His overall record as a college football head coach is 292-71-1. In addition to Saban’s remarkable head coaching record, he also produced 4 Heisman Trophy winners while he was the head coach at Alabama, running back Mark Ingram (2009), running back Derrick Henry (2015), wide receiver DeVonta Smith (2020), and quarterback Bryce Young (2021).
Upon learning of Saban’s retirement, several prominent figures voiced their support and appreciation for Saban, including Republican Senator Katie Britt, CNN Anchor Kaitlan Collins, former Alabama quarterback Joe Namath, and ESPN College Gameday Analyst Kirk Herbstreit.
Republican Senator Katie Britt, Alabama’s first woman elected to the United States Senate, and Alabama alum, published this statement to her account on X:
ESPN College Gameday Co-Host Kirk Herbstreit also took to X expressing his gratitude for Saban:
CNN Anchor Kaitlan Collins, who is also an Alabama alum, interviewed former Alabama quarterback Joe Namath (1961-1964) on her evening show:
I extend a hearty congratulations to Nick Saban on his legendary career as a college football head coach. It was a pleasure to watch him over the years. Saban will go down as one of the best coaches in college football history.
jakethesportsguy 