Nick Saban, one of college football’s greatest ever coaches who helmed the University of Alabama to six national championships during a brilliant 17-year tenure at the Tuscaloosa school, announced his retirement on Wednesday.
“The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me,” Saban said in a statement. “We have enjoyed every minute of our 17 years being the head coach at Alabama as well as becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it’s about the legacy and how we went about it. We always tried to do it the right way. The goal was always to help players create more value for their future, be the best player they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program.
“Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home.”
Saban, 72, arrived at Alabama in 2007 following a two-year stint with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, restoring the dormant Crimson Tide program to its former glory with national titles in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020.
BREAKING: Nick Saban is retiring, per source. The 72-year-old Alabama coach has won SEVEN national titles, six with the Tide. Chris Low first reported the news.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 10, 2024
Before that, he led Louisiana State to a national championship in 2003, following previous head coaching stints at Michigan State University and the University of Toledo.
Saban is the only coach to win seven national titles in the AP poll era of college football (since 1936): six with Alabama and one with LSU. The Crimson Tide won at least 10 games in 16 consecutive seasons on his watch, the longest streak in the poll era.
The five-time Southeastern Conference coach of the year will retire with a 292-71-1 record at the college level, not including five wins vacated by the NCAA in 2009 over rules violations stemming from improper benefits. The 292 wins rank sixth all-time in the Football Bowl Subdivision, college football’s top flight, and 12th overall regardless of division.
Famed for his sideline scowl and fiery demeanor – and for winning – Saban made a two-year foray into the NFL with the Dolphins before returning to college football to revive one of America’s most storied programs, which hadn’t won a national title in 15 years. Saban enjoyed successful runs at Toledo, Michigan State and LSU, but Alabama is where he cemented his status as one of the sport’s greatest coaches.
His latest team dealt with plenty of adversity early on, including a loss to Texas, but rebounded with the emergence of quarterback Jalen Milroe to upset then-No 1 Georgia in the SEC championship game.
Saban didn’t sound like a coach looking to give up the job any time soon after the game. But it wasn’t a bad way to go, even without the title.
“This is one of the most amazing seasons in Alabama football history in terms of where this team came from, what they were able to accomplish and what they were able to do, winning the SEC championship, and really, really proud of this group,” he said.
“I just wish that I could have done more as a coach to help them be successful and help them finish, and all we can do now is learn from the lessons that sometimes failings bring to us.”
