The legendary college football coach Nick Saban has said goodbye to Alabama after an incredible 17 seasons, leaving a legacy of seven national titles in his wake. In a sincere statement, Saban conveyed his appreciation for the unique relationship he has with the University of Alabama and the Tuscaloosa community.
He stressed the value of creating a legacy “the right way” and assisting players in succeeding not only in the game but also in life, above and beyond victories and losses. After 28 years of coaching at Toledo, Michigan State, LSU, and the Miami Dolphins, Nick Saban leaves Alabama having had a significant influence and always thinking of it as home.
Saban’s tutelage helped launch the head coaching careers of Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and Mississippi’s Lane Kiffin, among others.
He finished just shy of the top in his final season, leading the Tide from a shaky start to a Southeastern Conference championship and back into the College Football Playoff before falling in overtime to Michigan in a semifinal game at the Rose Bowl.
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne called him “one of the greatest coaches of all time, in any sport.”
Saban led the Tide to nine SEC championships and won his first national title at Alabama with a 14-0 season in 2009. Titles came again in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020. He also won the SEC with LSU in 2001 and 2003.
After a 7-6 debut in 2007, Saban won at least 10 games in his final 16 seasons.
It wasn’t until the rise of Dabo Swinney’s Clemson teams in the late 2010s and later Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs that any school could be considered a consistent threat to the Tide.
Saban has stepped away as the fabric of college football undergoes dramatic change. Colorado’s Deion Sanders, a coach who has sought to capitalize on the intervention of players profiting financially from their play on the field, said on social media “College Football just lost the GOAT.”
“WOW! I knew it would happen 1 day soon but not this soon,” he wrote. “The game has change so much that it chased the GOAT away. College football let’s hold up our mirrors and say HONESTLY what u see.”
Saban’s first national title at Alabama, the second-winningest program in major college football, came in his third season, 2009. It was the traditional powerhouse’s first crown since 1992. Saban’s Crimson Tide teams also lifted title trophies in 2011-12, 2015, 2017 and 2020.
A record total 49 of Saban’s players have been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, including former running back Mark Ingram II, who played professionally from 2011 to 2022.
“Coach Saban is the GOAT!! Thanks for believing in a young man from Flint, Michigan, “Helped me become a champion on the field, but more importantly a champion in LIFE. Enjoy retirement Coach, you earned that!! Love you Coach Saban, ROLL TIDE!!”
Saban also was the head coach of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins for the 2005 and 2006 seasons, going 15-17. Saban replaced Mike Shula at Alabama before the 2007 season.