It is a sad day for the college football community.
Alabama’s football coach Nick Saban has decided to walk away from the game he loves is after 17 seasons with the program, ending a legendary partnership for the ages that witnessed Saban return the Crimson Tide to prominence and the top of college football with six national titles in a 12-year span, multiple sources briefed on the decision confirmed. ESPN was first reported the news.
Saban told his staff and his players of his decision in a team meeting Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Chris Low, who first reported the retirement. Alabama was eliminated in the 2023 College Football Playoff semifinal last Monday night, ending its season with a 27-20 overtime loss to eventual national champion Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines in the Rose Bowl.
In 17 seasons, he won 201 games, tied with Vince Dooley of the Georgia Bulldogs for the second-most wins at a single school in SEC history, behind only Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant, who won 232 games in his quarter of a century with the Crimson Tide.
Before coming to Tuscaloosa in 2007, he was well traveled around the coaching circle. Saban served as head coach for the Miami Dolphins (2005-06), LSU (2000-04), Michigan State (1995-99) and Toledo (1990). He has a 292-71-1 record at the collegiate level, with a handful of wins stripped by the NCAA. His 292 victories, most among active coaches this past season, rank him as the 15th winningest coach in the game’s history.
Saban’s seven national titles, one at LSU (2003) and six at Alabama (2009, 2011-12, 2015, 2017, 2020), the latter total matching legendary Tide coach Bryant, stand as the most in the game’s extensive history. He is the only coach since the launch of the AP Top 25 way back in 1936 to capture national championships with two separate FBS programs, and in the decade-long history of the CFP, Alabama’s eight trips are the most of any program.
Embed from Getty ImagesSaban, 72 years old, famous for his stern, no nonsense style to coaching young men and confident yet fiery approach, also completely dominated the SEC conference with 11 championships, two at LSU (2001, 2003) and nine at Alabama (2009, 2012, 2014-16, 2018, 2020-21, 2023), making him the only coach other than Bryant to win SEC titles at two different schools. Alabama won 10+ games and finished among the top 10 of the AP Top 25 across each of the final 16 seasons of Saban’s career. The Tide have been main stays in the AP Top 25 for 260 consecutive weeks since the kickoff of the 2008 season.
His 292 wins, most among active coaches this past season, places him as the 15th winningest coach in the sport’s history. His career college record, with his pristine .806 winning percentage ranks him 16th among coaches who led programs for a minimum of 10 seasons.
Saban had the great fortune of coaching four Heisman Trophy winners while leading the Crimson Tide, Mark Ingram II (2009), Derrick Henry (2015), DeVonta Smith (2020) and Bryce Young (2021), and he holds an unbelievable record of having coached 49 first-round NFL Draft picks in his career.
Saban’s time in football extended beyond the college ranks into the NFL. His season at Toledo led to Saban joining Bill Belichick’s staff as defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns from 1991-94. After stints at Michigan State and LSU, the latter of which included his initial national championship, Saban accepted the head coaching position with the Miami Dolphins. He spent just two years with the Dolphins, compiling a 15-17 record in Miami, before coming to the conclusion that the college game was a better fit for him.
A former high school quarterback out of West Virginia, Saban played defensive back at Kent State (1970-72) before beginning his coaching career at his alma mater. He later made stops as a position coach, always on the defensive side of the ball, at Syracuse (1977), West Virginia (1978-79), Ohio State (1980-81), Navy (1982), Michigan State (1983-87) and with the Houston Oilers (1988-89).
Saban was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. He’s a five-time SEC Coach of the Year, two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year, two-time AP College Football Coach of the Year and two-time Paul “Bear” Bryant Award winner, among a laundry list of other accolades.
