Sixteen years after he famously insisted he’s not going to be the Alabama coach, Nick Saban is not going to be the Alabama coach.
Via multiple reports, Saban has informed Alabama that he is retiring.
Saban, 72, won six national championships since joining the Crimson Tide in 2007. He first became a head coach at Toledo. After one year, he joined forces with Bill Belichick, as Cleveland’s defensive coordinator. He took the head-coaching job at Michigan State in 1995. After five years with the Spartans, Saban got the LSU job, where he won his first national championship.
In 2005, Saban made the jump back to the NFL, as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. After only two years, he bolted for ‘Bama — and he has stayed there ever since.
Regarded as a master recruiter, Saban stacked the deck with great athletes that fueled his program’s success.
His NFL record as a head coach is only 15-17. In college, he won 292 games while losing only 71. He’s fifth on the all-time college football wins list.
What’s next for Saban? Most likely, he’ll take a spot on ESPN’s College Gameday. Far less likely for Saban is a return to the NFL, even though his two years with Miami represent the only blemish on an otherwise stellar career as one of the greatest coaches of all time.
