Ute fans have every reason to loathe Alabama head coach Nick Saban after his statement that Alabama was the only team to go 12-0 in a real Bowl Championship Series conference after his team lost out on its chance to go to the BCS Championship game.
However, Saban has changed his tune somewhat after looking into the Utah program for probably the first time in his life as a coach, and is now “excited” to play Utah in the Sugar Bowl.
Saban has established himself as one of the best college football coaches around these days. He’s also the best paid one. He has done stints in the pros as a head coach and defensive coordinator, but achieved fame by coaching Louisiana State to a national title in 2003. After floundering around in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, he’s back to college football and is making his mark again.
Saban was shredded by the media after taking a job with the Miami Dolphins, which he initially said he wasn’t interested in.
It’s tough to turn down the freedom that Alabama has given him, as well as a $32 million contract over eight years with incentives such as two cars, a country club membership and use of a private jet.
In an article earlier this season, Forbes Magazine named Saban the most powerful coach in sports. This is due to the fact that he has been given control of recruiting, coaching, public relations and business administration for the team
Saban has always been revered as a defensive guru and has carried that torch with him all the way to ‘Bama. Prior to his first head coaching job at Toledo in 1990, he was the defensive coordinator for the Houston Oilers. After a one-year stint with Toledo, he was arguably the best defensive coordinator in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns. He turned the defense around from a team that allowed the most points in the league (462) to the least (204), in just one season.
Saban has earned his right to lead a team and has been head coach of four different Division-O schools. He has turned every program around within two years. After a dismal season last year at 7-6, the Crimson Tide returned to their tradition as one of the best teams in college football. At 12-1 in the SEC, the Tide came pretty close.
Although he wanted a shot at the National Title game, which would have been his second trip in five years, Saban said he is pleased to be playing in the SEC’s biggest bowl game.
“Our players are certainly disappointed,” Saban said. “But this is an opportunity. If you’re going to be a great team, when you lose, you want to come back and play your best the next time you play.”
In 2005, Saban had a lot of slack to pick up to make the Dolphins into a playoff-caliber team. He turned them into a 9-7 club, which is the second-highest victory turnaround for their organization.
The following season is one that hit the headlines. After the Dolphins showed a lack of improvement by finishing 6-10, a head coaching job opened up at Alabama. Everybody’s attention turned to Saban after Steve Spurrier and Rich Rodriguez turned down the job. Saban repeatedly said he wouldn’t take the Crimson Tide coaching job and Miami was where he was going to stay.
He kept saying that until Alabama athletic director Mal Moore flew down to Miami on New Year’s Day of 2007 to talk with Saban. It took two days to persuade Saban, then they boarded the plane, flew to Tuscaloosa and were swarmed by the media.
The most ironic thing about the Saban ordeal is a quote that has circulated widely on blogs, online analysis and even one of the leading online quote databases, www.thinkexist.com. Saban said, “The best way to disrespect somebody is to just walk away from them. But that is the show business part of what we have to deal with and to me, it’s wrong.”
Associated PressNick Saban received criticism when he took the Alabama job. In Saban?s second year at Alabama, he has led his team to a 12-1 record and a spot in the Sugar Bowl.