Nick Saban
Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. is an American sportscaster and former football coach. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's College GameDay, a television program covering college football. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest football coaches of all time. Saban served as head coach of the National Football League 's Miami Dolphins and at four universities: the University of Toledo, Michigan State University, Louisiana State University, and most famously the University of Alabama, where he coached from 2007 to 2023 and led the team to six claimed national championships and one unclaimed championship in nine championship appearances during that period, as well as 9 SEC titles and 10 SEC West Division championships.
As a college football head coach, Saban won seven claimed national titles and one unclaimed national title, the most in college football history. His first came when he led the LSU Tigers to the BCS National Championship in 2003. He then coached the Alabama Crimson Tide to BCS and AP national championships in 2009, 2011, 2012, and to College Football Playoff championships in 2015, 2017 and 2020 with Alabama also having an unclaimed National Championship in 2016 that was selected by Colley. He became the first coach in college football history to win a national championship with two different Football Bowl Subdivision schools since the inception of the AP Poll in 1936. Saban and Bear Bryant are the only coaches to win an SEC championship at two different schools. Saban's career record as a college head coach is 292–71–1.
Saban was inducted into the Independence Hall of Honor in 2008, Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2025. He coached four Heisman Trophy winners at Alabama: Mark Ingram II, Derrick Henry, DeVonta Smith, and Bryce Young. In 2025, Saban was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach.
Early life and education
Saban was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, to Mary and Nick Lou Saban Sr. and grew up in the nearby town of Monongah. His parents owned a small service station and his father founded and coached a youth football team. He has one sister, Dianna, and graduated from Monongah High School in 1969. In high school, Saban played quarterback and helped lead Monongah to the 1968 West Virginia Class A state championship his senior year. Among his teammates were Kerry Marbury, who went on to star for the West Virginia Mountaineers and play in the Canadian Football League.Saban attended Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, and played defensive back for the Golden Flashes under coach Don James. He and a roommate avoided being part of the Kent State shootings, on May 4, 1970, when they decided to eat lunch before walking to the rally area. While attending KSU, he married Terry Constable, also from West Virginia, on December 18, 1971 in Fairmont. Saban graduated from Kent State in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in business, and in 1975, earned his master's degree in sports administration, also from Kent State. Saban's father died during his son's first year of graduate school.
Saban is of Croatian ancestry. His paternal grandfather, Stanko Saban, was born in 1895 in Gospić, in the Lika region of Croatia. Stanko emigrated to Portland, Oregon, in 1908, when he was 13 years old. He later married Anna Mihalic, of Croatian-American heritage.
Coaching career
Early coaching career
Saban had not intended to enter the coaching ranks until Don James hired him as a graduate assistant at Kent State, while Saban waited for his wife to graduate. He later served as an assistant coach in NCAA Division I-A, at several schools: Syracuse in 1977, West Virginia in 1978 and 1979, Ohio State in 1980 and 1981, Navy in 1982, and Michigan State from 1983 to 1987.After the 1987 season, Kent State passed over Saban for its vacant head coaching position and hired Dick Crum. Saban was then hired as an assistant for the Houston Oilers in the National Football League.
Toledo
Saban began his career as a head coach when he was hired by the University of Toledo on December 22, 1989. Coming off of 6–5 seasons in both 1988 and 1989, the Rockets found quick success under Nick Saban in 1990. With a 9–2 season, Toledo was co-champion of the Mid-American Conference. The two games the Rockets lost that season were by narrow margins: one point to Central Michigan and four points to Navy. While coaching in Toledo, Saban turned down an application from future head coach Urban Meyer, who was looking for any coaching job on Saban's staff.Cleveland Browns
The following February, Saban resigned as Toledo's head coach after only one season in order to become defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns under head coach Bill Belichick. He remained in that position for four seasons. Saban helped lead the 1994 defensive unit for the Browns that was the best in the NFL in points allowed. Saban later said these four years were the "worst of my life".Michigan State
1995–1997 seasons
Saban became head coach of Michigan State prior to the 1995 season. Michigan State had not had a winning season since 1990, and the team was sanctioned by the NCAA for recruiting violations that were committed under his predecessor and former mentor, George Perles.Beginning in 1995, Saban moderately improved Michigan State's fortunes, taking the Spartans to bowl games in each of his first three seasons. From 1995 to 1997, Michigan State finished 6–5–1, 6–6, and 7–5.
1998 season
On November 7, 1998, the Spartans upset the No.1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes 28–24 at Ohio Stadium. However, even after the upset and an early-season rout of then-highly ranked Notre Dame the Spartans finished 6–6, including three last-minute losses featuring turnovers, defensive lapses, and special-teams misplays, and failed to earn a bowl invitation.1999 season
Saban led the 1999 Spartans to a 9–2 season that included wins over Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State. The two losses were routs at the hands of Purdue and Wisconsin. Following the final regular-season game against Penn State, Saban abruptly resigned to accept the head coaching position with LSU. Saban's assistant head coach and successor, Bobby Williams, coached the Spartans to a Citrus Bowl victory over Florida, giving the Spartans an overall record of 10–2 for the 1999 season. It was the most wins for the Spartans in a season since 1965, and the Spartans reached their highest ranking since the 1966 team. Future NFL head coach Josh McDaniels served as a graduate assistant on Saban's 1999 coaching staff.LSU
2000 season
In November 1999, LSU named Nick Saban as their 31st head football coach. In 2000, the Tigers went 8–4 and won the Peach Bowl over Georgia Tech. The season was somewhat marred by several lopsided losses, including a 34–17 loss to the Auburn Tigers, and a 41–9 loss to the Florida Gators.2001 season
Saban led LSU to a 10–3 record in 2001, including an SEC Championship and a Sugar Bowl victory. After a 35–24 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels, the Tigers finished the year with six straight wins, including a 31–20 win over #2 Tennessee in the 2001 SEC Championship Game, and a 47–34 win over Illinois in the 2002 Sugar Bowl. It was the first outright SEC championship for LSU since 1986, and the first time the Tigers had won the Sugar Bowl since 1968.2002 season
The 2002 season opened with high expectations, but a 26–8 loss at the hands of Virginia Tech in the Tigers' season opener raised serious questions about their outlook. However, the Tigers would rebound to win their next six straight, but after a mid-season injury to quarterback Matt Mauck, LSU lost four of its last six games to close the season, including a 21–20 loss at Arkansas, which knocked the Tigers out of the SEC Championship Game. LSU also suffered a 35–20 loss to Texas in the Cotton Bowl Classic, and finished 8–5.2003 season
The 2003 Tigers started the season with five wins, including a 17–10 victory in Tiger Stadium over the defending SEC champion, and then-undefeated, Georgia Bulldogs. LSU lost the following week to Florida, 19–7. After the loss to Florida, LSU did not lose again in the regular season and ended its regular season with a win over the Arkansas Razorbacks to win the SEC West. After winning the SEC West, the Tigers defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 34–13 in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.They were ranked No. 2 in the BCS standings and advanced to play the BCS No.1 Oklahoma Sooners in the Sugar Bowl, which was the host of the BCS Championship Game in 2003. The Tigers won the game 21–14. The win gave LSU the BCS national championship and a 13–1 finish for the season. The 13 wins for LSU set a new single-season record, breaking the mark of 11 wins set by the 1958 National Championship team.