Now that's Nick Saban.
Posted on 04/24/2018 11:17:08 AM PDT by blam
Nick Saban knows what he’s doing isn’t normal. The University of Alabama football coach is well aware that it’s anything but typical for one school to thoroughly dominate a major sport the way his Crimson Tide has ruled college football over the past decade. More to the point, he knows that it’s well outside the bounds of ordinary to expect 18- to 22-year-olds to win national championships—and then work even harder to get better. “To me it takes a completely different mindset to stay successful as opposed to what you have to do to build something to be successful,” says Saban. “All of us are sort of geared toward, if we have success, we’re supposed to be rewarded for it, not necessarily that we have to continue to do things even better than we did before.”
It’s the Friday before his team’s first scrimmage of spring practice, and Saban, 66, is sitting, legs crossed, in a plush chair in his wood-paneled office in Tuscaloosa, Ala., a collection of championship rings spread out on the coffee table in front of him. Clad in a black pullover sweater, gray slacks, and black loafers, the coach is in a reflective mood. But his trademark intensity begins to show as he warms to the subject: Being a champion means, well, being different.
Nick Saban is featured on our World’s Greatest Leaders list. See the full list here.
“I mean, it’s like you make an A on a test and you say, ‘I can take it easy for two weeks and make a C on the next test and have a B average.’
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(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
He is worthy of the honor.
I thought it was great when we passed the national championship between us for a while, although we slipped up one year in the finals.
It never ceases to amaze me the number of players that are willing to ride the bench for 3 or 4 years at Alabama when they could be starters at a multitude of other schools. Many never get a look by the pros because they never get on the field. Meanwhile, many mid-major players do get a shot at the NFL due to their playing exposure. Suppose I will never understand this phenomenon.
Saban is very detail-oriented in every aspect of his job, so I don’t want to diminish his accomplishments, but ...
The key aspect of the the Saban/Alambama dynasty is the enormous resources he has at his disposal at Alabama. That includes platinum-plated facilities and a shadow coaching staff of ‘quality control’ coordinators that don’t count against the NCAA coaching limit.
But more than anything else is the recruiting advantages he enjoys. According to Rivals.com, Alabama had the number 1 football recruiting class in the nation 8 out of 10 years from 2008 to 2017 (and was in the top 5 the other two).
Overwhelming talent advantage makes it much easier to be a good coach. On field success begits enormous media hype (with ESPN leading the charge), which keeps the the best recruits rolling into Tuscaloosa, which begits more success.
There once was a time when a state and regional loyalties played a roll in high school recruits college choices, so that the balance of power ebbed and flowed between different schools. A pervasive national media that drowns out local media has broken down those loyalties, so that Duke/Kentucky/North Carolina have their pick of men’s basketball recruits, and Alabama and a few others have their pick of footbal recruits.
Give Nick Saban credit. He was been the right person to carefully organize to maximize those advantages. He’s won all those championships and played within the rules.
But his Alabama teams are not winning championships because he has the nerve to call a flea-flicker or a hook-and-ladder at the right moment, or novel defensive scheme. They’re winning because he knows how to relentlessly leverage his talent advantage at nearly every position on the field.
Maybe rather than “greatest coach of all time” he deserves the title of “greatest office manager of all time.” :)
Maybe he has that "recruiting advantage" because kids want to play for him.
And Auburn has had more success than most at being a thorn in Bama’s side. From a Crimson Tide fan to you, “War Eagle”, except when you play us, of course.
And a “Roll Tide” to you, except when you play Auburn. I guarantee you I was a big Bama fan when you lined up to play the GA Dogs back in January.
Got lots and lots of Alabama fans for friends. Heck, both my sons ended up Bama fans (I had a mixed marriage. Their Mom and her whole family are big Alabama fans, but we never fussed a single minute over the rivalry.)
Look at Levi Wallace.
A Walk of Shame List. No place for Coach Saban, is it.
Yes, complete BS list, with or without formatting.
These are two Saban decisions that won two national championship games....don't you think?
1. On-side kick against Clemson won the national championship: Surprise Kick Turns The Tide For Alabama
2. Replaced the experienced starting quarterback at half-time with a freshman quarterback that had never started a college game in his life and won the championship game against Georgia: Nick Saban Must Play Tua Tagovailoa To Beat Georgia In College Football Playoff Final
Dang! Saban is sorta short!.............
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That can’t be him, because whoever it is, is smiling.
You have no idea who Saban is.
Why do people assume he is happy? Because he’s demanding of his players?
s/b Why do people assume he ISN’T happy?
Now that's Nick Saban.
This is a great story about Levi and how he ended up in Tuscaloosa. You do not have to start out with a great recruit ranking to succeed at Bama. But you do have to be willing to work harder than everyone around. Levi did that. I have a photo of him after a fall scrimmage in 2015. He was a third string player at the beginning of that year. By the end, he was playing special teams and making plays. But he had to work harder than all those highly recruited guys. He did. We are so proud of him and his accomplishments.
We spent this past weekend in Tuscaloosa. There’s no place like it.
Go CAROLINA!!!! And I agree with your assessment of Saban- he’s a great coach!!
I was sure I’d miss some dynasties. I had to lookup Trojan baseball. Impressive run in the 60s and 70s including 5 NCAA championships in a row under College Baseball’s Coach of the Century Rod Dedeaux. At least I had credited USC’s earlier track dynasty.
Ok, now can you explain what that list is about?
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