Nick Saban

Nick Lou Saban (born October 31, 1951 in Fairmont, West Virginia) is the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, having accepted the job on January 3, 2007. He was formerly the head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins. Prior to the Dolphins, Saban held head coaching jobs at LSU and Michigan State Under his leadership in the 2003 LSU won the BCS National Championship and Saban was selected both the NCAA Coach of the Year by the Associated Press and the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year by the FWAA. He is married to Terry Saban from West Virginia, and has two children.

Previous college & NFL experience

Saban previously made stops in the NFL as a defensive assistant under Bill Belichick for the Cleveland Browns and Jerry Glanville for the Houston Oilers. Collegiately, he held various coaching positions at Syracuse University, West Virginia University, Ohio State, Navy, and his alma mater of Kent State University. His first head coaching job was at the University of Toledo.

Michigan State

From 1995 to 1999, Saban was the head coach at Michigan State University. He took over the program while it was under investigation by the NCAA for infractions committed under previous coach George Perles. Penalties assessed in 1996 for four seasons included scholarship reductions, official visit reductions for recruits, and forfeiting all five wins from the 1994 season.

During 1992, 1993, and 1994, Michigan State finished 5-6, 6-6, and 5-6 (before having to forfeit its wins). Then Saban took over and went 6-5-1, 6-6, 7-5, 6-6, and 10-2.

He was the first Michigan State head coach to defeat Michigan in his first attempt, a 28-25 victory over a #7-ranked Wolverines squad at home on November 4, 1995.

Another high point was on November 7, 1998, when his unranked Spartans defeated the #1 ranked Ohio State on the road.

However, the crowning moment came in 1999, when Saban steered his team to a 9-2 record during the regular season, winning more regular season games than any Michigan State football team since 1966 (which finished the regular season 9-0-1). Finishing second in the Big Ten, Michigan State earned a bid to the 2000 Florida Citrus Bowl. However, Saban accepted the head coaching job at LSU on November 30, 1999. Michigan State, under then interim coach Bobby Williams, went on to defeat Florida in the Citrus Bowl.

Louisiana State

Saban arrived at LSU as the school was in the midst of a slide. After some success in the mid-to-late 1980's with Mike Archer, LSU football struggled greatly starting in the 1989 season. From 1989 until Saban arrived in 2000, LSU had eight losing seasons in the previous eleven years.

However, the Tigers were not void of talent. Saban's predecessor, Gerry Dinardo, had recruited well, and the team was rich with talent when Saban arrived. The good news for Saban was that he inherited a team rich with talent.

LSU quickly rebounded with Saban at the helm. In 2000, the Tigers went 8-4 and won the Peach Bowl. The season marked a major turnaround, as Saban and his LSU Tigers pulled off a big upset of Tennessee, and beat rival Ole Miss in Oxford. Also, the Alabama Crimson Tide had their 31-year winning streak in Tiger Stadium snapped when the Bayou Bengals held on to defeat the Tide 30-28.

In 2001, Saban effectively became a coaching legend on the Bayou, as he led LSU to a 10-3 record, including an SEC Championship and a Sugar Bowl victory. After a disappointing loss to Eli Manning and the Ole Miss Rebels, the Tigers and quarterback Rohan Davey went on a tear. They closed out the year with six straight wins, including a major upset of 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 1985.

2002 was a bit of a disappointment after the great 2001 season. The season opened with a 26-8 thrashing at the hands of Virginia Tech, but the Tigers would rebound to win their next six straight. Unfortunately, quarterback Matt Mauck, who replaced the departed Rohan Davey, went down for the year with an injury, and the Tigers limped to the finish of the season. LSU lost four of their last six to close the season, including a 35-20 loss to Texas in the Cotton Bowl, and finished 9-5.

Disappointment, however, would not be a part of the 2003 season. With quarterback Matt Mauck healthy, the Tigers jumped out of the gate 5-0, including a 17-10 win in Tiger Stadium over the defending SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs. However, the sixth game of the season saw the Tigers stumble, as they lost at home to the Florida Gators, 19-7, who had a true freshman quarterback. That would, however, be the last stumble of the season for LSU. From the disappointing loss, LSU dominated, winning seven straight, including the SEC Championship Game over Georgia. They were selected to play the Oklahoma Sooners in the Sugar Bowl, which was the site of the BCS Championship Game. In a great game with the BCS national championship on the line, the Tigers prevailed with a strong defense and an efficient offense, 21-14. LSU was national champions for only the second time in school history, and for the first time since Paul Dietzel and Billy Cannon led the Tigers to the national championship in 1958.

In 2004, Saban and LSU sought to defend their national championship. However, LSU lost to the Auburn Tigers 10-9 in Jordan-Hare Stadium on a controversial call at the end of regulation, and the defense was effectively over. Still, LSU played well, and won their last six regular season games, including wins over rivals Arkansas and Ole Miss. LSU finished the regular season 9-2, and faced the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Capital One Bowl. With victory a certainty for Saban and the Tigers, leading 25-24 on the last play of regulation, Iowa quarterback Drew Tate heaved a Hail Mary that was caught and ran in the for the game-winning score, and the Tigers lost in a heartbreaker, 30-25.

At the end of the 2004 season, Saban left LSU to coach the Miami Dolphins, leaving a strong LSU program in place for successor coach Les Miles.

Miami Dolphins

Nick Saban accepted the job of head coach for the Miami Dolphins on Christmas Day, 2004, replacing Interim Head Coach Jim Bates. Bates had lead the Dolphins to a 3-4 record during the last seven games of the 2004 season after previous head coach Dave Wannstedt resigned with the Dolphins' record at 1-8.

Coming into the job, the Miami Dolphins held the second overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. Saban used this pick to select Auburn University standout running back Ronnie Brown. Saban made news during his first offseason by bringing back troubled star running back Ricky Williams after Williams had retired the previous season in face of NFL drug infractions. The Miami Dolphins did well during the 2005 season, finishing with a 9-7 record, and closing out the season with a six-game winning streak.

During the 2006 offseason, Saban made several changes to the Dolphins roster. He traded a 2nd round pick to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for former star quarterback Daunte Culpepper. The deal was considered somewhat controversial because Culpepper had suffered a season-ending knee injury earlier that year, which sometimes takes up to 14 months to fully recover from. Despite this, the move was widely considered a good one. In addition, he also traded a 2007 sixth round pick to the Detroit Lions for troubled quarterback Joey Harrington. Saban decided to release Junior Sea] and long time Dolphin's cornerback Sam Madison, but in return, signed Will Allen, previously of the New York Giants, and Keith Newman, of the Minnesota Vikings. He also signed several other players including offensive linemen L.J. Shelton and Bennie Anderson, fullback Fred Beasley, wide receiver Kelly Campbell and defensive backs Deke Cooper and Renaldo Hill. In the 2006 NFL Draft the Miami Dolphins selected Jason Allen of the University of Tennessee with the 16th overall pick. The Dolphins, an early favorite to make the playoffs during the 2006 season, had what can only be considered a disappointing season marred by a revolving door of Quarterbacks, starting with Daunte Culpepper, then Joey Harrington, and finally Cleo Lemon to finish the season.

Many in the Dolphins' organization were said to be glad of Saban's departure, having complained of his authoritative ways [1] although some were upset of his repeated denials up to the day of his acceptance.[2].

Nov. 27 -- "No, I haven't. [I] don't care to be. [I] don't want to be. I've got a job to do here. My focus is on our players, this team, us getting better, us playing good winning football here. I'm not interested in any other circumstances or situations anyplace else. This is the challenge I wanted. I had a good college job, so why would I have left that if I was going to be interested in another college job?"

Dec. 3 -- "I'm not going to continue to respond to rumors and innuendo, which this obviously is. I'm committed to a group of guys here and a football team and a football staff, and we're working hard to get this season right. It really challenges your professionalism and integrity to even talk about it. People throw it to the wall, see what sticks."

Dec. 7 -- "They called [agent] Jimmy [Sexton] and said, 'Is Nick interested?' and Jimmy said, 'No.' And Jimmy asked me on several occasions and I said, 'No, I'm interested in staying here. I'm flattered that they may have been interested in me, but it really never progressed because we never let it progress. It's ridiculous. I haven't even talked to anybody and all of a sudden somebody's coming here to interview me."

Dec. 11 -- "I in no way wanted to indicate to him [Sports Illustrated's Peter King] or anybody else that there was any possibility of that [having interest in Alabama]. I have no intentions of going anywhere. Hell, they might not want me here after this season. Did you ever think of that? I've addressed this enough. When does this become a dead story?"

Dec. 21 -- "I guess I have to say it: I'm not going to be the Alabama coach. I shouldn't even have to comment on this. I think I've said this over and over again. What they do with their position is their business."

Jan. 1 -- "I'm committed to doing my job well here. This is my job. That's what I've done all day, and that's what I'll continue to do."

Alabama

After repeated denials that he had any interest in all in leaving the Dolphins and taking the vacant coaching job at Alabama, Saban announced on January 3rd 2007 that he accepted an 8-year, $32 million offer to be their new head coach. That same day, Saban and his family arrived at the airport in Tuscaloosa, where he was greeted by hundreds of screaming Alabama fans. The Tuscaloosa News put out a special edition trumpeting the hiring, with the blaring headline: "SABAN TIME." According to Don Banks of SI.com, Saban "has told some peers within the league that coaching at Alabama was always his dream job." Saban is 55 years old, and it is likely that Saban will finish his coaching career at Alabama. Saban, who is 2-3 versus Auburn's head coach Tommy Tuberville, is expected to bring parity to a recently one-sided rivalry versus the Auburn Tigers.

Year by Year Head Coaching Record

College

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Bowl Game
1990	Toledo	9-2	7-1	None
1995	Michigan St.	6-5-1	4-3-1	Independence
1996	Michigan St.	6-6	5-3	Sun Bowl
1997	Michigan St.	7-5	4-4	Aloha Bowl
1998	Michigan St.	6-6	4-4	None
1999	Michigan St.	9-2	6-2	Florida Citrus Bowl^
2000	LSU	8-4	5-3	Peach Bowl
2001	LSU	10-3	6-3^^	Sugar Bowl
2002	LSU	8-5	5-3	CottonBowl
2003	LSU	13-1	8-1^^	Sugar Bowl^^^
2004	LSU	9-3	6-2	Capital One Bowl
TOTALS		91-42-1	60-29-1
^ Saban resigned on November 30, 1999, Citrus Bowl coached by Bobby Williams ^^ Includes win in SEC Championship Game ^^^ BCS National Champions

National Football League

Year	Team	Overall	Finish	Playoffs
2005	Miami	9-7	2nd AFC East	None
2006	Miami	6-10	4th AFC East	None
TOTALS		15-17

Trivia

• In 13 seasons as a head coach, 2006 was the only year his team had a losing season.

• In 1999, he led Michigan State to the school's highest poll ranking (#7) since 1966.

• As head coach in the collegiate ranks, he has totalled 91 wins, 42 losses and 1 tie.

• Nick's paternal grandparents, Stanko Saban and Anna Mihalic are of Croatian descent.

• Lou Saban, Nick's cousin, is a former two year All-Big Ten Indiana University star football player and American Football League and National Football League head coach.

References

Nick Saban. (2007, January 4). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:53, January 4, 2007. [3]

External links

• Official University of Alabama Crimson Tide athletics site
• Miami Dolphins: Coaching Staff: Nick Saban Profile
• Official LSU athletics site
• Official Michigan State University athletics site
• Official University of Toledo athletics site

Preceded by: Mike Shula

Alabama Crimson Tide Head Football Coach 2007-

Succeeded by: Current