Nick Saban

Nick Saban is one of the greatest coaches in the history of football at any level. Saban had a sterling record of success, particularly across nearly three decades as a head coach in college football. He is most associated with his time leading the storied program at the University of Alabama to six national championships. Saban also won one title in five seasons as the coach at LSU from 2000-04.

Saban holds the record for coaches with seven national titles and is the first coach to win a championship with two different FBS schools. Overall, he went 292-71-1 as a college head coach. Between his time at LSU and Alabama, he won the SEC 11 times. He is a five-time SEC Coach of the Year and the recipient of several National Coach of the Year awards.

Saban was originally reluctant to enter coaching, but the coach he played for at Kent State, Don James, made him a graduate assistant. He worked his way up as an assistant coach with stops along the way at Syracuse, West Virginia, Ohio State and Navy, before serving as the defensive coordinator at Michigan State from 1983-87.

Then, Saban had a two-year stint in the NFL, coaching defensive backs for the Houston Oilers before getting his first head coaching job at Toledo. He went 9-2 in his one season leading the Rockets program, helping them become co-champions of the Mid-American Conference.

Saban decided to go back to the pros as the defensive coordinator under fellow legendary coach Bill Belichick from 1991-94. He then got his second head coaching opportunity at Michigan State, guiding them to a 34-24-1 record in five years and a top-ten finish in his final season. The rest of Saban's career would be spent being at the pinnacle of college football, except for a two-year stint as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.