Nick Saban retired Wednesday as the Alabama football coach after 17 seasons.
Saban has always been known for his ridiculous work ethic and his ability to seldom waste time. It caused many to think he might have chosen retirement due to his health or even the health of his wife, Terry.
Coach Saban gave some explanation as to how he decided to leave the game he loves.
The legendary head coach made it clear that Miss Terry is fine and does not have an illness. He also added that he does not have the energy to deal with the grind of a college season as he once used to.
“No illness,” Saban said. “Miss Terry’s fine, I’m fine. But it was the, can you sustain the season from just a mental grind standpoint? When I was young, I could work until 2 in the morning, get up at 6 and be there the next day and be full of energy and go for it. But when you get a little older, that gets a little tougher, and I’m sure a lot of people can relate to that.”
Saban is not running from the grind, his age simply will not let him do it anymore.
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Saban told ESPN’s Chris Low he will still have plans to have a presence of some type at the University of Alabama.
“I want to be there for the players, for the coaches, anything I can do to support them during this transition,” Saban said.
Saban worked up until the very end of his retirement. He was interviewing coaches as late as the day he retired.
Saban released a statement Wednesday about what the Crimson Tide means to him.
“The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me,” Saban said in a statement. “We have enjoyed every minute of our 17 years being the head coach at Alabama as well as becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it’s about the legacy and how we went about it. We always tried to do it the right way. The goal was always to help players create more value for their future, be the best player they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program. Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home.”
Saban started as a head coach in 1990 when he coached Toledo, Michigan State (1995-1999), LSU (2000-2004) and Alabama (2007-2023). Saban’s 17th season with the team most recently ended with the Tide’s 20-27 loss to the Michigan Wolverines in the 2024 Rose Bowl.
