I LOVE NICK SABAN. YOU SHOULD TOO.

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1 I LOVE NICK SABAN. YOU SHOULD TOO. By DINO COSTA December 4, New York In appreciation of Nick Saban. Is title number seven only a few weeks away? We ll wait, we ll watch, we ll find out soon enough. Even if Alabama fails to win the championship this year, it will do nothing to diminish my feelings nor my appreciation for Saban and what he s accomplished during his incredible career. Nick Saban is the greatest college football coach in the history of the sport but that s only part of the reason I m such an admirer. What, is Nick Saban, and who is Nick Saban? Well, for starters, Saban is a throwback, it may sound cliche, but he s uniquely singular in his makeup. That is, in all the years I ve been following sports, I ve never seen or heard anyone like Saban, and I can t compare him to anyone else, because there is really nobody quite like Nick Saban.

2 Saban can be acerbic and sometimes plays the role of a curmudgeon like very few are able to, but Saban is able to play the role with a certain degree of lovability and charm that I find endearing. In addition, Saban is no act, he s an original and he s authentically real, and I really respect those who are original and real. Saban refuses to suffer fools, he s a principled and dignified family man who chews Red Man tobacco and munches on Little Debbie s Oatmeal creampies each morning in his office. How can you not love that? Not to sound too pollyannish, but in my mind, there is no other football coach in America who represents the good old-fashioned values of America and is a better representative of American values on a football field than Nick Saban is. When you are looking for a purely American success story, look at Nick Saban, his life, his career, the legacy he has already left on college football and on sports. I love his story. It s utterly genuine, it should be taken from the pages of a well-written novel, yet it s so spectacularly real. Nick Saban is from West Virginia. I ve done two tours of duty in the great state of West Virginia in my broadcast career. I love the people of West Virginia. They re a good stock. Nick Saban grew up under the tutelage of a father who both loved football and valued hard work. Nick Saban grew up blue-collar all the way and he s never forgotten the lessons instilled within him by his parents, lessons that I believe are the bedrock of Saban s view of life and the worldview that he carries with him each and every day.

3 Only those who have never done their research into Nick Saban, only those who could never hope to have an appreciation for Saban, his story, his self-made career, his undying loyalty to his family and friends, these are the only kinds of people who either don t like or could never properly acknowledge Nick Saban. It seems to me, that Saban was always destined to become a living legend in one place, and one place only, and of course, that is in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with the signature football university in the sport. For instance, the legend that has become Nick Saban, would it have been so colorful and memorable had Saban been coaching all these years at say, Purdue, or if he was still coaching at Michigan State? I ve never had the opportunity to meet Nick Saban, and yet, I feel like I know him thoroughly, what makes him tick, and I have found myself connecting with Nick Saban for a long time now. Saban is relatable, and it s something that people love about him.

4 In an America of cotton soft people these days, many who whine, piss and moan there way through life on a daily basis, expecting handouts and refusing to put in the work necessary to be successful, I find Nick Saban to be the antithesis of this unfortunate status quo. How unique is Nick Saban? He s so unique that when he finally hangs up his whistle for good we ll never see another one quite like him. That s pretty damn unique. Nick Saban is a man s man all the way. Saban has earned everything he s been given. Nobody has ever given Nick Saban a damn thing, and Saban would have it no other way. Oh, I could cite his records as a head coach, his incredible accomplishments as the leader of Alabama all these years, the SEC titles, the National Championships, all the first-round NFL draft picks he s coached, but you know all of that, or you should anyway. But what strikes me more so than the various pieces of hardware in Saban s possession is the humility and the dignity with which he s accrued all of these myriad accolades. His ability to stay grounded throughout the years is beyond impressive. Saban has never disrespected the game itself, he s never embarrassed any opposing coach or player, he s never been one to demand that the attention be placed on him, he s not a braggart, he s not a showman. He s simply Nick Saban, the self-made, hard-working head coach of the University of Alabama, born and reared in the country town of Fairmont, West Virginia, and he s never forgotten where he s come from.

5 Saban is honest and forthright, he s completely transparent, he doesn t know how to intentionally mislead anyone. Saban is a generous man as well, he s deeply involved within the Tuscaloosa community. Nick Saban and his wife, Miss Terry, have been involved with the Habitat For Humanity organization for years. In fact, Nick Saban has funded money to build 16 houses in the Tuscaloosa area for families in need representing the 16 National Championships that Alabama has won over its long and illustrious history. On the field, in the classroom, Saban has maintained elite status with virtually all of his teams at Alabama, yet, he takes nothing for granted, is never completely satisfied, has an indefatigable work-ethic that is unrivaled, and never allows any of his teams to get too big-headed (like him), taking each and every game as the latest test to determine how good Alabama is and what they need to do in order to be better the next time out. Saban s players love him and they are uber-loyal to him. Take for example the situation with quarterback Jalen Hurts. As a freshman, Hurts led Alabama to the National Championship game where they eventually fell to Clemson The following year, Hurts was pulled at halftime of the championship game and watched as Tua Tagovailoa led the Crimson Tide to the title over Clemson. This season, Tagovailoa was the primary starter for the Tide, yet Hurts never wavered in support of his team or his coach, and we all saw the gutsy play of Hurts last Saturday, coming off the bench when called upon and leading Alabama back in the 4th quarter of the SEC title game against Georgia.

6 Sure, Jalen Hurts is a great young man with a maturity beyond his years that should be admired by all. But Hurts very easily could have become frustrated and angry at losing his job to Tagovailoa, quit Alabama, and transferred to another school that would have loved to have him. But Hurts stayed, became the ultimate team player, and I m not so sure that Jalen Hurts is still with the Crimson Tide if anyone other than Nick Saban is the head coach in Tuscaloosa. Yes, his success as a college football coach is unprecedented, but as I ve been noting, there are a lot of things about Nick Saban that are rare indeed. I would have loved to have been able to play football for Nick Saban how about you? I have no question that those who have had the opportunity to play for Nick Saban leave Alabama not only better players but better men as well. Of course, like anything in life, there are exceptions. Saban once said of himself; One of the things that has bothered me a little through the years is I don t think the perception that people have of me as a coach is really, truly who I am as a person. I m always portrayed as the tough, grinding, working-hard guy. And I think those things are true. But there is more than that. And I don t think people realize that. I go back to Saban s upbringing, born and raised in Fairmont, West Virginia, parented and coached by his father of whom he always revered. Big Nick was a stern and very demanding father who always wanted his son to know that in life, seldom are there any shortcuts.

7 Saban s father ran a small gas station & grocery store and if young Nick wasn t in school or playing sports he was always working at his dad s business learning life-lessons he would take with him throughout his career. His father also coached Nick s football team and was the same demanding coach as he was a father and small business owner. Nick Saban has never found himself involved in an unseemly scandal, either on or off the football field. He s a father, a grandfather, and a husband to his wife who he s been with since his high school days. There s a lot to say about that I feel. Full disclosure, I m not an Alabama fan, per say, but I do root for them to win and the only reason I root for Alabama is because I want to see Nick Saban succeed because I respect the man so damn much. I have little doubt that once Saban is no longer in Tuscaloosa my rooting interests will change with many a game the Crimson Tide is involved with. Football, especially these days, could use a few more Nick Saban s. Sports could use a few more Nick Saban s. America could use a few more Nick Saban s. But, as we all know, there is only one, Nick Saban.