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Alabama National Championship Coaches-Nick Saban
Now we come to the current Crimson Tide head football coach, Nicholas Lou "Nick" Saban, Jr. Born October 31, 1951, Saban has been head coach at the University of Alabama since 2007. Prior to that he was head coach of the NFL's Miami Dolphins. Prior to his short stint as an NFL coach he was head coach at three other colleges: Louisiana State University, Michigan State University, and the University of Toledo.
At the time Saban was hired at Alabama by late athletic director Mal Moore, his $32 million contract made him one of the highest paid football coaches, professional or collegiate, in the country at that time. He was featured on the cover of the September 1, 2008 cover of Forbes Magazine and dubbed, "The Most Powerful Coach in Sports."
His first collegiate national championship came in 2003 at the helm of the LSU Tigers capturing the BCS National Championship. He has since taken the Alabama Crimson Tide to the AP and BCS National Championships in the 2009, 2011, and 2012 seasons. He was the first coach in college football history to win a national championship with two different Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools since the inception of the Associated Press Poll in 1936.
It should be noted that Saban and Paul "Bear" Bryant are the only coaches to win an SEC championship at two different schools. He was inducted in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in May 2013.
Saban and his wife, Terry, are co-founders of the Nick's Kids foundation. The foundation has been used by the Sabans to help mentally-challenged children since he started head coaching.
Saban's coaching record at Alabama is 86-17. It should be noted that includes a 2-6 record in 2007 as a result of vacated wins that began in the Mike Shula era. Saban's overall college head coaching record is 177-59-1. During his two-year coaching stint in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins his record was 15-17.
During his head coaching career Saban has won numerous awards and championships. His four National Championships came in 2003, 2009, 2011 and 2012. He won the Mac in 1990, five SEC Championships in 2001, 2003, 2009, 2012, and 2014, and eight SEC Western Division Championships 2001-2003, 2008-2009, 2012-2014.
His awards include two AP National Coach of the Year honors (2003, 2008), the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (2003), two Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year honors (2003, 2008), Home Depot Coach of the Year Award (2008), Walter Camp Coach of the Year (2008), Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award (2008), Sporting News Coach of the Year (2008), Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award (2010), Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award (2014) and three-time SEC Coach of the Year (2003, 2008-2009).
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