Miss Terry Saban
| Tuscaloosa News
The following is Miss Terry Saban’s foreword to The Tuscaloosa News’ commemorative Nick Saban book that looks back on his legendary 17 seasons coaching Alabama football. Order the 192-page hardcover book, packed with expert storytelling and stunning action photography, via Pediment Publishing.
The foundation was here at Alabama, ready for something special to be built upon it, a pyramid rising above years of football history. Late Alabama athletics director Mal Moore once said to me, “Most people do not realize how hard it is to win a championship. You must have great players and great coaches, but then the stars have to be aligned just right.” Add to that formula Nick’s “process,” which is based on focused discipline, hard work, and a relentless, competitive spirit. The combination of the two allowed us to navigate all of the changes to college football and challenges we’ve faced since arriving in Tuscaloosa.
New offensive philosophies required developing new defenses. Changes to recruiting rules and the recruiting calendar prompted adjustments. Losing coaches to competing programs meant bringing in new staff. Implementing the NIL rules and the transfer portal also resulted in change. The 2011 tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa and shook every player, student and resident to the core, but the team lost no time in helping those in need with food, water, clothing – and helping clean up for the days and weeks that followed; Nick’s Kids Foundation was also able to build several Habitat for Humanity homes for those who lost everything. COVID-19 provided new and unique challenges, but in 2020, we finished with a perfect 13-0 record and another national championship.
BUY THE BOOK: Nick Saban’s career that changed Alabama football forever
The grind
Our satisfaction was not from the rewards at the end of the season. Rather, it was from the daily toil and the grinding schedule of doing whatever it took to be a winner.
Hiring a staff, which was revolving every year.
Evaluating talent.
Entertaining recruits and their families.
Flying across the country to visit recruits in their schools and homes.
Teaching life skills to the team.
Motivating, with the help of guest speakers ranging from Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez to Michael Phelps, Mike Tyson and Ken Griffey Jr. Each speaker always gave great talks to the team.
Studying the opposition.
Maintaining good mental and physical health.
Traveling for away games for weeks at a time.
Hotels and buses.
Handling the discipline.
Academic reports.
Nick sitting in his chair Sunday morning, grading the previous game one play at a time before church.
Radio shows.
Media days.
Building relationships with the players, who are the heart and soul of any program.
Watching these young men become a team, committed to each other and to the goals of the program.
Long, hot practices.
Overcoming injuries.
Perfecting each player’s role and duties; Teaching and coaching on the field were always Nick’s real love.
The icing
If this daily grind was the recipe for the cake, then the icing was made up of a combination of many other sweet memories.
Preparing for a house full of company.
Putting a pot of chili and pepperoni rolls on the stove.
Sharing Thanksgiving dinner with family and players.
Setting up tables for recruiting breakfasts at our house.
Karaoke with recruits’ families.
Tubing on Lake Tuscaloosa with the freshmen and leadership group.
Bringing clear purses and shakers to games.
Laying out red gameday outfits the night before.
Seeing white tents on the quad and crowded streets.
Taking in the Walk of Champions.
Experiencing a packed Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Listening to the incredible Million Dollar Band and their pregame march of the elephants.
Singing “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Yea Alabama.”
Watching the team enter the field to “Thunderstruck.”
Eating stadium hot dogs.
Hearing the students sing their version of “Dixieland Delight.”
The cheerleaders.
The flyovers.
The big rivalries.
The plays — the amazing plays made by legendary players which sealed memorable victories and some that led to long nights of learning from mistakes.
Loyal fans staying until we sang “Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer.”
Big Al.
The wave.
The lucky penny.
Visits to the White House.
The captains ceremony, with handprints at Denny Chimes from 50-plus captains.
Working on Habitat houses with the players and coaches’ wives.
Teacher appreciation luncheons and events.
Nick at Noon most Fridays before home games, with proceeds going to football scholarships.
Building the St. Francis Saban Student Center.
The car ride home with Nick after games, blasting the song “Gimme Shelter” only if we won.
“College GameDay” on campus drawing an early crowd.
The constant improvement of football facilities to stay a step ahead of the competition, especially the LED lights that athletics director Greg Byrne added to enhance the stadium experience. We loved those.
Weekly calls from athletics directors Byrne, Moore and Bill Battle asking, “Do you need anything?” The support from leadership at UA has always been instrumental. That includes presidents Dr. Robert Witt, Dr. Judy Bonner and Dr. Stuart Bell, whose leadership helped UA enrollment grow from 25,580 in 2007 when we arrived to 39,623 in 2023.
Experiencing the growth of Tuscaloosa under Mayor Walt Maddox’s leadership with the farmer’s market, dual enrollment program, amphitheater, hotels, restaurants, river walk, skating rink and government plaza.
The accomplishments of Nick’s Kids Foundation, where legacies will go beyond championships. From the playgrounds and Habitat homes to juvenile detention center work and more than $12 million given to support children’s programs.
The Saban Center. Partnering with the City of Tuscaloosa and community members to create an interactive discovery and learning center, home of Tuscaloosa Children’s Theatre, and the State of Alabama STEM Hub — a place for professional development for teachers and more! It’s an investment in Tuscaloosa for years to come.
The call-in radio show every Thursday night where Peewee from Grand Bay was always the first to call in with a question about the offensive line, and where I heard some of Nick’s famous quotes such as, “eliminate the clutter and focus on the things that you can control” and “all the stuff about how good we are is like rat poison, poisoning the team.”
While we have been in Alabama, we have watched our children grow up, graduate from the University of Alabama and get married, and now we have the joy of being grandparents. Tuscaloosa is truly our home. The 17 years have been filled with a lifetime of wonderful memories for which I am so very grateful. It’s truly difficult to describe them all.
It has been said that life is not a sprint, rather it is a long-distance race where the baton is handed to you, and you run as hard and as fast as you can until you pass it on to the next runner. There were no shortcuts, no regrets, only wonderful memories of a very special time in our lives and in the history of Alabama football. Roll Tide!
— Ms. T
2024-02-27 11:22:23
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