The curtain call on this College Football season was extra special. Unlike the preceding iteration, this National Championship game presented a more balanced course of play. The game itself aside, the pageantry surrounding it was great, too. However, one wrinkle went under the radar in the grand scheme of the occasion. An amazing gesture that Nick Saban and his wife, Miss Terry, became proponents of.

The CFP, in tandem with broadcasters ESPN, donated $300k pre-game. This donation was made via the CFP Foundation towards “Extra Yard For Teachers”. This is an initiative that spotlights its ancillary “Touchdown for Teachers” movement, which is linked with the NFL in a similar manner.​​ The genesis of this initiative came about to provide funds for coaches that coach football from kindergarten until the highschool level. $300k was distributed across each of the playoff host cities. A genuinely great cause that Nick Saban and Miss Terry were certainly honored to associate with. Daughter Kristen Saban was naturally joyous of her parents’ involvement.

Kristen took to IG to repost a picture of Terry and Nick Saban as they presented the authorities with the check. In the middle of the field at the Mercedes-Benz. The two were surrounded by kids who would benefit from the cause. Knowing of Kristen Saban’s affinity to kids, that touch would’ve only made her extra proud. In the backdrop are two men holding a placard that reads a straightforward yet resounding message. “Coaches are Teachers too” This is particularly apt and makes the picture stand out even more.

Nick Saban, through all his years of coaching on the collegiate level, will attest to that sentiment. Not only did Saban coach a plethora of malleable athletes into thoroughbred professionals ready for the next level. He moulded human beings that are prepared to take on the tribulations of adult life. Head coaching a CFP program entails permeating your wealth of experience in all walks of life. It involves “teaching”  the ropes outside the gridiron just as much on it.

Football schooling really begins at the grassroots level. As much as CFB is perceived as a developmental stage for the NFL, it’s more akin to fine-tuning. The majority of a player’s development happens prior. Giving back to the initial rungs of the proverbial footballing ladder is a truly honorable gesture and a requisite need. Nick Saban has been thick of the game long enough to recognize that. Speaking of which, he was bestowed with a bit of honor himself by the powers that be. Not $300k, but something he and his family will cherish even more.

Nick Saban receives his dues for everything he’s given to the game

Tuscaloosa was the epicentre, the breeding ground of success in this sport for decades. Nick Saban’s dominance at Alabama shaped not only the program, but CFP as we know it. Heading to the Bryant-Denny during his tenure was akin to heading into a bar in your 50s. You’re always coming out battered and empty-handed. The same stood true for Tiger Stadium before that.

It was only a matter of when, not if, that Nick Saban was a first-ballot inductee into the College Football HOF. That time finally came about earlier this week. Despite only retiring a year ago, he was immediately eligible due to his age being over 70. Saban was joined by fellow iconic coach Urban Meyer and one freshly foraying into the coaching realm, Michael Vick.

Nick Saban is a perpetual figurehead in this sport, and his getting his flowers is always great. The $300k that’s going towards coaches plying their trade on the lower rungs may help find the successor to his GOAT status, perhaps. Saban continues to give back to the game, whether it’s through his insight on College GameDay or becoming a beacon of hope for coaches across the country.