Sure, rings are nice, but imagine strolling across a field that’s literally named after you! For Alabama Crimson Tide HC, Nick Saban, winning honors has become a habit now. But the GOAT will now be having a gridiron named after him. Yes, the big news is here confirming that Crimson Tide’s home ground, Bryant-Denny Stadium, will soon bear a new name, as it has been finalized at the Alabama Board of Trustees meeting. On September 5, Saban was honored with the ‘Honor of a Lifetime’ award, and with it Bryant got its new name after 32 years! 

All eyes are on September 8, for the big face-off between Alabama and South Florida. And right before the match, Alabama decided to oomph up the excitement quotient of the fans. What’s a better way to hype them up than giving the celebrity treatment to their all-time favorite coach, Nick Saban? As per the plans, on Saturday, the university will formally dedicate Bryant-Denny Stadium to Saban. Now that the news has been finalized, the ex-HC had to face the media. The GOAT is definitely on cloud nine as he shared, “This is an honor of a lifetime no doubt.” 

However, he refused to take the entire credit for the impact that he had created. He instead acknowledged the support from the whole Alabama fam. “I am just hopeful that this Legacy of Saban field is representative of all the people who contributed to the success over the last 17 years,” stated the 6x national championship winner. 

However, this is not the first time that Tuscaloosa has done something special for their fav HC. Following Saban’s first national championship with Crimson Tide in 2009, they built a statue of Saban near the Walk of Champions outside of the stadium. Little did he know that 15 years down the line he would get the entire stadium named after him. Legend Nick Saban will now be sharing the title with two other legends. 

Nick Saban joins the ranks of legends with stadium name honor

The title of Alabama’s favorite stadium which will soon be known as the Saban Field bears a rich history. In the name Bryant Denny, the “Denny” part is named after the former University of Alabama president, George H. Denny. The respectable personality held his rank between 1912 and 1932. It was then time for the stadium that hosts 101,821 people to get a moniker makeover. It came particularly after the impact of the great Paul “Bear” Bryant, the head coach of the University of Alabama football team from 1958 to 1982.

After a hiatus of 32 years, another name makeover and this time it will be after Nick Saban for driving Alabama’s wagon through rough water not for one, not two but 17 LONG SEASONS. And of course, it had to be special. The felicitation ceremony will be taking place at the second ceremony held at halftime after the Million Dollar Band’s performance.

More than Nick Saban, it’s his successor and new HC Kalen DeBoer who is all excited. “It’s gonna be an awesome night, having the field named in honor of coach,” DeBoer said. The day will be etched in Alabama history, a clear sign that the Crimson Tide will keep surfing on the Nick Saban wave for years to come!