It has been a year since the CFB world paid farewell to their favorite HC, GOAT Nick Saban. They say that it’s hard to find CFB fans who hate Saban. Even if you are not an Alabama Crimson Tide fan, you still must be a big admirer of the former HC. Yes, that’s how he carries a charming, all-composed personality with him. With this, he has inspired generation after generation.

But have you ever wondered what or who carved his tough yet collected persona? Well, the credit goes to Saban’s dad, Nick Saban Sr. Meanwhile, his wife, Terry Saban, propelled him to try something new.   

Nick Saban shaped by his father’s words

When it comes to Saban’s bond with his father, you must remember that one emotional quote. The former Alabama HC said, “Dad, the last time we spoke, I promised I would always strive to be the best.  I am honoring that commitment to you every day.” Sadly, Saban did not get lucky to spend much time with his dad, Saban Sr., who passed away at the age of 46. However, even in that short time, he has not only been his dad but also his boss and his coach.

As Saban shared, “he was my champion!”  Saban Sr. had nothing to do with football. He had a Gulf service station on the corner of State Road 218 and U.S. 19. However, this did not stop him from shaping his son, Nick, into one of the greatest college football head coaches in the future.

Now that Saban is open to criticism, the credit goes to his father. Even dealing with others, he had to be extremely careful. On the Pivot Podcast, the GOAT shared, “I always thought treating people with respect and having compassion for other people—that’s what my dad told me was the number one thing.” He then recalled an incident from his childhood. He once misbehaved with a homeless person whom Saban’s father used to feed coffee and doughnuts. After that, did the little Saban move past his father’s sight?  Definitely not.

“My dad was in the other room in his office and I’m jacking this tire up, and wow, man, I mean I get a belt across my a- -,” shared Saban. But what was that for? To give the little one the biggest lesson of his life, not to disrespect an older person. Along with respecting others, Saban has learned to respect his work from his father.

The GOAT said, “The second thing was is you’ve got to be responsible for your own self-determination and doing your job…it turned me into a bit of a perfectionist.” We have already got enough proof of Saban being a perfectionist. His resume speaks on his behalf—the former Alabama HC has seven national championships, 11 SEC Championships, and one MAC Championship. But even then his wife Terry used to hate his job. 

Nick Saban’s wife’s disapproval of the new age of college football 

To this day, the Alabama fans might still not be over that day when Saban walked out of Tuscaloosa. A year later, he revealed that some of that evolution weighed heavily on his wife, Terry, as well. The 7x National Championship winner appeared in an interview with Ryan Clark and Channing Crowder on The Pivot podcast. The former Alabama HC then revealed how his wife Terry had posed a question. It made him consider his post as an analyst, retiring from the head coaching role.

After all, they both have been married for 52 years now. So Terry knows Saban in and out. So, one day, they were having a karaoke night on a Saturday. The next day for breakfast, Terry came up with the question.

To quote Saban, “And one day she came up to me and she said, ‘Why are we doing this?’ And I said, ‘Why do you say that?’” Terry replied, “‘It’s always about relationships, but now it’s about how much money you’re going to pay them.”

So, it was evident that Terry Saban started hating the pay-for-play structure that came in with the NIL. Nick Saban stated, “So that was one of the things that she hated, that she wasn’t developing relationships with the players and having them over.” That’s how the former Alabama head coach began his new career as an analyst, carrying with him the valuable lessons learned from his dad.