For the entirety of the Nick Saban era in Alabama, heading into Tuscaloosa was akin to going to a bar on the weekend. You knew you were about to get battered and then leave empty-handed. Multiple championships were won, and hoards of talent got developed for the next level. As the cliche goes, behind every successful man is a woman. As cheesy as this sounds, it rings true for the Sabans. Pat McAfee made sure the masses acknowledged the woman behind the most successful man in College Football history.

Through all his highs, Nick Saban’s biggest fan probably still remains his first one. His wife Miss Terry has been alongside him throughout his escapades on and off the gridiron. The two met all the way back in middle school. The life of a football coach demands sacrifice. Not just from themselves, but those close to them. For decades, Miss Terry did the sport a favor. She facilitated her husband’s career by giving up years of quality time with him as he was out conquering CFB. But Miss Terry wasn’t going to make football cause a divergence between her and coach Saban. Instead, she adopted this other love of his life into her own.

If you’re a Bama fan or even just watch the sport in general, you’re aware of Miss Terry’s vested involvement. She’s thwarted all kinds of prejudice that’s usually made against WAGs of athletes. This is somebody who has lived through every crest and every trough on the rollercoaster of emotions. The Saban household didn’t have one, but two football savants. Pat McAfee commended Miss Terry for her investment in coach Saban’s career as a pillar of support. Whilst also keeping in perspective the sacrifices she made as a wife.

Over on his namesake show, Pat McAfee discussed an anecdote shared during The Pivot podcast with Nick Saban. Host and ex-NFL pro Channing Crowder shared a story of when he played under Saban for the Miami Dolphins. One day, an unassuming Crowder was standing next to Saban in the bathroom while he washed his hands. In the previous game, the linebacker had cost the team a defensive stop on 3rd down due to poor coverage. He asked Saban “Hey coach, how’s Miss Terry?” To this, Saban replied, “She’d be a lot better if you could cover a f*****g [running back] on 3rd down!” As the entirety of the podcast set went up in laughter, coach Saban said something that stuck with McAfee.

“That’s right, she remembered. She wanted to win!” exclaimed Nick Saban. This is a microcosm of Miss Terry’s relationship with the game and her husband during that phase of his career. She lived through every 3rd down with as much emotional investment as anybody on the team. Saban implying that this one play affected her mood till days later is evidence of it. As somebody who’s shared time with the couple after the coach’s retirement and foray into the media, Pat McAfee said the following in tribute to Miss Terry.

Pat McAfee salutes Miss Terry for her role in allowing Nick Saban to thrive

“Miss Terry…yeah. She knows [the game]” he said. She also appeared on College GameDay this season and leveraged her acumen of football, much of which has inadvertently permeated over from Nick Saban. “[Miss Terry understands] you’ve got be able to get off the f*****g field bub! [She knows] life would be a lot better for all parties if we win there. That’s the whole thing about families [of] coaches.” he continued. 

“They ride the [rollercoaster] of everything right?” asked McAfee to his guest on the show. They then chimed into the monologue, saying “They say ‘Hey, we don’t [care]. We’re not going to. But hell yeah, they do have to. There’s no way around it,” It’s the unfair reality of the situation. Wives of coaches see the ugly side of the toll a loss can take on their husbands first-hand. They’re tasked with getting their spirits back up. Miss Terry did this for decades on end, so much that her own spirits began fluctuating in accordance to performances!

“Miss Terry is awesome,” said Pat McAfee in summation. The magnitude of her and other WAG’s influence on your favorite sportspeople cannot be glossed over. They provide a calm within the storm. An opportunity to switch off. But in the case of Terry Saban, the influence goes beyond that. Guess that comes with the territory of being with a man essentially “married” to his 2nd wife, football. It’s no wonder that Nick Saban retired when he did. His family deserved his unmitigated focus and love after years of facilitating his passion.