Nick Saban announced his retirement on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. He served as head coach at The University of Alabama from 2007 to 2024. Within those 17 years, Saban garnered six National Championships (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020) among his 206 wins and 29 losses. “The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me,” Saban said, referencing his wife of 50 years, in a statement. “We have enjoyed every minute of our 17 years being the head coach at Alabama as well as becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it’s about the legacy and how we went about it.” Saban coached four Heisman Trophy winners, joining Notre Dame’s Frank Leahy for the most in college football history. He is the only coach to ever coach Heisman Trophy winners at three different positions (QB, RB, WR). The Alabama program had just six individual national award winners when Saban arrived on campus.
Being close to home, Saban has shown his love for football talent seen throughout South Florida. Throughout the years, many STA alumni have gone on to play under Saban at Alabama. Jordan Battle, a St. Thomas Aquinas alumni, played safety at Alabama, and is now playing for the Cincinnati Bengals. When asked about his decision to attend Alabama, he said, “I mean, my decision was, like, based all on me, my family, and the coaching staff of Alabama.”
Every offseason, Saban would fly in a private helicopter to prestigious schools around the United States to recruit the top players. He has since excelled at convincing athletes to come play for him. Saban’s success often translated to NFL success for his players with 44 players chosen in the first round of the draft. Another St. Thomas Aquinas alumni, Dallas Turner, was a five star athlete. Nick Saban was able to convince Turner to commit to the University of Alabama with their stellar record of producing NFL talent. “Simply put, Nick Saban is one of the greatest coaches of all time, in any sport, and The University of Alabama is fortunate to have had him leading our football program for the past 17 seasons,” said Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne.
