Nick Saban is retiring, ESPN’s Chris Low reported on Wednesday. He’ll leave behind one of the greatest legacies college football has ever seen.
The longtime staple of top-25 rankings and bowl season has spent 28 of his 72 years on this planet as an FBS (formerly Division I-A) head coach. A stint at Toledo led an assistant job with the Cleveland Browns. That job under Bill Belichick helped make him the top dog at Michigan State. From there he went to LSU, did another stint in the pros, then came back to preside over a dynasty at the University of Alabama. No matter where he went — as long as it wasn’t the NFL — he won.
Saban revived a blue chip program and made it one of the most feared in the country. And while his career may not have ended with the kind of success he’d hoped, the legacy he leaves behind paints an unmistakable picture. He’s one of the greatest head coaches to ever take the sideline.
Let’s look at some proof to figure out where he stacks up against other legends like Bear Bryant or Woody Hayes.