What happened between Fran and Saban?

Alasippi

Suspended
Aug 31, 2007
12,875
2
57
Ocean Springs, MS
I always thought Fran would have been very successful at Bama if he had stayed. I thought he was a good fit and really had the kids playing at a high level his second season. His game against Oklahoma was probably one of the best called games I have ever seen. During the season, he was using Tyler Watts to the best of his ability with a mix of run and play calls along with the option. He also absolutely did a number on Saban in the LSU game with the "smoke draw." Also, the outstanding game plan against AU his first season with Zow coming out on fire.

I think he showed alot of promise in just two short years. The 2nd AU game loss was the product of him already set to leave. Had he stayed, I am sure we would have won that one too. I still think he is a great coach, he just wasn't the right person for A&M. I still don't understand how it fell apart for him. While I hate how he left the program and the kids, I still respect him as a coach for what he did while at Bama.
He's a complete hypocrite and liar and his "Hold on to the rope" B.S. was the biggest slap in the face of Bama football players in the history of the program in my opinion. Leaving without addressing his players???? Are you kidding me???
He's a great coach???
He stinks as a coach and a human being. I have more respect for Bobby Lowder than I do for Dennis Franchione.
And dude, you still don't understand how it fell apart for him???
A man with NO character is eventually going to watch his life fall apart.
He was given the greatest coaching opportunity he will ever have. He not only turned his back on it, he left with no regard for the kids who busted their guts for him. He's simply paying the price he should pay.
I have no sympathy for Dennis Franchione.
sip
 

CullmanTide

Hall of Fame
Jan 7, 2008
6,614
885
137
Cullman, Al
He's a complete hypocrite and liar and his "Hold on to the rope" B.S. was the biggest slap in the face of Bama football players in the history of the program in my opinion. Leaving without addressing his players???? Are you kidding me???
He's a great coach???
He stinks as a coach and a human being. I have more respect for Bobby Lowder than I do for Dennis Franchione.
And dude, you still don't understand how it fell apart for him???
A man with NO character is eventually going to watch his life fall apart.
He was given the greatest coaching opportunity he will ever have. He not only turned his back on it, he left with no regard for the kids who busted their guts for him. He's simply paying the price he should pay.
I have no sympathy for Dennis Franchione.
sip
Post of the day!
 

cuda.1973

Hall of Fame
Dec 6, 2009
8,506
607
137
Allen, Texas
Coach Fran's new home, Bobcat Stadium. This looks like a glorified High School Stadium. You can watch the game from the back of a truck!
Ours is bigger 'n better, and you can't watch the game from the back of a truck. So, there!

Wonder if theirs cost $60M? (Yeah, had to rub it in, one more time. Starting to sound like a Texun. I guess.)
 

Bamaboda1

Suspended
Sep 1, 2006
823
0
35
83
Kathleen, GA
He's a complete hypocrite and liar and his "Hold on to the rope" B.S. was the biggest slap in the face of Bama football players in the history of the program in my opinion. Leaving without addressing his players???? Are you kidding me???
He's a great coach???
He stinks as a coach and a human being. I have more respect for Bobby Lowder than I do for Dennis Franchione.
And dude, you still don't understand how it fell apart for him???
A man with NO character is eventually going to watch his life fall apart.
He was given the greatest coaching opportunity he will ever have. He not only turned his back on it, he left with no regard for the kids who busted their guts for him. He's simply paying the price he should pay.
I have no sympathy for Dennis Franchione.
sip
Yeah...I think this, too. Well...maybe not the Lowder part, but...pretty much yeah.
 
Last edited:

BamaHoosier

All-American
Jan 17, 2011
3,614
620
132
Noblesville Indiana
He's a complete hypocrite and liar and his "Hold on to the rope" B.S. was the biggest slap in the face of Bama football players in the history of the program in my opinion. Leaving without addressing his players???? Are you kidding me???
He's a great coach???
He stinks as a coach and a human being. I have more respect for Bobby Lowder than I do for Dennis Franchione.
And dude, you still don't understand how it fell apart for him???
A man with NO character is eventually going to watch his life fall apart.
He was given the greatest coaching opportunity he will ever have. He not only turned his back on it, he left with no regard for the kids who busted their guts for him. He's simply paying the price he should pay.
I have no sympathy for Dennis Franchione.
sip
Come on, tell us how you really feel. :wink:

All jokes aside, I 100% agree with you. If Fran could coach worth a crap, he wouldn't be coaching at Texas Nobody University right now.
 

TrampLineman

Hall of Fame
Jul 21, 2010
7,287
6
57
Alabama
I do agree with the poster about the game @Norman was one of the best called games ever IMHO. Nobody gave us a chance and man we gave the Sooners a fit that year. Also the OU game at home was one of my favorite games to ever go to. Wished we would play them again!
 

snake plissken

1st Team
Apr 13, 2011
578
35
47
Birmingham
He's a complete hypocrite and liar and his "Hold on to the rope" B.S. was the biggest slap in the face of Bama football players in the history of the program in my opinion. Leaving without addressing his players???? Are you kidding me???
He's a great coach???
He stinks as a coach and a human being. I have more respect for Bobby Lowder than I do for Dennis Franchione.
And dude, you still don't understand how it fell apart for him???
A man with NO character is eventually going to watch his life fall apart.
He was given the greatest coaching opportunity he will ever have. He not only turned his back on it, he left with no regard for the kids who busted their guts for him. He's simply paying the price he should pay.
I have no sympathy for Dennis Franchione.
sip
I said I hated how he left the program and the kids and I agree he is a terrible person, but to say he stinks as a coach is just plain wrong. He took over a 3-8 team and had them 10-3 in 2 years. Bama won the West and would have played in the SEC Championship that year if they weren't on probation. He beat a heavily favored Au team in his first year at their place. Beat a Saban led LSU team in Baton Rouge by the tune of 31-0. Had the #1 team in the country, Oklahoma on the ropes at their place and snapped a Tennessee win streak in 2002.

Not sure how you cannot agree he had a successful little 2 year run considering the mess he inherited. And yes, with that success, I was surprised that it fell apart on him at A&M.
 

Crimson1967

Hall of Fame
Nov 22, 2011
18,734
9,918
187
Whatever Saban may have said to our coach or about the University or the football program that night I believe he has earned our forgiveness.
 

JessN

Administrator & Editor-in-Chief
Staff member
Oct 13, 1999
6,269
3,827
432
Back to the original question, here's what happened...

Saban had an interest in hiring Kenny Pope, who was on Franchione's staff. Apparently Saban didn't follow the protocol that Franchione would have liked him to have followed in checking to see if Pope had an interest in going to LSU. That's what he was upset about.

The Fran camp's line, though, was about Saban saying something untoward about the Alabama program. I think this was a purposeful smokescreen to deflect attention from what was basically a personal thing between Saban and Franchione.
 

Alasippi

Suspended
Aug 31, 2007
12,875
2
57
Ocean Springs, MS
I said I hated how he left the program and the kids and I agree he is a terrible person, but to say he stinks as a coach is just plain wrong. He took over a 3-8 team and had them 10-3 in 2 years. Bama won the West and would have played in the SEC Championship that year if they weren't on probation. He beat a heavily favored Au team in his first year at their place. Beat a Saban led LSU team in Baton Rouge by the tune of 31-0. Had the #1 team in the country, Oklahoma on the ropes at their place and snapped a Tennessee win streak in 2002.

Not sure how you cannot agree he had a successful little 2 year run considering the mess he inherited. And yes, with that success, I was surprised that it fell apart on him at A&M.
I was behind Franchione 100% when he was at Bama and I felt he was doing a great job. I really liked his "Hold onto the rope" theme and bought into it totally.
Then...he did what he did.
Did I feel betrayed as a fan? No, not at all, but what he did to the players was simply beyond my comprehension and I'll never get past it.
 

gwilliams

1st Team
Aug 29, 2011
462
0
0
About the OP question, consider what we know about the character of both men. The Saban we know versus the Fran we knew. Having not personally heard anything that may have been said, I got to express that I'd be incredibly surprised if Saban made any public disparaging remarks.
 

snake plissken

1st Team
Apr 13, 2011
578
35
47
Birmingham
I was behind Franchione 100% when he was at Bama and I felt he was doing a great job. I really liked his "Hold onto the rope" theme and bought into it totally.
Then...he did what he did.
Did I feel betrayed as a fan? No, not at all, but what he did to the players was simply beyond my comprehension and I'll never get past it.
I agree with you 100%. I will never forgive him for how he treated our players and I hope he is a failure everywhere he goes.
 

Grievous Angel

BamaNation Citizen
Jan 22, 2012
73
0
0
Speaking of "hold the rope" . . the one item I remember is our punter that year (2002), playing on a torn ACL the entire year--holding the rope.

And then Fran left. And now I don't care if he dies in a fire.
 

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