We may be the first school to have TWO iconic coaches

[Bazza]

I'm afraid we can't keep up with y'all in football (I mean who can?) but we do what we can in the other school sports.......gotta be worth something. Speaking of which your Nate Oates is looking pretty good, lately!

 

[Special K]

Wallace Wade says hello.

 

[jabcmb]

I can’t equate Carroll with the term iconic college coach. For “Pete’s“ sake, he had a NC vacated.
Ara Parseghian, a Bryant contemporary at Notre Dame who had two NC’s, comes to mind ahead of Carroll. But neither were a GOAT candidate at any time.

 

[CB4]

what? no one is suggesting vince dooley and mark richt?

You left out Wally Butts...

 

[IM4UA]

We have the two, most iconic coaches in history. One won 6 titles in 25 years.....the other has won 6 titles in 12 years.

I hope that everyone truly appreciates how astounding this run has been.

 

[rolltd]

How are we going to get Coach Saban's name attached to BDS?

Bryant-Denny-Saban Stadium doesn't have that ring to it. Bryant-Saban-Denny Stadium? Nah...

And I'm not sure if I like Saban Field either. It doesn't seem to be enough...

Denny has a tower, why not Bryant-Saban stadium

 

[CullmanTide]

Denny has a tower, why not Bryant-Saban stadium

Denny built the thing.

 

[BigAlinKnoxville]

Denny has a tower, why not Bryant-Saban stadium

But where does that leave Coach Chimes?

 

[PA Tide Fan]

Denny has a tower, why not Bryant-Saban stadium

Might have to make it Saban-Bryant stadium instead.

 

[GP for Bama]

Bama has ... Wallace Wade.... Frank Thomas... Paul "Bear" Bryant... Gene Stallings... Nick Saban.
All National Championship coaches.
Saban and Bryant are the all-time greatest.
Wallace really established greatness for southern football.
Thomas was the first great SEC coach.

The only school close to Bama with coaches is Notre Dame...
They have Rockne.... Leahy.... Parseghian... Devine... Holtz

All of these are great coaches...

 

[TIDETOWN]

While I agree with this, I can't like it due to my utter disdain for ND...

I virtually know zero Alabama fans that pull for ND but you can also throw Ara Parsegian into the mix, his 1966 team that played Michigan St to the infamous 10- 10 tie cost Bryant the 1966 National Championship and then 1973 defeated an unbeaten Alabama team 24-23 in which Alabama was ranked #1 and had them backed up on their side of the field and Tom Clemens hit a lame duck pass to their TE on 3rd and 8 to secure the win, talking about an alcoholic induced coma that was the night.

 

[BamaInBham]

IMO, the only coaches to approach Saban or Bryant status is Rockne and Leahy and their tenures were way too short to be included and some of Leahy's success was during the heavily diluted WWII years. We're aren't even talking about the Wade/McKay/Neyland/Hayes/Devaney/Yost/Wilkinson/Bierman/Warner/et al/ types, much less the Royal/Parseghian/Osborne/Meyer/Switzer/Bowden types. And just forget the Spurrier/Dooley/Swinney/Schembechler/Broyles/et all/ types, however much they might have meant to their programs.

IMO, there is no "might" to it - Saban is the GOAT, Bryant is also iconic and Rockne - IMO, no one else can lay a legitimate claim. Wade would come the closest because of putting both the South and ultimately the "greatest program" on the map but somehow, he doesn't quite get there. Of course, there is no bias here .

 

[Windsortide]

Not a fan of ND and I take great pleasure when we stomp them but I millstone recognize Rockne and Parsegian. We have the two goats.

 

[B1GTide]

IMO, the only coaches to approach Saban or Bryant status is Rockne and Leahy and their tenures were way too short to be included and some of Leahy's success was during the heavily diluted WWII years. We're aren't even talking about the Wade/McKay/Neyland/Hayes/Devaney/Yost/Wilkinson/Bierman/Warner/et al/ types, much less the Royal/Parseghian/Osborne/Meyer/Switzer/Bowden types. And just forget the Spurrier/Dooley/Swinney/Schembechler/Broyles/et all/ types, however much they might have meant to their programs.

IMO, there is no "might" to it - Saban is the GOAT, Bryant is also iconic and Rockne - IMO, no one else can lay a legitimate claim. Wade would come the closest because of putting both the South and ultimately the "greatest program" on the map but somehow, he doesn't quite get there. Of course, there is no bias here .

Leahy did not coach Notre Dame in 44-45 as he joined the Navy to fight in WWII. He still won 5 championships in a that decade (though the one in 46 was split with Army). That is Saban good. He retired early because that is what coaches did back then.

 

[BadgerTidefan]

Looking at the thread title I was thinking its a little early to call our basketball coach potentially iconic, but maybe someday. I was thinking 2 at the same time. We know Coach Saban is iconic and does anyone think Coach Bryant isn't? So I thought it's assumed in FB. After reading a few posts I guess i misunderstood the intent.

 

[BamaInBham]

Leahy did not coach Notre Dame in 44-45 as he joined the Navy to fight in WWII. He still won 5 championships in a that decade (though the one in 46 was split with Army). That is almost Alabama Saban good. He retired early because that is what coaches did back then.

FIFY (Leahy 4 in 11 years vs Saban 6 in 14 so far - in a far tougher world)

I only count wire service (AP 1936-, UP 1950-) NCs or you get into an endless argument (Bama claims one ridiculous one that I ignore in 1941; Bama was 10-0 destroying USC in Rose Bowl in 1945 which even the school does not count since they finished #2 behind Army) over which ones are valid. Thus, Leahy had 4 in 43, 46-47, 49. Many teams, including Alabama did not even field a team in 1943. The military academies had an obvious advantage during the war years and immediate aftermath, don't know about religious schools.

He did collapse from a pancreatic attack at the half of the 4th game of the year in 1953 and under that guise he would but later revealed that he retired when he felt he as no longer wanted by the school (his record had dropped off the previous 3 seasons beginning in 1950 (18-8-3). Ironically he finished his last year 9-0-1 - he showed them .

Unmet expectations are not a recent phenomenon - after winning 2 NC in 25-26, Bama dropped off the next 3 years to 17-10-1, support began to wane and grumble (including Dr. Denny), so Wade, like Leahy later, announced his pending resignation, then went 10-0-0 in 1930 stomping 10-0 WSU in the Rose Bowl, making a claim to his 3rd NC. He went to Duke with great success, though not the same as at Bama.).

 

[CajunCrimson]

Tuberville and Malzahn

Sorry I read that as Moronic Coaches

 

[CajunCrimson]

"Nick Saban Field" at Bryant-Denny Stadium

 

[BamaInBham]

"Nick Saban Field" at Bryant-Denny Stadium

Not good enough - Saban-Bryant-Denny Stadium or something else. Saban is inferior to no one in Bama's history. Three great epochs: Wade and Denny, Bryant, Saban. Thomas had a great run but not quite the same and he piggy-backed immediately off of Wade. In fact, I think it was Wade who recommended him. I think Thomas worked with Wade or at least observed Wade's last year of 1930 and 10-0 Rose Bowl and NC. The baseball stadium and football practice fields are named after him. LIttle if anything for Wade - I guess because of his exit. I think there has been a little bit of rectifying that in recent years.

 

[CajunCrimson]

Just change the city to Sabanville -- and be done with it!