Nick Saban on why he retired and why he won't coach again

[The Ols]

Really and truly, it was just his time. NIL, portal, and LANK certainly contributed, but even without all of that, it was his time. I still remember clear as daybreak how painfully sad it was that Coach Bryant never got to do anything in retirement. He was just gone in the blink of an eye. His wife Mary didn't make it too long after him. She passed on August 26, 1984. Then one of his daughters died in 1988. I didn't want to see that happen to Saban and his family. I had the feeling that 2020 was his final national championship. And that was before NIL had really kicked in.

I saw a pretty good portion of the Bryant era and would have never guessed we would have had a second golden age. I'll always be grateful. The ride was incredible. I talk to Bama fans regularly in everyday life who seem to think that we are just in a lull right now and will retake college football soon. I wish they were right, but the truth is, history has a way of repeating itself and right now we are in our modern day Perkins era. I don't think we will go down the exact same road we did years later with the problems, scandals, and nearly being shutdown by the NCAA and whatnot. But, I do think that just like after The Bear, it's going to take a coaching change or two if we are going to make another run at another national championship in this lifetime.

I dig that that’s your opinion, but man, we were in the championship game 2 years ago w/a 10.5 player offense…our Defense ended up salty as heck by the end of the year…multiple coaches? I don’t think so?
Total domination like the CNS years? I don’t think that either…but I truly believe we give it a run THIS year w/what we have in place.
crimson glssses? Maybe? But like you, that’s my opinion…and I see it much sooner than decades later!!!
Roll Tide…

 

[Scobaman]

I often wonder what would have been had we gotten Bowden in 1987. One big question is, would we stil have gotten Saban in 2007. Had Bowden come in 87, we would never have had Curry or Stallings, and definitely not Dubose, Fran, Price, or Shula. But, maybe somehow, in that alternate timeline, we still get Saban, just maybe a little later. That could have meant a third golden age of Bama football!

Of course, Stallings is the only coach between The Bear and Saban that I didn't regret. His time did bring about some incredible defenses

=Coach Stallings was one of my favorites. My three children were on a local summer swim team and were competing in the state swim meet in Dothan. That weekend the Bama caravan was in Dothan, and they had a celebration at the same hotel where we were staying that Saturday night. The kids had collected some Bama posters and the next morning, one of them saw Coach Stallings sitting at a table near the pool. All three grabbed their posters and went to his table to get their posters signed by Coach. My wife walked out to the pool with them, but Coach Stallings didn't have a pen that would write on the posters. He told them to wait there for a moment while he went back to his room and grabbed a pen. A few moments later he reappeared with his wife who stood and talked to my wife while the Coach signed each poster. He was a true gentleman who took time to make others feel special.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

I often wonder what would have been had we gotten Bowden in 1987. One big question is, would we stil have gotten Saban in 2007. Had Bowden come in 87, we would never have had Curry or Stallings, and definitely not Dubose, Fran, Price, or Shula. But, maybe somehow, in that alternate timeline, we still get Saban, just maybe a little later. That could have meant a third golden age of Bama football!

Of course, Stallings is the only coach between The Bear and Saban that I didn't regret. His time did bring about some incredible defenses

but we might have had Jimbo after Bowden. <Shudders>

 

[CrimsonCleanse]

I dig that that’s your opinion, but man, we were in the championship game 2 years ago w/a 10.5 player offense…our Defense ended up salty as heck by the end of the year…multiple coaches? I don’t think so?
Total domination like the CNS years? I don’t think that either…but I truly believe we give it a run THIS year w/what we have in place.
crimson glssses? Maybe? But like you, that’s my opinion…and I see it much sooner than decades later!!!
Roll Tide…

Actually I like yours a lot better! I had some Perkins era flashbacks at times this past season that left me a little shell shocked LOL. We've definitely got the horses in place this upcoming year. And...the last time we opened with Florida State, we won it all. Good omen indeed RTR

 

[CrimsonCleanse]

=Coach Stallings was one of my favorites. My three children were on a local summer swim team and were competing in the state swim meet in Dothan. That weekend the Bama caravan was in Dothan, and they had a celebration at the same hotel where we were staying that Saturday night. The kids had collected some Bama posters and the next morning, one of them saw Coach Stallings sitting at a table near the pool. All three grabbed their posters and went to his table to get their posters signed by Coach. My wife walked out to the pool with them, but Coach Stallings didn't have a pen that would write on the posters. He told them to wait there for a moment while he went back to his room and grabbed a pen. A few moments later he reappeared with his wife who stood and talked to my wife while the Coach signed each poster. He was a true gentleman who took time to make others feel special.

I met him at a basketball game in December 1991. It was right after the Iron Bowl that year. We talked about the game. He was so down to earth with the fans. It was like chatting football with a next door neighbor

 

[rolltide_21]

=Coach Stallings was one of my favorites. My three children were on a local summer swim team and were competing in the state swim meet in Dothan. That weekend the Bama caravan was in Dothan, and they had a celebration at the same hotel where we were staying that Saturday night. The kids had collected some Bama posters and the next morning, one of them saw Coach Stallings sitting at a table near the pool. All three grabbed their posters and went to his table to get their posters signed by Coach. My wife walked out to the pool with them, but Coach Stallings didn't have a pen that would write on the posters. He told them to wait there for a moment while he went back to his room and grabbed a pen. A few moments later he reappeared with his wife who stood and talked to my wife while the Coach signed each poster. He was a true gentleman who took time to make others feel special.

When I was 8 years old, we made a church trip to Tuscaloosa before school started as last ditch fun thing to do. We went to the BB museum and the university mall. Then we stopped by the football building and our group leader went in and asked if we could meet Coach Stallings. He invited us up to his office and visited with us. Gave us a bag of Golden Flake potato chips and a can of coke. One of my favorite memories from my childhood.

 

[TiderJack]

Actually I like yours a lot better! I had some Perkins era flashbacks at times this past season that left me a little shell shocked LOL. We've definitely got the horses in place this upcoming year. And...the last time we opened with Florida State, we won it all. Good omen indeed RTR

Also, you have to remember where our program is right now with the branding, stadium, facilities, S&C technology, nutrition, academic facilities and tutoring. We have built a Taj Mahal type program so I just don't see us going into the post-Bryant syndrome. Others are trying to emulate but we are still the best IMO.

 

[arthurdawg]

=Coach Stallings was one of my favorites. My three children were on a local summer swim team and were competing in the state swim meet in Dothan. That weekend the Bama caravan was in Dothan, and they had a celebration at the same hotel where we were staying that Saturday night. The kids had collected some Bama posters and the next morning, one of them saw Coach Stallings sitting at a table near the pool. All three grabbed their posters and went to his table to get their posters signed by Coach. My wife walked out to the pool with them, but Coach Stallings didn't have a pen that would write on the posters. He told them to wait there for a moment while he went back to his room and grabbed a pen. A few moments later he reappeared with his wife who stood and talked to my wife while the Coach signed each poster. He was a true gentleman who took time to make others feel special.

My Mother is a bama grad but doesn't really care for sports. She was going to a local meeting one time where Coach Stallings was to speak and she laughed and said she didn't know why they had him coming, nobody cared much for football in her ladie's group.

She returned and noted that Coach Stallings was a saint and one of the best and most inspirational speakers they'd ever had!

There was also a newspaper article during 1992 where a guy took his disabled son to Alabama and had permission to take him on the practice field. Something got mixed up and the secretary told them they couldn't stay long and the guy said his heart broke when he saw a "security guard" coming to tell them they needed to move along. Turns out the security guard was Stallings who found out that the guy was there and that his son was disabled. He fetched a ball from the practice supplies, played catch with the guy's son for an hour and sent him home with a couple of signed balls. All during the prep for the bowl game against Miami. Pretty cool story.

 

[cdub55]

Also, you have to remember where our program is right now with the branding, stadium, facilities, S&C technology, nutrition, academic facilities and tutoring. We have built a Taj Mahal type program so I just don't see us going into the post-Bryant syndrome. Others are trying to emulate but we are still the best IMO.

We are one of the elite no doubt. The issue today is money, particularly NIL money, is the driving force behind player acquisition. Our entire infrastructure of facilities, food/nutrition program, ability to prepare athlete's for NFL, etc at one time was as important as any in getting players to sign. It isn't anymore.

Secondly, I once stood next to Coach Stallings at a urinal at an event in Mobile he was speaking at when I was 17. Gave him a "hey coach" and he mumbled something. About all I got on that front...

 

[TiderJack]

We are one of the elite no doubt. The issue today is money, particularly NIL money, is the driving force behind player acquisition. Our entire infrastructure of facilities, food/nutrition program, ability to prepare athlete's for NFL, etc at one time was as important as any in getting players to sign. It isn't anymore.

Secondly, I once stood next to Coach Stallings at a urinal at an event in Mobile he was speaking at when I was 17. Gave him a "hey coach" and he mumbled something. About all I got on that front...

It is still important to some since we have kept a lot of very good and great players on our roster despite being heavily pursued by others. Not always greener mentality.

I think you may have learned at a young age you don't talk to other dudes when peeing at a urinal .