How long was Nick Saban at Alabama? A closer look at former Crimson Tide HC's professional career

Nick Saban is without a doubt a legend at Alabama, building one of the most dominant dynasties any sport has ever seen over 17 seasons in Tuscaloosa. Saban's Crimson Tide was synonymous with dominance, with them ruling the SEC for almost two decades.

However, that came to an end with Saban's retirement in January 2024. The coach closed his career with an SEC championship-winning season in 2023, which saw the team return for its eighth College Football Playoff appearance. Saban is now a college football analyst at ESPN with "College GameDay," but let's recap his time with the Crimson Tide.

How long was Nick Saban at Alabama for?

Nick Saban joined Alabama in January 2007 and left in January 2024. That means he spent 17 years at Alabama.

However, the Crimson Tide wasn't Saban's first SEC job either, with him having been the LSU Tigers coach from 2000 until 2004. Saban also had three other coaching jobs, being in charge of Toledo (1990), Michigan State (1995-1999) and the NFL's Miami Dolphins (2005-2006).

How many national championships has Nick Saban won at Alabama?

Saban had six national championships with the Crimson Tide, the first one coming in 2009 and the last one in 2020. If anything, this shows the ability of Nick Saban to remain relevant and adapt to the changes in the game. He also won nine SEC championships for the Tuscaloosa school, the latest coming as recently as 2023.

He has seven national titles and 11 SEC championship wins in total, having won one natty and two SEC titles with the LSU Tigers.

Who was the coach before Nick Saban at Alabama?

Before Nick Saban showed up at Tuscaloosa, former Alabama player Mike Shula was in charge of the program from 2003 until 2006. In that time, he had only one winning season with a record of 10-2 in 2005. 2003 saw the Crimson Tide go 4-9, and in 2004 and 2006 they had a record of 6-6.

However, due to textbook-related infractions, Alabama had to vacate 16 wins during Shula's tenure. Without the penalty, the overall record of Mike Shula at Alabama is 26-23. With the vacated wins, it goes down to 10-23.