“I don't know if that’s fair”: Nick Saban once gave an honest reaction when asked why he’s so tough on people

Nick Saban left Alabama in January 2024 as the most successful college football coach in history. During his time in college, Saban won seven national championships and led the Crimson Tide to one of their most dominant eras ever.

Throughout his coaching career, Saban was known for his tough demeanor toward players, assistants and everyone involved in his programs. In an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" in 2013, he told reporter Armen Keteyian that his toughness was all about upholding a set standard.

“I don't know if that's fair that I'm really tough on people,” Saban said (2:00). “We create a standard for how we want to do things, and everybody gotta buy into that standard, or you really can't have any team chemistry. Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people.”

Saban's answer was to Keteyian asking him "why he was so tough on people."

Nick Saban has always reiterated the need for toughness in his team

Football is a game that demands toughness. A team must exhibit resilience to overcome opponents. For a coach like Nick Saban, who prioritized winning, mental toughness was non-negotiable.

In one of his viral team talks at Alabama, Saban emphasized the importance of mental toughness as a key to gaining an edge over competitors.

“The thing you have to do is you have to have toughness,” Saban said. “You gotta be tougher than everybody that we play. But I've never stood up here, and all the time that I've been here, and never really defined toughness for you the way I'm going to define toughness to you because I'm talking about mental toughness, and I think everybody can relate to it.

“It's all about what does it take to break you?... If you really think about toughness and mental toughness, what does it take to break you? I don't care what circumstances you're faced with. What does it take to break your focus?... What does it take to make you give in?”

Mental toughness was a defining characteristic of Nick Saban's teams during his tenure with the Crimson Tide and in his previous coaching positions.

As a college football coach, Saban concluded his career with a 292-71-1 record. He won seven national championships (one with LSU and six with Alabama), 12 conference championships and 16 divisional titles.

Saban also received numerous individual honors, including the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award twice.