"It was a huge mistake": When Nick Saban revealed his biggest Urban Meyer blunder from late 80s

Nick Saban and Urban Meyer are two coaches who have enjoyed a lot of success in college football. Between them, they have won 10 national championships and have both led programs through dominant eras (Saban with Alabama, Meyer with Florida).

The coaches have faced each other many times, and both have stories about the other.

Nick Saban recalled the story of how the pair were first introduced to each other before the 2015 Sugar Bowl between Alabama and Ohio State. It was a game that the Buckeyes would go on to win and later claim a national championship.

"When I was coaching at the Houston Oilers in '88, '89, whenever that was ... and took the head coaching job at the University of Toledo after the 89 season ... and Urban (Meyer) called and he was a graduate assistant somewhere and Terry talked to him.

"I came home one night after preparation for one of our games at the Oilers and she (Saban's wife) said, 'You know, I talked to a really interesting guy today, Urban Meyer, and I really do think you should talk to him when you hire your staff at Toledo.'"

He continued the story:

"I was so caught up and busy in what I was doing that I never really ever followed up on that, and obviously, that was a huge mistake, you know, on my part."

The events in question occurred around 1989 when Saban was the defensive backs coach with the Houston Oilers, one of the few times Saban was involved with in the NFL. He was on his way to his first coaching role with the Toledo Rockets when his wife, Miss Terry, put the name 'Urban Meyer' on his radar.

As Saban explained, he did not follow up on Meyer's phone call, preventing what could have been a legendary partnership from being formed.

Throughout his career, Nick Saban was able to develop the careers of many coaches who are now in charge of many of the leading college and NFL programs. If he had called Urban Meyer back, the three-time national champion would have been Saban's first understudy.

What happened to Nick Saban at Toledo?

The 1990 season was Saban's first season as a head coach of a program. After spending 17 years as an assistant and position coach, now was his chance to show everyone what he could do when given control of a program.

The team in question was the Toledo Rockets, who were having consistently winning seasons under Dan Simrell but were never major contenders for the MAC.

Saban was able to immediately improve the Rockets' fortunes, leading them to a 9-2 season. It could have easily been an undefeated 11-0 season, with the Rockets only losing their two games by a combined five points.

This was enough for the Rockets to be co-champions of the MAC with Central Michigan, who both shared the same 7-1 record.

However, Saban's time in Toledo did not last long. After one season, he returned to the NFL to be the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, with their new head coach, Bill Belichick.