Lane Kiffin shares why he's grateful to Nick Saban when the former ran Alabama's offense

Lane Kiffin and Nick Saban share a history that goes beyond the years of their rivalry as coaches in the SEC. This history is not known by many. And even to those who know, it is more significance than even they know. But Kiffin hasn't forgotten.

Quoting a tweet by best-selling author Jon Gordon that asked, “What are you grateful for?” Lane Kiffin wrote a powerful message relating to Nick Saban. He wrote:

“For Coach Saban taking a chance on me when I was knocked down and out. ForeverGrateful @AlabamaFTBL”

There is a powerful and wholesome story behind Kiffin’s post, which holds a great lesson for everyone. It also shows why Saban is one of the most-respected coaches in college football, beyond his success.

The early rise of Lane Kiffin, his fall and how Nick Saban helped him back up

Lane Kiffin is what you can call the early bloomer of football coaching. Between 1997 and 2006, he held different roles on the coaching staff of different colleges’ football teams, including the USC Trojans. However, he got an unusual break in 2007 when he was appointed the head coach of the NFL team, the Oakland Raiders.

Kiffin was 31 years old at the time he was hired by Raiders owner, Al Davis. He became the youngest head coach in the history of the team. He also became the youngest head coach in modern NFL history. He was surpassed on this record years later.

Kiffin’s tenure at the helm of the Raiders’ team ended on a bad note, as he could only manage a 5-15 record. He had no problem finding a new employee, anyway. In Dec. 2008, Kiffin was announced as the new Tennessee Volunteers football head coach.

His reign at Tennessee proved to be another short affair. The most memorable event of his one-year stay in Tennessee was the scandal that followed after a wrong accusation he leveled against Urban Meyer and Florida. He left Tennessee after just a season to join the USC Trojans, sparking protests among Tennessee students.

Lane Kiffin’s record as USC football coach was very underwhelming, and the Trojans fired him in his fourth season. Kiffin was 38, and he had been fired from two of his first three head coaching roles. With a record that woeful, no team was willing to take a chance on him. And that could have very well been the end of his coaching career, if not for Nick Saban's intervention.

Saban offered Kiffin a role on his staff as the offensive coordinator, where he remained until 2016, when he got another head coaching job at Florida Atlantic.