"That's not for me to assess": When Nick Saban opened up about how he wanted to be remembered for his contributions at Alabama

NCAA Football: Orange Bowl-Notre Dame at Penn State - Source: Imagn
NCAA Football: Orange Bowl-Notre Dame at Penn State - Source: Imagn

You can't tell the story of Alabama football without a few chapters centered around Nick Saban. For over a decade and a half, the longtime Crimson Tide coach's program was the standard in college football, competing for national championships every single year.

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Amid that odyssey in Tuscaloosa, Saban considered what his legacy as one of the greatest coaches in college football history would be when he finally decided to step away from the game. In a 2015 interview with Lauren Sisler, Saban said:

"Lou Holtz was here and spoke to our team and he made an interesting sort of analogy. He said, 'If you wanna be happy for an hour, eat a steak. If you wanna be happy for a day, go play golf. If you wanna be happy for a week go ... on a cruise. But, if you really look back on your life, how much will you be missed because of what you did wherever you were." [6:01]
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"I guess that's not for me to assess. That'll be for somebody else to figure out someday."
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Saban's accomplishments speak for themselves.

Nick Saban was announced as an inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame in January, an honor that is well-deserved for one of the most dominant coaches in the sport's lore. Saban earned an FBS record seven national crowns while wearing a headset. He went 292-71-1 throughout 28 seasons as a head coach and retired as the NCAA's active leader in wins.

No other coach has won a national title at two different FBS schools. He guided Alabama to a No. 1 Associated Press poll ranking in 15 different seasons, winning nine SEC championships in the process. He coached 66 first-team All-Americans, four Heisman Trophy winners, and 136 NFL Draft picks. He's watched 52 of his players be taken in the first round of that event, another record on his résumé.

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Nick Saban never had a losing season in 28 go-rounds as a head coach. Over 35 of his assistant coaches have continued on to become head coaches in college or the NFL.


What does Nick Saban do now?

Even as a retiree, Nick Saban stays busy. Most notably, he's an ESPN broadcaster who brings a wealth of knowledge to the "College Gameday" set. With a crew, which also includes Pat McAfee, Desmond Howard, and Kirk Herbstreit, Saban has begun to show more of his personality to fans, proving he's not just a fiery coach who's obsessed with winning.

Saban doesn't ever have to coach another down of football to cement his place in Alabama history. Or college football history, for that matter. He can safely say he's one of the greatest to ever do it.

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Edited by nagpaltusharn25
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