Nick Saban once refused to acknowledge his role in 'The Blind Side' movie due to a bizarre reason: "Fans here would all get mad at me"

Nick Saban is a lot of things to a lot of people. The legendary Alabama coach has his name permanently etched in the hearts and memories of many. He did this by gifting them precious little moments from his efforts on the sidelines as head coach.

But there's a particular memory the Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer hoped people wouldn't remember him by. It is the recollection of his role in the 2009 movie "The Blind Side." Yes, Nick Saban has an acting credit to his name!

But he was reluctant to accept the role. He revealed this six years ago while responding to a caller who asked if the acting role was more difficult than his coaching role. Saban replied that he didn't want to appear in the movie but was eventually prevailed upon by the movie's producer Fred Smith.

Saban's reason for his lack of enthusiasm about acting in the movie is valid. He said:

“I didn’t want to be in the movie because I was the coach here (at Alabama), and I was the coach at LSU in the movie, so I thought the fans here would all get mad at me if I was the LSU coach in a movie.”

Before embarking on his fabled tenure at Alabama, Saban had an earlier stint at LSU. He was the coach of the Tigers from 2000 to 2004. His tenure as head coach at LSU returned the Tigers to national glory.

Saban won the SEC championship as well as the national championship for the Tigers and built a team that remained competitive for years after him.

LSU fans adored him for his role in revitalizing their football program. They, in fact, didn't want him to leave. But all the affection lasted only until he joined Alabama in 2007. After that, he became one of their most detested rivals. But that's just football.

---

What was Nick Saban's role in "The Blind Side"?

"The Blind Side" is a biopic based on the life of former NFL offensive tackle Michael Oher. Nick Saban's role recalls his conversation with Oher when he was recruiting him for LSU. Oher eventually committed to the Ole Miss Rebels, where he had a successful college career.

Michael Oher entered the NFL draft in 2009 and was drafted in the first round by the Baltimore Ravens. He went on to have a successful pro career, including multiple Super Bowl appearances and a win with Ravens in 2013.