When a frustrated Nick Saban shared invaluable life lessons he learned from his dad

Former Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban has become a fan favorite for his roles as an analyst on ESPN's "College GameDay" and a guest on the "Pat McAfee Show." His insightful analysis and unique insight into college football have made him a respected voice in the industry.

Saban wasn't always so genial. During his coaching days, he was known for his fierce personality and tough exterior. In 2021, after the Crimson Tide beat FCS side the Mercer Bears 48-14, Saban fumed about mistakes made by his players in the blowout win.

During his postgame news conference, a frustrated Nick Saban shared some of the ways his father used to make sure he was responsible as a child and how his team needed that sort of disciplined approach (1:00).

"When I was growing up, I worked for my dad. Every day at dinner he would slam the table and there was a reckoning for everything that you were supposed to do that day," Nick Saban said.

"So if you were supposed to cut the grass, did you sweep the walk, did you trim, did you put the mower away, did you clean the mower? And if you didn't do those things right, you were going to do it again. We might need a lot of that somewhere along the line."

Nick Saban's fiery commentary run before Tide faced FCS opponents

Retired coach Nick Saban became renowned for his fiery prep talks for his team before they played against FCS or lower-class FBS opponents. This motivated his team to perform and not take the result for granted.

Before the game against the Mercer Bears, Saban stayed on brand and claimed that his team's intensity during practice had been off. Furthermore, the players perhaps believed the hype after routing the Miami Hurricanes 44-13 during the season-opening game.

After the Mercer game, his fiery comments included a scathing reply to a question about Alabama's offense despite the Crimson Tide blowing out the Bears 48-14.

”Well, what’d you think? I mean, it’s kind of a loaded question, isn’t it?” Saban said. ”I mean, if it (offense) stinks it stinks. It smells bad for everybody. Smell bad for you? Yeah. What do you want me to do, make excuses for them?”

In the age of four-team college football playoffs, top teams could not afford sluggish displays against lower-class opponents, and Nick Saban made sure that he motivated his teams sufficiently to get the job done spectacularly.