When did Nick Saban start coaching Alabama? How many National titles has the HC won in his career?

Nick Saban and Alabama are a match made in heaven. It's been close to two decades since one of college football's most successful epochs by any school or coach.

Who would have thought, when it all started, that a historical match was being made? How about a trip back in time to when it all began?

When did Nick Saban start coaching Alabama?

Nick Saban started coaching at Alabama from the 2007 season. The story of how Saban got there is also an interesting one. It was 2006, and Saban was in charge of an inconsistent Miami Dolphins. Alabama had just shown Mike Shula the door, and all fingers were pointing at Saban as the replacement. But Saban was in denial.

Nick Saban was adamant about his process and approach to the game

He maintained that he was not considering the Alabama job. He went as far as stating at a press conference in December that he's not “going to be the Alabama coach.”

Allstate Sugar Bowl - Alabama v Kansas State

However, he finally announced he had accepted to be Alabama's coach on Jan. 3, 2007. He made the announcement after having a meeting with the owner of the Dolphins, Wayne Huizenga.

His first contract with Alabama had an eight-year term and was worth $32 million. It was one of the most lucrative deals of any football coach at the time in the United States. Alabama obviously knew the kind of value it was getting and was ready to pay the top monetary price for it.

Nick Saban's reign at Alabama and the National Championship wins

Nick Saban's official presentation came at a press conference on Jan. 4, 2007. His tenure started with a promising 3-0 record. But despite the initial promise, the season didn't go as most fans would have liked.

The Tide suffered four consecutive losses, including a humiliating home loss to Louisiana-Monroe. The team lost the Iron Bowl to Auburn making it six losses in as many games.

After a 6-6 regular season record, Saban's team got a consolation at the Independence Bowl, where it beat Colorado 30-24, ending the season with a 7-6 overall record.

By his third season, Nick Saban's Alabama had taken shape and laid claim to its first SEC championship and a national championship under him. It wasn't Saban's first national championship win as a coach.

He had won the National championship at LSU in 2003. Neither was it his last. Subsequent national championships came in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2020.

Saban successfully turned a struggling program he inherited into a winning machine that has become the dread of rivals and the delight of fans. It didn't happen overnight, though. His patience and trust in the process have been the hallmarks of his reign at the Tide.