Who did Nick Saban replace at Alabama? Exploring Crimson Tide's coaching history before 7x national champion's hiring

A lot of occurrences were anticipated in this college football offseason by the media and fans, Nick Saban's exit from Alabama is definitely not one of them. The news of the coach's retirement rocked the college football world by storm and it marked the end of an era.

Saban is leaving Alabama after 17 years in charge of the program with an unmatched legacy. His time in Tuscaloosa saw him win six national championships and nine southeastern conference titles, establishing himself as arguably the greatest college football coach ever.

While Nick Saban's tenure was largely successful, let's take a look at Alabama before him.

Alabama Football Coaches History

Although Nick Saban was a part of the last 17 year's of Alabama's history, the program has also had other legendary coaches as its leader throughout it rich history.

Wallace Wade: Head coach of Alabama from 1923-1930, Wade led the Crimson Tide to three national championships, putting up an impressive 61-13-3 record. Wade was also the first Alabama head coach to be named to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Frank Thomas: Taking over the Alabama football program from 1931 all the way upto 1946, Frank Thomas also won three national championships with the Crimson Tide. With big wins in the Rose Bowl in 1935 and 1946, Cotton Bowl in 1942, and the Orange Bowl in 1943, Thomas solidified his legacy as one of the best coaches in Alabama history.

Bear Bryant: With six national championships, and 14 SEC titles to his name, Paul William "The Bear" Bryant is considered not just one of the greatest coaches in Alabama history, but also one of the greates coaches in college football. Several of Bryant's former players and assistant coaches found success coaching at the collegiate as well as professional levels.

Alabama's complete coaching history includes:

Name	Year
E. B. Beaumont	1892
Eli Abbott	1893–1895, 1902
Otto Wagonhurst	1896
Allen McCants	1897
W. A. Martin	1899
Malcolm Griffin	1900
M. S. Harvey	1901
W. B. Blount	1903–1904
Jack Leavenworth	1905
J. W. H. Pollard	1906–1909
Guy Lowman	1910
D. V. Graves	1911–1914
Thomas Kelley	1915–1917
Xen Scott	1919–1922
Wallace Wade	1923–1930
Frank Thomas	1931–1946
Harold Drew	1947–1954
Jennings B. Whitworth	1955–1957
Bear Bryant	1958–1982
Ray Perkins	1983–1986
Bill Curry	1987–1989
Gene Stallings	1990–1996
Mike DuBose	1997–2000
Dennis Franchione	2001–2002
Mike Price	2003
Mike Shula	2003–2006
Joe Kines	2006
Nick Saban	2007–2023
Kalen DeBoer	2024–

Who did Nick Saban replace at Alabama?

Following a two-season stint with the Miami Dolphins in the NFL, Nick Saban decided to return to college football to replace Mike Shula at Alabama. He became the 27th head coach of the program, signing an initial eight-year deal worth $32 million to stay in Tuscaloosa.

Mike Shula played his college football career at Alabama, holding the starting quarterback job from 1984 to 1986. He took over as the team's head coach in 2003 after three seasons as the Miami Dolphins quarterback coach for three seasons, marking his first head coaching job.

Following a 6-6 record in 2006, which ended with an Iron Bowl loss, Shula was fired by Alabama after performing below expectations. The coach was paid the $4 million left on his contract after he was shown the exit door, creating a space for Nick Saban to come in.

Saban explains the decision to retire

As noted earlier, Saban's retirement was not what many fans anticipated, but the coach took the decision that was best for him. The coach disclosed that his age was making it increasingly challenging for him to perform the duties he had undertaken for the past 17 seasons.

"Last season was difficult for me from just a health standpoint, not necessarily having anything major wrong, but just being able to sustain and do things the way I want to do them, the way I've always done them," he said. "It just got a little bit harder. So you have to decide, 'OK, this is sort of inevitable when you get to my age.'"

With Kalen DeBoer set to take over as the 28th Alabama coach, the former Washington coach obviously has a big shoe to fill. He's done a brilliant job with the Huskies over the last two seasons, leading them to the national championship game. However, the Crimson Tide is a different ball game.