Nick Saban is viewed by most fans and analysts as one of the greatest college head coaches of all time. He is known for his time with the Alabama Crimson Tide, winning six national championships. However, he also won a national championship with the LSU Tigers in 2003.
On Thursday, a video was posted by Omaho Productions on YouTube. In the video, former NFL star quarterback Eli Manning sat down and spoke with Saban. Manning asked Saban about some advice he got from ex-NFL coach Jerry Glanville and how it helped him in his first season as an NFL head coach with the Miami Dolphins.
“I’m surprised you didn’t mention the name Jerry Glennville,” Eli Manning said. “He’s taken a lot of credit for your successes. He just told you, ‘Remember everything I do and do the opposite.’ Did you take that advice?”
Saban then laughed before answering the question.
“You know, Jerry was a really, really good football coach,” Saban said. “The organization of the way we did things was a little bit different. We’d go to camp and we’d get together under the tent, you know, right before we went on the field and he’d say, ‘Plan A, plan B, plan C.’
“So, you had to know that. This is my first year coaching in the NFL. No notebook, no install, no way to prepare for the players. You know, I kind of learned, you know, how to coach from the players.”
Nick Saban Coached Under Jerry Glanville With the Houston Oilers
While Nick Saban is now one of the most decorated college football head coaches of all time, he did not start his coaching career that way. Like everyone else, he needed to slowly move his way up through the college and pro ranks until he got his first head coaching opportunity.
One of Saban’s last stops before getting a head coaching opportunity came as the defensive backs coach of the Houston Oilers in the NFL from 1988 to 1989. At the time, Jerry Glanville was the head coach of the team. In those two seasons, Saban and Glanville helped lead the Oilers to playoff appearances in both seasons.
In 1988, the team was eliminated but the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round. In 1989, they were eliminated by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round.
Following his tenure with Houston, Saban got his first head coaching opportunity. He was hired by Toledo, but only stuck with the team for one season. He left to become the defensive coordinator for Bill Belichick on the Cleveland Browns.
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