There are football coaches and then there is the ever-so-iconic Nick Saban. Saban is not just a household name, but a living, breathing football legend. If there is one man who defined the Alabama Crimson Tide’s legacy over the years, then it is Saban himself. Under him, Alabama, after all, won seven national championships.
The 73-year-old retired from collegiate coaching in 2023 after a 17-season run with the Crimson Tide. He then moved into the analyst role for ESPN’s College GameDay. However, Saban’s story did not begin in Alabama or on ESPN. It all started during Saban’s time in college.
Nick Saban’s Rise Began at Kent State Long Before He Became a College Football Icon
Long before the rings and the headlines, Nick Saban was a student on the quiet campus of Kent State University. He was just another student with a football helmet and a serious work ethic. The now well-known football maestro was raised in Fairmont, West Virginia, and his early life was not as glamorous as the world sees it today.
Saban’s early days were humble. His father ran a service station and also coached a youth football team. That is where young Saban’s love for football was born. And with time, the love for the sport grew. In the early 70s, Nick Saban arrived at Kent State.
It was at Kent State that Saban’s love for the sport took a different turn. He was the defensive back for the Golden Flashes under Coach Don James. While Saban was not the flashiest of athletes, he was extremely dependable.
A student of the game from the start, Nick Saban helped lead the team to its first Mid-American Conference (MAC) title in 1972. Saban even earned three football letters and added a baseball letter for good measure. And then, history almost changed in a heartbeat.
On May 4, 1970, Saban and his roommate made a last-minute decision to grab lunch before attending a campus rally. That decision saved his life. Saban escaped the infamous Kent State shootings. It’s a moment Saban never forgets and one that turned his college experience around.
But by 1973, Saban had graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business, followed by a master’s in sports administration two years later. And during this time, he also met his wife, Terry, at Kent State. Evidently, Kent State really was the launchpad for Saban in all senses.
Soon after Saban finished grad school, he decided to leave the helmet behind and pick up the clipboard. And he decided to start coaching at his beloved alma mater, Kent State. He started as a graduate assistant and later became the linebackers coach.
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This was followed by stints at Syracuse, West Virginia, Ohio State, the NFL’s Houston Oilers, and finally his first head coach job at Toledo in 1990. One MAC title later, and Saban was officially off to the races.
Now, that is a journey that can only be called legendary. From Michigan State to LSU, a stop in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, and then the empire he built at Alabama, it all traces back to a business major who wore No. 29 and played safety like his life depended on it.
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