Nick Saban shouts out Miss Terry during ESPYS Icon Award acceptance speech

Through his 50-year head coaching career, there was one constant for Nick Saban. His wife, Miss Terry, was by his side as he went on to become a legend in the game of college football.

Saban’s credentials speak for themselves. A seven-time national champion at LSU and Alabama, he announced his retirement in January with a strong case for the greatest coach to ever do it. That’s part of the reason why he received the Icon Award at Thursday night’s ESPYS.

Saban gave a wide-ranging acceptance speech after the announcement. But he pointed out the importance of the support he received from Miss Terry and his family during his career.

“You have to have great support from your family,” Saban said. “Miss Terry’s been the love of my life for 52 years, and she has supported me in every way, as my family has. And I certainly appreciate that because there’s a lot of sacrifices families make in coaching. We actually moved 17 times before we ever got to Alabama. Seventeen times. So I can only accept this award on behalf of the other folks that contributed to it – which, there’s 1,000 of them.

“And every time I look at this, I’m gonna see the faces of all the people who worked so hard to help us be successful, and the relationships that were able and forged in those teams that made it so special. It’ll also be the thing that I miss most about coaching.”

Nick Saban: ‘All I ever was, was the conductor of a process’

Saban had a 292-72-1 record as a college football head coach, including a 201-29 mark at Alabama. He also had a stint with the Miami Dolphins from 2005-06 where he went 15-17 before taking over in Tuscaloosa.

But since his days alongside Jack Lambert at Kent State, Saban has been part of a football program in some capacity. Whether it be as a head coach at Michigan State, LSU or Alabama, or the defensive coordinator alongside Bill Belichick with the Cleveland Browns, Saban was a member of a team.

When he looks back on his career as he heads into retirement – and the TV world as an ESPN analyst – Saban said that’s what he’ll think about the most. He knows his success wasn’t a solo venture.

“There’s a lot of athletes in this room, there’s a lot of coaches in this room,” Saban said. “There’s nothing like being part of a team. That’s what I’m gonna miss. I’ve been part of a team since I was nine years old.

“So with all this help and success, all I ever was, aight, was the conductor of a process. And our process was to help every player be more successful in life because they were involved in the program.”