Nick Saban jokes he was an 'underwhelming hire' at LSU during Hall of Fame induction

Saturday night is a special one for Nick Saban, getting inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame. Saban won a national championship while at LSU before making the move to the NFL. But if you ask him, the Tigers’ decision to hire him was possibly questionable.

As Saban was giving a speech at his induction, he described himself as a “pretty underwhelming hire.” Hired directly away from Michigan State, this was Saban’s first go-round in the SEC. Safe to say, the move worked about pretty well for LSU.

“Nick Saban describes himself as ‘a pretty underwhelming hire’ at #LSU in 2000 during his Louisiana Hall of Fame induction,” Jacques Doucet said via X.

Five seasons were spent in Baton Rouge by Saban beginning in 2000. None were better than the 2003 campaign, where LSU went on to win the national championship, the first of Saban’s career. An October loss to Florida was the lone blemish on the schedule, winning the SEC, and eventually taking down Oklahoma in the national title game in New Orleans.

Of course, the rest of Saban’s career played out to the annoyance of LSU fans. He left the college game for the Miami Dolphins and got back in with a major SEC foe. Saban went on to have a massive amount of success against LSU as the Alabama head coach, winning another six championships in Tuscaloosa.

Even so, winning at LSU puts you in a special place for the rest of time. Whether or not Saban truly believes he was the right hire 25 years ago, everything turned out pretty well — capped off by being inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame.

Miss Terry the one to thank for Nick Saban taking LSU job

Turns out, Miss Terry might be the one responsible for Saban taking the LSU job. He told the story on Saturday night, sending her to Baton Rouge on a secret mission. Saban himself could not appear on campus, as people at Michigan State would not be too happy. The goal was for Miss Terry to scout things out and report back before accepting the job.

A thumbs up came from Miss Terry, only for Saban to question the decision one more time ahead of his introductory press conference. That was quickly shut down and Saban made his way into a room to meet with the media as the next football head coach at LSU.

Nick Saban tells the story of how his wife Miss Terry got him to LSU….

"Put your big boy pants on and your ass in the press conference and go to work!" (via @LaSportsHall) pic.twitter.com/fOQrGZo24f

— Carter Bryant (@PowerHourLSU) June 29, 2025