Gators great Tim Tebow reacts to Nick Saban retirement news
Legendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban announced Wednesday he is retiring after 17 unbelievable seasons with the Crimson Tide — and Florida Gators legend Tim Tebow was among those to share this thoughts on this earth-shaking news.
Said Tebow on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter: “Through the battles against each other and through the years watching you, you’ve adapted, grown and won so consistently, leading young men through the highs and lows, wins and losses.
You’ve been one of the best, if not the best, to ever do it. What an impact you’ve had on the game. What a legacy you’ll leave on thousands of players and millions of fans. Thanks for being a tough opponent and a tougher coach, championing excellence on and off the field, and in lives of generations to come. Congrats on an amazing career Coach Saban.”
Tim Tebow faced Nick Saban twice as a Gator
While playing for the Gators from 2006-09, Tebow faced Saban-led Alabama teams twice — both in SEC Championship Games.
Florida beat the Tide, then ranked No. 1, 31–20, for the 2008 SEC title in Atlanta. The Gators then topped Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship Game.
A year later, Saban got his revenge on Tim Tebow and coach Urban Meyer’s Gators. Alabama, ranked No. 2, beat No. 1 Florida 32-13 in the SEC Championship Game. Saban, then in his third season with the Tide, would go on to claim his first of six national championships at Alabama during his incredible run.
Ironically, Tim Tebow picked Florida over Alabama as a touted recruit. But Saban was not yet the Tide’s coach.
It’s the end of an era in the SEC
Wednesday night, Saban released a statement about his exit from coaching.
“The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me,” Saban said. “We have enjoyed every minute of our 17 years being the head coach at Alabama as well as becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it’s about the legacy and how we went about it. We always tried to do it the right way. The goal was always to help players create more value for their future, be the best player they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program. Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home.”
Per Charlie Potter of Bama Online, “Saban is the only coach to win four BCS national titles, the only coach to win back-to-back BCS national championships and the only coach to win three CFP national championships. He has won seven titles in his last 17 years of coaching, most recently capturing the CFP national title after the 2020 season. Saban is one of three college coaches in the poll era (since 1936) to win three national championships in four years (2009, 2011-12). His title in 2020 moved him past Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most national championships in the poll era with seven.”
