BREAKING: Former LSU coach Nick Saban retires
Nick Saban is set to announce his retirement, ESPN’s Chris Low reported. Saban informed his Alabama players about his plans Wednesday afternoon.
The former LSU head coach won a National Championship in Baton Rouge in 2003. He set the standard for what was to come in LSU’s run of three straight coaches who nabbed National Championships coaching the Tigers. Current LSU head coach Brian Kelly is looking to become the fourth straight and went 1-1 against Saban.
Saban has been the head coach at Alabama since 2007, leading the Crimson Tide to six national championships during that time. With his title at LSU, he retires with seven championships as part of his legendary career.
Saban’s coaching stint at LSU produced a record of 48-16 (.750), one national championship (2003), two Southeastern Conference championships, three SEC Western Division championships, and a 3-2 record in bowl games with two Sugar Bowl victories and a Peach Bowl win. LSU constructed a 28-12 (.700) record against SEC opponents under Saban’s guidance.
He was named the 2003 National Coach of the Year by the Associated Press and earned both the Paul W. “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year Award and the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award by the Football Writers Association of America. Saban was named SEC Coach of the Year twice (by The Birmingham News in 2001 and by the Associated Press in 2003) while at LSU.
In 2003, the Tigers produced a 13-1 record, won their second SEC championship and earned the school’s second national championship with a squad that was among the nation’s most dominant on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
Named head coach at LSU on Nov. 30, 1999, Saban led an immediate turnaround of a program that had suffered through seven losing seasons during the 1990s. His 48 victories over five seasons ranked third among Division I-A head coaches during that time.
Saban took over the Alabama program after serving two seasons at the helm of the Miami Dolphins.
