Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement Wednesday. The seven-time national champion coach spent the last 17 years of his coaching career at Alabama, and the Tide won six national titles during his time in Tuscaloosa and one at LSU.
Saban compiled a career college record of 292-71-1. Assuming he doesn’t unretire, he’ll finish at No. 5 on the alltime wins list, 112 wins behind all-time leader Joe Paterno.
Saban said in a statement; “The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me,” Saban said in an Alabama statement. “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.”
Saban, 72, led Alabama to three national titles in the BCS era and three in the College Football Playoff era. He led the Crimson Tide back to the playoff this year, though they fell to Michigan in the Rose Bowl.