The Softer Side of Saban
The Softer Side of Saban TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Nick and Terry Saban’s flight made its final descent into the Tuscaloosa airport following their 2014 summer vacation. He gazed out the window, remembering the first time they had flown here in Jan. 2007. Mal Moore had just hired him, and was bringing them from Miami to introduce Nick as Alabama’s new head football coach. It had been more than seven years since then, and Nick asked Terry, “In your wildest dreams, did you think we’d come here and win three national championships?” She immediately quipped, “Honey, you’re not in my wildest dreams.” That exchange of playful bantering between them, which he depicted during his Sept. 11 radio broadcast, isn’t how he’s normally portrayed by members of the media. Since Saban began coaching at Alabama in 2007, his press conference ‘rants’ [as they are commonly referred to] have become legendary. In fact, a recent Google search of “Nick Saban rant” returned more than 139,000 results. Saban is not usually known for being ‘warm and fuzzy’ by any sense of the word. Nothing drives this point home more than a clip from an episode of CBS’s 60 Minutes which aired Nov. 3, 2013. During Terry Saban’s portion of the interview, she explains that some of Nick’s assistant coaches who have been with him for many years have said he seems to have mellowed in the past few years. However, when outsiders see him on the field or at practice they ask her, “Mellowed, relative to what?” Perhaps Nick Saban is misunderstood by people who aren’t close to him? It’s possible, because this past August at the annual meeting of his Nick’s Kids charitable organization, his 6month-old granddaughter made her public debut. The first-time grandfather was grinning from ear to ear while posing for pictures with her and Terry.
Another example of Saban’s softer side is witnessed by regular attendees of his weekly radio broadcast at Bob’s Victory Grille [“Hey Coach”]. During the first commercial break of each show Nick goes directly to Terry’s table and greets her with a hug and kiss. A few minutes prior to that he may have been strictly focused on explaining a particular play or event that occurred in that day’s practice, but that intensity vanishes when he sees Terry.
In the opening segment of the 60 Minutes special on Coach Saban, the moderator explains that words like ‘intense,’ ‘tightly-wound,’ and ‘control-freak’ are some of the adjectives the media has used in the past when describing him, especially when it comes to his football program. During many of his press conferences, they scrutinize his every word, or critique and analyze his every move. No wonder he goes off on them sometimes. After a while, enough is enough, and he gets his fill of the questions and comments that make no sense to him. At the Aug. 28 “Hey Coach” show, Saban said, “I appreciate good journalism and people [journalists] who care about what they do, and take the time to get the facts straight about issues before they report on them.” We caught up with Terry Saban on her way out of the Sept. 11 “Hey Coach” Show when Nick had jokingly recounted the scene of being told he wasn’t in her wildest dreams. We commented on how endearing their playful bantering is with one another, especially after 42 years of marriage. A big smile lit up her face and she said, “Honey, you don’t know the half of it – it gets much worse than that at home.”
Another example of Saban’s softer side is witnessed by regular attendees of his weekly radio broadcast at Bob’s Victory Grille [“Hey Coach”]. During the first commercial break of each show Nick goes directly to Terry’s table and greets her with a hug and kiss. A few minutes prior to that he may have been strictly focused on explaining a particular play or event that occurred in that day’s practice, but that intensity vanishes when he sees Terry.
In the opening segment of the 60 Minutes special on Coach Saban, the moderator explains that words like ‘intense,’ ‘tightly-wound,’ and ‘control-freak’ are some of the adjectives the media has used in the past when describing him, especially when it comes to his football program. During many of his press conferences, they scrutinize his every word, or critique and analyze his every move. No wonder he goes off on them sometimes. After a while, enough is enough, and he gets his fill of the questions and comments that make no sense to him. At the Aug. 28 “Hey Coach” show, Saban said, “I appreciate good journalism and people [journalists] who care about what they do, and take the time to get the facts straight about issues before they report on them.” We caught up with Terry Saban on her way out of the Sept. 11 “Hey Coach” Show when Nick had jokingly recounted the scene of being told he wasn’t in her wildest dreams. We commented on how endearing their playful bantering is with one another, especially after 42 years of marriage. A big smile lit up her face and she said, “Honey, you don’t know the half of it – it gets much worse than that at home.”
