University of Alabama Athletics

A man of vision who has a proven record of championship success, head coach Nick Saban has returned the University of Alabama to the top of the college football landscape with his commitment to building the total program. After the victory over Georgia in the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Saban joined Paul "Bear" Bryant as the only two coaches to win six national titles in the poll era of college football.

Entering his 13th season in Tuscaloosa, Saban's uncompromising dedication to excellence in every phase of the program has resulted in five national championships since 2009. An eight-time National Coach of the Year, Saban has achieved resounding success as a head coach and has earned a reputation as an outstanding tactician, leader, organizer and motivator. Those qualities have sparked impressive turnarounds at every stop of his career. Saban's consistent approach and disciplined leadership are the reasons his teams are known for exhibiting grit, determination and resilience, often overcoming adversity to achieve victory.

The most recent example of his team's ability to overcome adversity and achieve victory was the 2018 SEC Championship Game. The Crimson Tide rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to defeat Georgia 35-28 to claim the program's 27th SEC title. The victory added to Saban's impressive career record of 14-3 in championship games (SEC/National).

His 2018 team compiled a 14-1 record, just Saban's third team to go undefeated through the regular season (2009, 2016) and his fourth to reach the 14-win plateau (2009, 2015-16). He won the Walter Camp National Coach of the Year Award and the Tide also qualified for its fifth straight appearance in the College Football Playoff, earning the No. 1 seed and a trip to the Capital One Orange Bowl to play No. 4 Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide cruised past the Sooners in the Semifinal by a score of 45-34, using an early 28-0 lead to ensure the victory. Alabama produced its most potent offense to date, finishing the 2018 campaign as the national leader in passing efficiency (197.34). The Tide also wrapped up 2018 ranked third in scoring offense (45.6 ppg) along with sixth in both total offense (522.0 ypg) and passing offense (323.6 ypg). The 2018 senior class also broke the NCAA record for wins, eclipsing the Tide's 2017 class, with a record of 55-4 to match Clemson's 2018 senior class for the most wins in a four-year period.

Sophomore Tua Tagovailoa quarterbacked the offensive unit, winning the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year and The Sporting News Player of the Year while finishing runner-up in Heisman Trophy voting. Jerry Jeudy won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best wide receiver while Quinnen Williams earned the Outland Trophy and led the country's No. 12 scoring defense (18.1 ppg). Alabama finished with six first team All-Americans (Tagovailoa, Jeudy, Q. Williams, OT Jonah Williams, S Deionte Thompson and C Ross Pierschbacher). Both Jonah and Quinnen were recognized as unanimous All-Americans while Jeudy, Tagovailoa and Thompson were consensus All-America selections.

Saban's team overcame a 13-0 halftime deficit to Georgia in the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship Game for a 26-23 overtime victory that secured Alabama's NCAA-record 17th national championship.

Saban has compiled a 237-63-1 (.789) record (232-63-1, .786 after vacations) as a college head coach and went 127-13 (.907) in the past 10 seasons entering the 2019 campaign, which is the best of any major college school over a 10-year span since Bud Wilkinson at Oklahoma in the late 1940s through the late 1950s. Entering the 2018 campaign, UA's 127 wins over the past decade are the most for any FBS school during a 10-yard span in the Associated Press poll era (since 1936).

Since 2008, the Crimson Tide also boast an astounding 139-15 (.903) record, including a 79-9 (.879) mark in regular season conference play.

In 2018, the Tide reached the 10-win milestone for the 11th consecutive season and won 11 or more games for the eighth straight year, which extended the conference record. Alabama has won at least 12 games in five straight years and became the second team in the poll era to win at least 13 games in four straight seasons.

Since Saban's second season in Tuscaloosa in 2008, the Tide have played just three regular-season games in which it hasn't been in contention for the national championship – the final three regular season games of the 2010 season – a staggering 131 of 134 games, while posting a 125-9 (.933) record during the regular season. In Saban's five national championship seasons at Alabama, his teams have gone 17-2 against top-10 opponents, and, since 2008, the Crimson Tide is 29-10 overall against top-10 teams. Alabama has been ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for at least one week for 11 straight years, which broke the all-time record of seven established by Miami (1986-92).

Alabama has not lost to an unranked team since 2007 and have lost just one game to a team ranked outside the top 15 in the AP poll in the last 10 years (No. 19 South Carolina in 2010). For perspective, no team in the FBS has lost fewer than 10 games to teams outside the top 15 in that same time frame.

The 2017 Crimson Tide earned its fourth straight trip to the College Football Playoff and defeated No. 1 Clemson 24-6 in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The Tide finished the season with a 13-1 record and a share of the SEC Western Division title. Alabama had 10 players earn first team All-SEC honors while Minkah Fitzpatrick captured the Bednarik Award as the National Defensive Player of the Year and the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back. Fitzpatrick and linebacker Rashaan Evans earned first team All-America honors. Saban's defense led the nation in scoring (11.9 ppg), total defense (260.4 ypg) and rushing defense (94.7 ypg) while ranking second in pass efficiency defense (96.78). The offensive side of the ball finished 13th nationally in rushing (250.6 ypg) and 15th in scoring (37.1 ppg). The senior class posted a NCAA-record 53-5 mark from 2014-17 and a 64-7 mark over the last five years which is also the best in NCAA annals.  

Saban's 2016 squad completed an undefeated regular season for the first time since 2009 and secured the program's 26th SEC Championship – the third straight for the program – and the fourth across five years. The Tide defeated Washington in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (24-7), before dropping a 35-31 game to Clemson in the CFP National Championship Game in Tampa, Fla. Alabama finished with a 14-1 record after defeating nine ranked teams and 11 teams that qualified for bowl games during the 2016 season. Alabama finished the year No. 2 in the national polls.

Saban, who was named the SEC Coach of the Year and Munger Award National Coach of the Year (presented by the Maxwell Football Club), had five players earn first team All-America honors – Jonathan Allen, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Reuben Foster, Marlon Humphrey and Cam Robinson. Allen also captured the Nagurski Trophy and the Bednarik Award, both of which go to the national defensive player of the year, and the Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end, while Foster won the Butkus Award that is given to the nation's best linebacker, and Robinson captured the Outland Trophy. The senior class posted a then-NCAA-record 51-6 record from 2013-16.

The 2015 team secured the Crimson Tide's fourth national championship in seven years. They became the first team to win back-to-back Southeastern Conference Championships in 17 years (Tennessee, 1997-98) and were the only program to earn an invitation to each of the first two College Football Playoffs. Saban led his team to victories in the final 12 games of the season, including wins at No. 8 Georgia, at No. 9 Texas A&M, vs. No. 4 LSU, at No. 17 Mississippi State, against No. 18 Florida in the SEC Championship Game, vs. No. 3 Michigan State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl and over No. 1 Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. The senior class won a school-record 50 games (50-6) over their four years with three SEC Championships and two national titles.

The Crimson Tide featured Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry, who also captured the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year and Doak Walker Award. Ryan Kelly won the Rimington Trophy as the nation's top center. Linebacker Reggie Ragland was a finalist for the Butkus Award, Nagurski Trophy and the Bednarik Award, while A'Shawn Robinson was a finalist for the Outland Trophy. The offensive line was also awarded the Joe Moore Award, which goes to the nation's toughest line. All four of the Tide's finalists garnered first team All-America honors, while Eddie Jackson was a second-team selection.

Henry set school records for rushing yards (2,219), rushing touchdowns (28), rushing attempts (395) and all-purpose yardage (2,310). A trademark of Saban-coached teams, the Tide ranked among the nation's best on both sides of the ball, checking in at No. 1 in the country in rushing defense, No. 3 in total defense and scoring defense, and eighth in pass efficiency defense while averaging 199.9 rushing yards and 227.1 passing yards per game on offense. Saban's on-side kick call in the national championship game proved key, propelling the Crimson Tide to the program's 16th national title. In the classroom, the numbers were just as astounding, as UA had a nation-leading 29 graduates on the roster for the bowl game including three players with their master's degree in hand.

Saban became the first coach to win back-to-back BCS national championships at the end of the 2012 season, and he is one of three college coaches in the poll era (since 1936) to win three national championships in four years (2009-2012), joining Frank Leahy of Notre Dame (1946-47, 1949) and Tom Osborne of Nebraska (1994-95, 1997). He is also just the second (Leahy) to win four titles in seven years, a feat he has now accomplished twice (2009-12 and 2011-17).

Saban, the 2014 Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year, led the Crimson Tide to the top seed in the first College Football Playoff at the 2015 Allstate Sugar Bowl, UA's 24th SEC Championship and a 12-2 record. Alabama won its final eight games to earn a spot in the playoff, including a closing gauntlet that included wins at No. 14 LSU, over No. 1 Mississippi State, against No. 15 Auburn and versus No. 14 Missouri in the SEC Championship. The 2014 senior class finished with a 48-6 record over four years and went to four straight New Year's Six Bowls, including national championships in 2011 and 2012. The Crimson Tide featured Heisman Trophy finalist and UA's first-ever Biletnikoff Award winner Amari Cooper and Nagurski Trophy and Thorpe Award finalist Landon Collins. Along with Cooper and Collins, Ray Guy Award finalist punter JK Scott, linebacker Trey DePriest and offensive guard Arie Kouandjio garnered first team All-America honors. SEC Championship Game MVP Blake Sims set school records for total offense (3,837 yards) and passing yards (3,487), while Cooper established UA marks in every receiving category. The Tide ranked among the nation's best on both sides of the ball, checking in at No. 6 in the country in scoring defense and 15th overall in scoring offense. In the classroom, Alabama had 22 graduates on the roster for the bowl game (tied for the most in the nation) and seven players with their master's degree in hand (first in the nation).

Saban led the 2013 Alabama team to the Allstate Sugar Bowl, making a sixth straight New Year's bowl appearance and the third straight in a BCS bowl. That senior class posted a remarkable record of 60-7 over their last five years with four bowl wins and three national titles. Their record in the classroom was just as impressive as 28 Crimson Tide graduates took the field for the bowl matchup with Oklahoma. Senior quarterback AJ McCarron was named a first team All-American, won the Maxwell and Unitas Award, and finished as the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting. On the other side of the ball, senior linebacker C.J. Mosley took home Alabama's third Butkus Trophy and earned All-America honors for the second straight year as he led a defense that entered the bowl game ranked second nationally in fewest points allowed. Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio joined McCarron and Mosley as first team All-Americans.

Alabama remained at the forefront of the college football world in 2012 with an explosive offense and a retooled defense that maintained its place as one of the most dominant units in the nation. The Crimson Tide won the program's 23rd SEC championship (the most in league history) with a victory over Georgia that propelled Alabama into the 2013 Discover BCS National Championship Game, where they soundly defeated Notre Dame by a score of 42-14 to earn the school's 15th national title. For his efforts following the season, Saban was named the Bobby Bowden National Coach of the Year, his third such honor in his previous four years.

The Alabama defense in 2012 led the nation in rush defense (76.4 ypg), total defense (250.0 ypg) and scoring defense (10.9 ppg). The Tide offense ranked 12th nationally in scoring at 38.7 points per game, 16th nationally in rushing at 227.5 yards per game and set a school record with 542 points scored in 2012. The Crimson Tide featured four first team All-Americans in 2012, including two along the offensive line in center Barrett Jones and left guard Chance Warmack. A pair of defensive standouts also earned All-America honors in cornerback Dee Milliner and Mosley. Jones captured the Rimington Trophy, presented to the nation's best center, and the prestigious Campbell Award, as the student-athlete who best combined performance on the field, success in the classroom and service away from the field. The 2012 senior class set then-school and SEC records for wins, while garnering a 49-5 record since 2009, a mark that tied Nebraska's NCAA record 49 wins from 1994-97. It also broke the Cornhuskers' record (60 wins from 1993-97) for the most major college football victories in a five-year period with 61 (2008-12).

The 2011 squad produced one of the most dominant defenses in the history of college football and captured Alabama's 14th national championship with a 21-0 victory over LSU in the BCS National Championship Game. The Tide defense led the nation in all major categories, becoming the second team since national statistics have been compiled, and the first since 1986 (Oklahoma), to accomplish that feat. UA allowed only 8.2 points per game, 183.6 total yards, 72.2 rushing yards, 111.5 passing yards and an 83.7 pass efficiency defense. Alabama finished with a 12-1 record.

Seven members of the 2011 Crimson Tide (including five on defense) were recognized as first team All-Americans by major media outlets, while Jones took home Alabama's third Outland Trophy and Heisman Trophy finalist Trent Richardson received the Tide's first Doak Walker Award. The team was recognized with the Disney Spirit Award, which was presented to snapper Carson Tinker, for the team's response in the community following a tornado that devastated Tuscaloosa on April 27, 2011. Jones also received the ARA Sportsmanship Award and the Wuerffel Trophy. Saban's efforts earned him the Bobby Bowden National Coach of the Year Award. The Tide also had extensive success in the classroom with 38 SEC Academic Honor Roll selections (a league record) and produced one Academic All-American in Jones.

Despite a young roster that listed only eight scholarship seniors, the 2010 Alabama team finished with its third consecutive 10-win season following a dominant 49-7 win over Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl. Five players were named first team All-SEC by either the AP or the league coaches, while six more earned second team All-SEC honors. Most impressively, two players (quarterback Greg McElroy and Jones) were named first team CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-Americans, which marked two consecutive years in which Alabama boasted two of the three CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-Americans in the SEC. McElroy, the ESPN Academic All-American of the Year, was named a National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete as a finalist for the Campbell Trophy.

The 2009 season at Alabama turned out to be one of the most memorable in program history, as the Tide compiled a perfect 14-0 mark and won the 2009 BCS National Championship by defeating Texas, 37-21, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Alabama earned a spot in the title game with a resounding 32-13 win over defending national champion Florida in the SEC Championship Game, as the Tide moved to No. 1 in both major polls. The SEC championship was the program's 22nd.

On Dec. 12, 2009, more history was made for both Alabama and Saban when running back Mark Ingram became the first Heisman Trophy winner for both. Saban's 2009 squad also was prominent when it came to other honors, as Rolando McClain received the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and six players earned first team AP All-America status — a college football record.

After the perfect 2009 season concluded, Saban was presented with the first Bobby Bowden National Coach of the Year Award. In addition to the on-field success, the 2009 Tide active roster featured a nation's-best 13 players who had already graduated. That number increased to 22 players with degrees for the bowl game.

Saban's first Alabama team finished 7-6 in 2007, but the 2008 season saw a vastly improved squad take the field. Saban's influence had taken hold in Tuscaloosa and – behind a small and united senior class along with a talented group of newcomers – the Tide returned to national prominence. Alabama developed a reputation as the most physical football team in the country and methodically dominated the competition. Saban produced the largest win increase from year one to year two in school history, as the Tide went from a seven-win team in 2007 to 12 wins in 2008.

Alabama swept through the 2008 regular season schedule with a 12-0 record, moving to No. 1 in all of the polls and capturing the SEC Western Division Championship before falling late to Florida in a hard-fought SEC Championship Game. The team's efforts earned them a trip to the Allstate Sugar Bowl for the 13th time in school history. Saban was named the 2008 Home Depot Coach of the Year at the ESPN College Football Awards Show and won several other national coach-of-the-year honors including the FWAA/Eddie Robinson, Associated Press, Sporting News, Walter Camp Football Foundation and Liberty Mutual.

Lessons learned from the 2007 season – which was capped with a win over Colorado in the Independence Bowl – no doubt carried into spring and summer preparations for the 2008 run. The win also continued an impressive streak for Saban as he has yet to have a losing season as a college head coach. Of the six losses in 2007, none was by more than seven points. In addition to an improvement in the win column from the year prior, the 2008 signing class was rated by many analysts as the best in the country.

Before arriving in Tuscaloosa, Saban's most recent college head coaching stint was a five-season run at LSU that 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.

Saban took over the Alabama program after serving two seasons at the helm of the Miami Dolphins. Saban's teams showed marked improvement over the unit he inherited. Taking over a team that finished 4-12 in 2004, Saban led the 2005 Dolphins to a 9-7 record, the third-biggest turnaround in the NFL that season and the second-highest victory turnaround for a Dolphins team in any non-strike season. Most impressively, the Dolphins finished 2005 on a six-game winning streak to end the year, the longest streak in the NFL that season.

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, Paul Dietzel and Les Miles are the only coaches in the program's history to post multiple 10-win seasons. Saban, Dietzel and Bernie Moore are the only head coaches in Tiger history to win two SEC titles.

Saban's 2000 Tigers rebounded from two straight losing seasons to post an 8-4 record, capped by a 31-20 win over No. 15 Georgia Tech in the Peach Bowl. Victories over Tennessee and Mississippi State highlighted that season, along with a key road win at Ole Miss.

The 2001 Tigers improved to 10-3 overall and won the program's first outright SEC title since 1986 with a 31-20 win over second-ranked Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game. An impressive second half against the Volunteers was a trademark of Saban's coaching acumen, as LSU outscored the Vols 21-3 in the final half to erase a 17-10 deficit. They won the game despite the absence of starting quarterback Rohan Davey and running back LaBrandon Toefield.

Sparked by one of the most prolific offenses in the nation, a unit that averaged 451.5 yards per game, the Tigers capped the 2001 season with a 47-34 defeat of Big Ten champion Illinois in the Sugar Bowl, LSU's first victory in a New Year's Day bowl game since 1968.

Stifling defense was the trademark of the 2002 Tigers. LSU posted an 8-5 record and a second straight New Year's Day bowl appearance. The Tigers, who faced Texas in the Cotton Bowl, held opponents to under 275 yards per game through the season's first six games and scored a school-record 30 or more points in six straight games. LSU just missed winning a second consecutive SEC West title, as a last-minute comeback by Arkansas in the regular-season finale prevented LSU from another appearance in the SEC Championship Game. That LSU team overcame the midseason loss of starting quarterback Matt Mauck, free safety Damien James and Toefield in successive weeks to make a run at an SEC Western Division title.

Saban's philosophy of "out of yourself and into the team" paid huge dividends 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. The LSU offense scored a school-record 475 points (33.9 per game) while holding 13 of 14 opponents to fewer than 20 points. LSU's defense ranked first nationally in points allowed per game (11.0) and total defense (252.0 yards per game). After a 7-1 start, LSU ended the season with six dominating victories by an average margin of 35-10. An impressive 34-13 victory over Georgia in the 2003 SEC title game paved LSU's way to an appearance in the BCS Championship Game against top-ranked Oklahoma. The Tigers produced a dominant defensive effort against the Sooners in the Sugar Bowl, limiting the Sooners to 154 yards of total offense in a 21-14 victory.

Saban's final LSU team in 2004 overcame the loss of 13 players from the 2003 squad who went on to NFL rosters, posting a 9-3 record while producing the SEC's best rushing offense (200.7 yards per game). The Tiger defense ranked third nationally during the regular season in total defense (249.9 yards per game) and passing defense (145.4 yards per game), allowing only 15.9 points per contest.

Saban served as head coach at Michigan State from 1995-99, his second stint at the East Lansing school as he also spent 1983-87 as the Spartans' defensive coordinator/secondary coach. After playing in only one bowl game in the previous four years, Michigan State made four postseason appearances in Saban's five years at the helm. Saban led MSU to a 34-24-1 (.585) record.

In 1999, Saban led his final Spartans team to a No. 7 national ranking, finishing in a tie for second place in the Big Ten. The Spartans defeated Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State in the same year for the first time since 1965 and recorded six wins at home for the first time since the 1912 season. The Spartans' performance that year landed them a spot in the Citrus Bowl. Michigan State led the Big Ten in rushing defense (77.0 ypg) and total defense (299.0 ypg) while ranking fifth nationally in rushing defense and 11th in total defense. The MSU offense averaged 31.0 points per game.

Saban was the first coach in school history to put the Spartans in postseason bowl games in each of his first three seasons – as he led Michigan State to the Independence Bowl in 1995, the Sun Bowl in 1996 and the Aloha Bowl in 1997.

Before Michigan State, Saban spent four seasons (1991-94) as defensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns under head coach Bill Belichick. The Browns went from allowing the most points (462) in the NFL prior to Saban's arrival to allowing the fewest points (204) in the league in 1994, the sixth-fewest points surrendered in NFL history at the time. In each of Saban's four years guiding the Browns defense, they never permitted an average of more than 19.2 points per game. He built a reputation as one of the finest defensive coaches in the league and also was heavily involved in the team's player personnel and scouting process.

Saban's first head coaching position came at the University of Toledo in 1990, as he guided the Rockets to a record of 9-2 that year, finishing as co-champions of the Mid-American Conference. The Rockets ranked among the NCAA leaders in both total defense (12th at 284.8 ypg) and scoring defense (16th at 16.2 ppg) and missed posting an undefeated record by a mere five points.

Saban joined Toledo after serving as secondary coach with the Houston Oilers for two seasons under Jerry Glanville (1988-89), his first NFL coaching position. He quickly made an impact on the Oilers defense, as the team's secondary tied for fourth in the AFC in 1988 with 21 interceptions and then tied for second in the conference in 1989 with 22 picks.

In his first stint at Michigan State, Saban served as secondary coach and defensive coordinator under George Perles from 1983-87. Saban played an integral part in helping the Spartans make three postseason bowl appearances, including a Big Ten championship in 1987 and a 20-17 victory over Southern California in the 1988 Rose Bowl. Michigan State led the nation in rushing defense in 1987, (61.2 ypg) and ranked second in scoring defense (12.4 ppg).

A native of Monongah, W. Va., Saban is a 1973 graduate of Kent State University where he earned a bachelor's degree in business. He earned a master's degree in sports administration from Kent State in 1975. Born Oct. 31, 1951, Saban and his wife, the former Terry Constable, have two children, Nicholas and Kristen. They have been married for 46 years and are enjoying the company of their granddaughter, Amélie and son-in-law Adam Setas.

Saban co-authored "Tiger Turnaround" in 2001, documenting his first two years at LSU. He then co-authored "How Good Do You Want to Be?" in 2005, a book that offers real-life principles for success at work and at home.

At Michigan State, the Sabans started the Nick's Kids Foundation, which they have continued in Tuscaloosa, a vibrant example of their continuing concern for disadvantaged children. Since Nick and Terry arrived in Tuscaloosa, nearly $8 million has been distributed to students, teachers and children's causes at over 150 charities through the Nick's Kids Foundation.

The Sabans also have played a big role in tornado relief efforts in Tuscaloosa and the surrounding areas. Immediately following the devastating storm on April 27, 2011, Nick and Terry visited shelters where they paid for and served meals to those in need. Through Nick's Kids, the Sabans joined with Habitat for Humanity in helping to rebuild 17 homes lost in the tornado, the most recent of which was dedicated in May of 2018 following Alabama's 17th national championship.

With support and donations from the Sabans, St. Francis Catholic Church in Tuscaloosa built the Saban Catholic Student Center, which opened in August of 2016. In receiving the 2008 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award, Saban was awarded a $50,000 gift at the A-Day Game. He designated the gift for Nick's Kids, as well as an additional $20,000 gift for The University of Alabama scholarship fund. In June of 2008, the Sabans announced a $1 million gift to benefit Alabama's first-generation scholarship program. The gift has a special meaning to the Sabans, as both Nick and Terry were first-generation graduates.