History of head coaches at Alabama: Nick Saban’s retirement makes room for a legendary football program
On Wednesday, Alabama football’s most illustrious and prosperous chapter came to an end.
Nick Saban, who is 72 years old, has hung up his spike. And while his Crimson Tide squad lost to national champion Michigan in the Rose Bowl CFP semifinal, he did not get to ride out into the sunset; he also did not succumb to the mediocrity he so valiantly and effectively avoided during his time in Tuscaloosa.
In his last season, Alabama’s Crimson Tide finished 12-2, won the SEC title, defeated Tennessee, Auburn, and LSU—three of Alabama’s fiercest rivals—and prevented Georgia, the top-ranked team, from capturing the national championship for the third time in a row. That essentially cemented Saban’s reputation as the most esteemed coach in the history of the game.
This is the only tenure that some Alabama supporters have ever known, or at least the one that they can most vividly recall.
However, the Crimson Tide’s football legacy goes back deeper than head coach Nick Saban’s inaugural season in 2007. It includes legendary players Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Paul W. Bear Bryant, and Gene Stallings.
Here is a look back at Alabama’s head coaching history, where Nick Saban fits in, and potential next steps for the Crimson Tide:
Alabama’s past in coaching
With the exception of interim coach Joe Kines, who guided the Crimson Tide to the 2006 Independence Bowl after Mike Shula was fired, Saban was the 27th coach in Alabama football history.
After Bryant, Saban is the second-winningest and longest-tenured coach in program history when it comes to his career ending.
While Saban coached for 17 years and amassed an unofficial record of 206-29, the latter still retains the program records for most seasons coached at Alabama (25) and most wins (232-46-9).
Alabama has experienced a fair amount of mediocrity and downright awful seasons despite its success. The coaching history of Alabama is as follows:
