Nick Saban explains why he and his family are now firmly ’embedded’ in Tuscaloosa

Nick Saban explains why he and his family are now firmly ’embedded’ in Tuscaloosa

When Nick Saban took the Alabama head coach job in 2007, the state of the program wasn’t great. But he’s turned it around to the tune of six national championships and signed a massive extension keeping him in Tuscaloosa for the foreseeable future.

Not that he was going anywhere anyway, though.

During an interview with ESPN’s Chris Low, Saban said he hasn’t thought about leaving Alabama anytime soon. After all, he’s gearing up for his 16th season as Crimson Tide coach, so he and his family are pretty well used to life in Tuscaloosa.

Plus, he doesn’t think his wife, Miss Terry, would approve a relocation.

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“I think we’ve been here long enough,” Saban said. “We’ve established ourselves long enough. I don’t think anybody ever worries about us going anyplace else. I certainly would never think of going any place else.

“Miss Terry would never move. We’ve got grandkids here, we’ve got our family here. We’re pretty embedded, from a lifestyle standpoint here.”

How a long and winding road led Nick Saban to Alabama

When Nick Saban took over at Alabama in 2007, he was coming off a 6-10 season with the Miami Dolphins and the Crimson Tide were coming off a 6-7 season before firing Mike Shula. At the same time, athletic department infractions led to vacated wins during Shula’s final two seasons and Saban’s first year. Still, Saban took the program and turned it into a national champion by 2009, the first of a run for the ages.

Even though he achieved his goal of working in the NFL, Saban’s love for college football led him to Tuscaloosa in the first place, and he’s planning to be there as long as he can.

“We all go through these stations of life where you think you want to do one thing and you find out, you learn about yourself,” Saban said. “When I went back to the NFL for the first time, I guess 18 years ago, I thought that’s what I ultimately wanted to do and I found out that I really enjoyed college football a lot and wanted to get back to it.

“This was a great opportunity to do it. So when I came here, it was with the idea that I was going to be here as long as I can do this. It’s not a surprise to me. It probably is to everybody else.”

Saban on Alabama following contract extension: ‘This is our home’

Nick Saban, 70, agreed to an extension through the 2029 season last week that will pay him $93.6 million over that time. It means he’ll end up surpassing Georgia coach — and former assistant — Kirby Smart as college football’s highest-paid coach just 33 days after Smart agreed to his high-profile extension.

Following the announcement, Saban acknowledged his family in his statement, in which he also opened up about why he loves coaching.

“Our family is very happy to agree to a contract extension with The University of Alabama,” Saban stated. Terry and I are very appreciative of the unmatched commitment the University has shown to this football program and our family over the last 15-plus years. This is our home, and we look forward to finishing our career at Alabama.

“I’ve said this before, but the most fulfilling part of our job is seeing the players that represent our program grow and develop, not only in football, but more importantly in what they have been able to accomplish in their lives because of their involvement in our program. We want to thank the Board of Trustees, Chancellor St. John, President Bell, Director of Athletics Greg Byrne, our athletics administration, the football staff and the whole University community for their support.”