The Saban Era Begins: The Process Of Building a Legacy and Defining an Era

If you thought that a National Championship is all that Nick Saban was after when he returned to college football, you haven't been listening to his interviews and you never read his book. You don't know who the man is and you are missing one of the most incredible sports human interest stories taking place in our lifetime.

This first BCS National Championship marks the beginning of something special at Alabama. The Saban legacy is established, the Era of Saban is just beginning.

Oh Brother, Where art thou!

It all started in Monongah, West Virginia, less than ten miles from the metropolis of Fairmont. Playing on teams in the school of hard knocks run by his dad, the original Coach Nick Saban. He taught the kids in that hard nosed town how to play football, and how to take life seriously.

His son was only one of his pupils in the outdoor classroom. It was an atmosphere of family time. As lifetime friend Kerry Marburry put it, "he treated us all as if we were his sons, and Nick was just one amongst us." Little Nick became known as "Brother" to all the other boys.

"Brother" went on to play for the Monongah Lions, later the Kent State University Golden Flashes while earning his bachelor's degree in business. He then moved on to advance his educational achievements at Kent State, receiving a master's degree in sports administration.

While in high school, Nick Saban quarterbacked his team to three state championships. College was a different story. First was the position change to defensive back. Next was the taste of losing week in and week out. In his first year, Nick didn't see the field often at 5'9" and 170 lb, dripping wet, he signed on for conditioning and weight training.

During his sophomore year, he earned a starting position yet his team finished the season 3-8. The frustration was most real when he realized that many on his team were not committed to success on the field.

This was a very different mindset from his days in the Black Diamond Athletic Department when excellence was demanded and winning was the result. The transition from sophomore to junior was as refreshing as the clean air on ascent from the pit of a coal mine. Don James became the new head coach at Kent State.

Along with the head coaching change, position coach Maury Biebent entered the young players life and changed him forever. The new coaching staff brought a purpose and infused new life into the Kent State program.

Though the junior year for Saban and his team was a struggle, during the second year, the team got on a roll. Attitudes changed and people like Jack Lambert took the field with confidence and authority. That's right, the future NFL star and Super Bowl freak was encouraged by the same "process" that Don James brought to Kent State.

Unfortunately for Saban, he broke his leg midway through his senior season and was sidelined for the remainder of the year. His team went on to win the Mid-American Conference, defeating teams such as Northern Illinois and Miami of Ohio to capture the crown. Just two years prior, these were teams that took them to the woodshed.

Though Saban couldn't play with a broken leg, he could participate in practice teaching the younger players on the team. In addition, he attended the games and provided senior leadership on the sidelines. Later, he became an assistant coach at Kent State. A stint that lasted for four years.

Journeyman

His next job, the first he had ever sought out, was under head coach Frank Maloney at Syracuse. Saban was hired to coach linebackers. The team had a rough start at 0-2 and folks were talking about firing Maloney. The season ended at 6-5 and the head coach got a new contract.

Saban went on to coach defensive backs at West Virginia with coach Frank Cignetti. Joe Pendry was at WVU at the time, as well. Friendships were forged in Morgantown that have lasted a lifetime.

Cignetti was fired by the WVU administration, though Saban was given the chance to stay on by new head coach Don Nehlen, he headed to Columbus, Ohio to coach defensive backs for coach Earl Bruce. Saban was reunited with his defensive mentor, Dennis Fryzel and it was Nick's first experience with "big time" college football.

The 'big time" stint didn't last long. The second season finish at 8-3 wasn't good enough at Ohio State and Earl Bruce got canned. The staff began the coaching scramble. The frequent moves, politics and insecurity gave young Saban ideas that he had made a bad decision to choose coaching as a career.

But the connections that he had made along the way and the fervor that he showed while being mentored by others always paid off. He was contacted by Navy head coach Gary Tranquil, whom he had coached with at West Virginia, to take the defensive coordinator position at Annapolis.

While at Navy, Saban met and coached alongside Steve Belichick, the man he knew as "The Emperor." Belichick took Saban under his wing and Saban soaked up as much as he could from the guru during his time at Navy.

Saban then pushed on to Michigan State under head coach George Perles. Perles became head coach of the Spartans in 1983, after coaching under Chuck Knox with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He participated on staff during the incredible run the Steelers had in winning four Super Bowls.

In the mid-80's Michigan State was known for their stout defenses and in 1987 Michigan State won the Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl victory solidified Perles' legacy at Michigan State and gave Saban the first inkling that he could one day become a head coach.

Opportunities were available but Saban was passed up for head coaching jobs at several institutions, including his alma mater, Kent State. Saban went back to the NFL to work for Jerry Glanville and the Houston Oilers. Glanville was friends with Bill Belichick who gave him the heads up on one of the best defensive assistants available.

Head Coach

After two years in the NFL, Saban was finally offered a head coaching job. Saban moved back to Ohio and he built a staff for the University of Toledo. In his first season as head coach, they finished the season 9-2 and shared the MAC conference title.

When Bill Belichick got the nod as head coach for the Cleveland Browns, he made the call to Nick Saban and offered the job as defensive coordinator. It had to be one of the toughest decision of his career.

To leave the head coaching position at a mid-major college to go back to being an assistant coach in the NFL seemed crazy to some. But to Nick and Terry, it seemed to be the best choice for them and they uprooted the family once again.

In the '90's, the Cleveland Browns had their heyday, finally returning to the playoffs in 1994. Belichick and Saban raised the defense to another level and sent four players to the Pro Bowl. They won the AFC wild-card game against New England but lost the AFC division championship to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Saban left Cleveland on a good note and returned to East Lansing as head coach of the Michigan State Spartans. He coached the Spartans from 1995-1999 accumulating a record of 34-24-1. The Spartan's appeared in the post season four of the five years Saban led the team.

In 1999, the Spartans had wins over Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. Losses to Purdue and Wisconsin dampened the success of the 9-2 season but the Spartans went on to defeat Florida in the Citrus Bowl and finish the season 10-2.

It was the best season in terms of wins since 1965 and the highest ranking since 1966 for the MSU football program. Saban went on to head coach the LSU Tigers and Miami Dolphins. Those seasons are well documented.

The Alabama Legacy Begins

But now he is the head coach at the University of Alabama. The 58 year old journeyman has found a place that loves him as much as he loves coaching their program. While he has nothing bad to say with regard to his time spent in Baton Rouge, one look at the football facility says it all.

After two national titles, the stadium still looks like it was built in the '50's and is in desperate need of repair. The ground level is boarded up and all the glass windows broken from years of disregard.

The majority of money taken in by the football program is not used to improve the facilities and provide better opportunities for the athletes as it should be done. Who knows where it goes?

This is not the case at the University of Alabama. Football is King. It is a means to a rich and rewarding life and is treated as such. Players are developed not only to play the game but to succeed in life thereafter.

The money generated from the success on the gridiron is used to improve everything the football player needs to succeed. Health, education and facilities improve because of the success on the field.

Saban knows that a freak injury can end a career at any point in time. It happened to him. Alabama players have access to the best educational facilities in the United States and are treated by the best physicians available to the program, some of which are regarded the best in their field.

The facilities at the University of Alabama were built under the vision and direction of Mal Moore. The support of the University President, Dr. Robert Witt is second to none in the college business.

The University President knows the value of excellence on the field of play and in the classroom. He works as hard as his head football coach to achieve excellence and his football coach knows it is so. For Nick and Terry Saban, Alabama is their sweet spot.

It is a University that is dedicated to education and sports. It is one of the most prestigious institutions in the South land and it provides for them an opportunity to pursue their interests outside of the football complex.

The Saban Era

The state of Alabama is still one of the most fertile fields for harvesting high school football prospects and borders states such as Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Mississippi that have equally good or better talent to choose from each year.

Moreover, Saban has strong ties to the high school coaches in Louisanna that still point the best prospects to his door. He has picked a few from Michigan, Texas and Virginia. He will find the best in the land and bring them to Tuscaloosa.

He has re-established dominance at Alabama with integrity and toughness. He brought his football family together and they are developing young head coaches in the process. Joe Pendry, Bobby Williams and Curt Cignetti are a core group that give Nick Saban the strength to get the job done each and every day.

He leans on his friendships in the business when he needs them but now he has become the mentor and teacher others turn to for guidance. Life has come full circle. He has become the person his father intended for him to become. How rewarding is that?!

His legacy will only grow in the remaining years of the Saban Era. The BCS National Championship established the legacy, the statue will solidify his permanent status on campus.

This is his first season with his own recruited players at Alabama. Considering what he did at MSU and LSU, the future at Alabama will be incredibly rewarding. Alabama's future success will establish an Era that will be the envy of many other programs for decades to come.

It will take three championships to establish a dynasty. One is in the bag. He won't give up until the dynasty is recorded history. So let it be written. So let it be done.

And when it is time for Nick to pull down his shingle as head coach, the institution is big enough and the tradition is rich enough to go on without him. One day another legacy will be born for a man who is now finding his way through tough times.

But know this, Nick Saban will always be honored by this fan. I only hope to one day shake his hand and call him "Brother."