From Line Dancing To His Grandma's Cake, Nick Saban's Best Off-The-Field Moments

When He Compared Selecting A Quarterback To His Grandma's Cake

In a July 2023 SEC Media Days press conference, Saban was asked about replacing quarterback Bryce Young. He famously responded with a story not about recruiting strategy, but about his grandmother.

"Grandma Saban used to bake the best cakes in the world," Saban replied to the quarterback question. "I used to stand by the oven when I was a kid and say, 'When's this cake going to be done? When's this cake going to be done?' And she said, 'If I take it out of the oven too soon it's going to turn to mush, so it won’t be a really good cake.'”

"So I think we've got to let this develop and make sure we let the cake bake until somebody separates themselves. All the players are working hard, they all have a good attitude, they're all competing well."

Legendary.

When He Said He Would Rather Watch Netflix Than Football

During a November 2022 appearance on his weekly radio show, the Alabama coach admitted he’d often rather watch Netflix than the sport that made him an icon.

"I really have a hard time enjoying the game, to be honest with you, when I watch it,” Saban shared. “All the time that I spend, whether it’s watching a defensive team for our offensive preparation or the other team’s offense for the defense’s preparation. What you’re constantly looking for is what are the issues, what causes problems, what kind of adjustments do you have to make if we were playing against that? That’s all I do.”

"I might as well go back to work," he went on. "So it’s not really enjoyable, and then I find myself like at the end of the game saying, ‘Why didn’t they call timeout?’ … I’m like managing a game like we’re playing the game. So I’m like, ‘What can we watch on Netflix?’”

When He Revealed His Hidden Talent For Cleaning

Saban was asked in July 2022 what he wants people to know about him outside of his coaching legacy. His answer? "How well I clean house."

Saban, who has been married to his wife Terry for more than 50 years, said he hopes to be remembered for his ability to work his way down a honey-do list. "I've been cleaning house, you know, on vacation. I get a list everyday. I try to play golf in the morning. Miss Terry gives me a list when I get back and …run the sweeper, take out the garbage, Pledge the refrigerator. No one knows how well I do all those things."

His Celebrations With Miss Terry

Cameras captured a sweet moment between Saban and his beloved wife, Terry, following Alabama's 2021 Iron Bowl victory over Auburn. Barstool Sports shared the footage writing: "Nick Saban and Miss Terry are the definition of marriage goals."

When He Showed Off His Line Dancing Skills

Who doesn't like a man with moves?

Saban has never turned down the opportunity to cut a rug, as evidenced by various social media videos that have surfaced over the years. The one below of him doing the "Cupid Shuffle" with recruits in 2018 lives rent free in our heads.

In an August 2023 appearance on the SEC Network’s Marty & McGee, Saban said that he learned to dance as a teenager growing up in Fairmont, West Virginia, where there were only three things to do back then: hang out on the river, go to the movie theater, and dance at the local firehouse every other Saturday.  

“If you couldn’t dance, you couldn’t get a date,” he recalled. “I learned early that this is the way of the world. Not singing. Dancing.”

When He Shared His Breakfast Of Champions

Saban shocked the word in 2013 when he revealed in an interview with GQ that he eats the same thing for breakfast every morning: two Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies.

"Part of my motivation for getting up in the morning is I love to have a cup of coffee and two Debbie cookies. Every day. And when I don't have them, I'm cranky," he told Eli Manning in 2021.

His Relationship With Walt Gary

Saban shared a special relationship with Alabama superfan Walt Gary, who sadly passed away in 2019 at the age of 36.

Gary was known for attending football practices on Thursdays, where he would visit with players. He would also meet weekly with Saban during the season to give him a score prediction ahead of the coach's radio show.