Alabama Legend Nick Saban Has Retired

Nick Saban, the longtime coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, is retiring ESPN's Chris Low was first to report. Alabama Football confirmed the news Wednesday evening.

In a statement from the university's football program, Saban said, "The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me. We have enjoyed every minute of our 17 years being the head coach at Alabama as well as becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it's about the legacy and how we went about it. We always tried to do it the right way. The goal was always to help players create more value for their future, be the best player they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program. Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home."

Just before Coach's statement was released, his wife, Ms. Terry, took to Facebook to address the news. In a post on their Nick's Kids Foundation page she said, "It has been an incredible run these last 17 years at the University of Alabama and we take with us many amazing memories. We hope that the Saban legacy will be about helping others and making a positive difference in people's lives as well as the winning tradition on the field."

She went on to say that their work with the Nick's Kids Foundation would continue help children, student, and teacher causes in Alabama. She concluded her note with, "The rules for the game of football may change, but the ‘process’ will never go out of style: hard work, discipline, the relentless pursuit of a worthy goal, not cutting corners, and doing things the right way for the sake of constant personal improvement, not for the scoreboard. Alabama will always feel like 'Sweet Home' to our family, and we'll be cheering ‘Roll Tide’!”

Saban, 72, was hired by the University of Alabama in 2007 and led the football program to six national championship wins and 11 Southeastern Conference championships over the course of 17 seasons. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history.

Before joining Alabama in 2007, Saban coached at LSU where he led the Tigers to a title win in 2003. 

The West Virginia native was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. Among numerous other accolades, Saban is a five-time SEC Coach of the Year, two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year, two-time AP College Football Coach of the Year, and two-time Paul “Bear” Bryant Award winner.