Nick Saban Quotes

Nick Saban is one of the most successful football coaches in the history of the sport. His iconic name is synonymous with success on the collegiate football field, having been on the sidelines of college football since the early 1990s. Saban’s life has been filled with accomplishments and awards, including National Championships and numerous Coach of the Year awards. 

Table of Contents:

1. Early Life and Career Beginnings

2. Making an Impact on the Field

3. National Championships

4. Notable Achievements

5. Present and Future

6. Nick Saban Quotes

1. Early Life and Career Beginnings

Nick Saban was born in Fairmont, West Virginia on October 31, 1951. He was raised in a family of sports fanatics, his father was a coach and physical education teacher in the local high school. After graduating from Monongah High School in 1969, Nick decided to pursue a career in football and enrolled in Kent State University. After graduating with degrees in business and political science, he began to make a name for himself as the defensive coordinator at Syracuse University and then at Michigan State University. In 1995, he took the head coaching position at Michigan State, and the rest was history.

2. Making an Impact on the Field

During his tenure at Michigan State, Saban quickly built a reputation as a gifted football coach. He was respected for his thorough knowledge of the game and his innovative schemes that shut down opponents. He quickly ascended to the top of the Big Ten Conference and led the Spartans to multiple conference championships. Saban set the bar for greatness in college football and became a household name. In 1999, he was named the head coach and director of football operations of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns.

3. National Championships

In 2000, Nick Saban returned to the college ranks for a job at LSU. He wasted little time reviving the program, and by 2003 he had led the Tigers to their first BCS National Championship in over 40 years. Saban led LSU to another BCS National Championship in 2007, making him the only coach ever to win championship titles at two different universities. The Alabama Crimson Tide was the next stop in Saban’s career, and in 2009 he won his first BCS title there. In 2012, Saban guided Alabama to their second championship and added three more titles in 2015, 2017, and 2018 – cementing his legacy as one of the greatest college football coaches of all time.

4. Notable Achievements

Outside of his National Championships, Nick Saban has racked up numerous awards and honors. He is a four-time Paul “Bear” Bryant Award winner, four-time SEC Coach of the Year, two-time AFCA Coach of the Year, and four-time College Football Hall of Fame inductee. In 2009 he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, and he has also been voted Alabama’s greatest college football coach by fans. Saban has also been honored with several honorary degrees, as well as the Sequoyah National Medal of Honor.

5. Present and Future

Nick Saban has had a remarkable coaching career and is currently the head coach at the University of Alabama. His teams have been a dominant year in and year out, and he has cemented his legacy as one of the best coaches in the history of the game. While Saban isn’t getting any younger, his teams continue to be perennial contenders for the National Championship and his legacy lives on. With Saban at the helm, Alabama has won six National Championships and is one of the most successful teams in college football. His impact on the game cannot be denied, and his legacy will continue to be celebrated for years to come.

Nick Saban Quotes

“Mediocre people hate high achievers, and high achievers hate mediocre people.” — Nick Saban

“I’m tired of hearing all this talk from people who don’t understand the process of hard work-like little kids in the back seat asking ‘Are we there yet?’ Get where you’re going 1 mile-marker at a time.” — Nick Saban

“People who are role models for the principles and values of the organization, who buy-in and understand the vision of what the organization is trying to accomplish, and have the personality to inspire other people to the vision. You know, that’s what team chemistry and leadership is all about.” — Nick Saban

“Do what you do and be who you are.” — Nick Saban

“The roster that we have today may change tomorrow. It is what it is for right now.” — Nick Saban

“I’m not going to be the Alabama coach.” — Nick Saban

“A truly unselfish team player does not care who gets credit for success and is willing to take on blame when things don’t go right. Unfortunately, we live in a world when the selfish seem to outnumber the unselfish. Pat Riley points out that the people who create 20 percent of a team’s effectiveness may feel that they are deserving of 80 percent of the credit and rewards. The weaker links on a team or in an organization are often the ones who clamor for more credit.” — Nick Saban

“Be all you can be in whatever you choose to do. The sky is the limit, so go for it. And do not create any self-imposed limitations.” — Nick Saban

“There is no continuum for success. Focus on the progress, not the results.” — Nick Saban

“Character is what you do when no one else is watching.” — Nick Saban

“You can’t win together if you don’t work together.” — Nick Saban

“Anyone who doesn’t win their conference has no business playing in the national championship game.” — Nick Saban

“I don’t like to lose. I don’t expect to lose.” — Nick Saban

“Live by the creed that a strong work ethic, playing by the rules, and doing things the right way will bring about opportunities for success and, ultimately, happiness.” — Nick Saban

“Great leaders do not rush to make changes because of failure.” — Nick Saban

“Success doesn’t come from pie-in-the-sky thinking. It’s the result of consciously doing something each day that will add to your overall excellence.” — Nick Saban

“The number one thing on any team that will keep your players from being selfish is respect for the other players.” — Nick Saban

“Discipline is not punishment. Discipline is changing someone’s behavior.” — Nick Saban

“Every choice, every decision, everything we do every day, we want to be a champion.” — Nick Saban

“Our goal is to work against things we have not seen that we will see in the near future.” — Nick Saban

“It doesn’t matter what you are ranked until the end.” — Nick Saban

“I don’t think it’s about who you play, I think it’s about who you are.” — Nick Saban

“We have got to use every opportunity to improve individually so we can improve collectively.” — Nick Saban

“Your character is the accumulation of your thoughts, habits, and priorities on a day-to-day basis.” — Nick Saban

“Be on time because it shows you care.” — Nick Saban

“The formula for success is every guy can make a difference for the entire team in whatever his role is. And to do it right, to get it right, is a critical factor in being successful.” — Nick Saban

“If you don’t get result-oriented with the kids, you can focus on the things in the process that are important to them being successful.” — Nick Saban

“Champions are rare. Everybody has some chance, some opportunity to change and improve, but not everybody takes advantage. Be somebody who does.” — Nick Saban

“I think everybody should take the attitude that we’re working to be a champion, that we want to be a champion in everything that we do. Every choice, every decision, everything that we do every day, we want to be a champion.” — Nick Saban

“Focus on the process of what it takes to be successful.” — Nick Saban

“Focus on the play like it has a history and a life of its own.” — Nick Saban

“We’re not going to talk about what we’re going to accomplish, we’re going to talk about how we’re going to do it.” — Nick Saban

“Teaching is the ability to inspire learning.” — Nick Saban

“We create a standard for how we want to do things and everybody’s got to buy into that standard or you really can’t have any team chemistry. Mediocre people don’t like high-achievers and high-achievers don’t like mediocre people.” — Nick Saban

“In the NFL you get one first-round draft pick if you’re lucky. You couldn’t really outwork anybody else. In college I could recruit ten players with first-round talent every year.” — Nick Saban

“There are two pains in life. There is the pain of discipline and the pain of disappointment. If you can handle the pain of discipline, then you’ll never have to deal with the pain of disappointment.” — Nick Saban

“High achievers don’t like mediocre people, mediocre people don’t like high achievers.” — Nick Saban

“I think I’m pretty misunderstood because I’m not just about football.” — Nick Saban

“By definition, a leader is “a person who rules or guides or inspires others.” But that’s not entirely true. A person “who rules” may or may not be a leader, even if he or she is the ruler or manager. You see, just because you’re in command of a company, a team, or an army battalion, that does not qualify you as a leader. Perhaps you attained that position by experience or success, or maybe you simply outlasted everyone else. Regardless, how you lead defines you as a leader.” — Nick Saban

“Great leaders are not always popular.” — Nick Saban

“One thing about championship teams is that they’re resilient. No matter what is thrown at them, no matter how deep the hole, they find a way to bounce back and overcome adversity.” — Nick Saban

“You can’t get from A to Z by passing up B.” — Nick Saban

“Eliminate the clutter and all the things that are going on outside and focus on the things that you can control with how you sort of go about and take care of your business. That’s something that’s ongoing, and it can never change.” — Nick Saban

“The more one emphasizes winning, the less he or she is able to concentrate on what actually causes success.” — Nick Saban

“We have to compete within ourselves relative to the determination it takes to be successful.” — Nick Saban

“A good process produces good results.” — Nick Saban

“What happened yesterday is history. What happens tomorrow is a mystery. What we do today makes a difference – the precious present moment.” — Nick Saban

“I don’t care what you did yesterday. If you’re happy with that, you have bigger problems.” — Nick Saban

“Some of the great leaders in history were not adored, but respected. My advice to leaders – stop trying to please everyone and do what you believe is best.” — Nick Saban

“Any team that does not win its the conference championship game should not play in the BCS title game.” — Nick Saban

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