Nick Saban

Sport: Coach

Induction Year: 2025

University: Kent State

The legendary college football coach brought the LSU Tigers from relative mediocrity to a national championship in five years (2000-04) as head coach before departing for the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. He won seven national titles, six since 2009 with Alabama, in 28 seasons as a head college coach and carved his prominent place in state sports history with the 2003 BCS national title win by his LSU squad over Oklahoma in the Superdome.

Under Saban, the Tigers won the Southeastern Conference championship in 2001 and 2003, took the SEC West Division crowns in 2001-03, and compiled a 48-16 (28-12 SEC) record in Baton Rouge, 4-1 in bowl games. He posted a 292-71-1 (.804) mark as a college head coach before his retirement after the 2023 season. He was national coach of the year for the first time and won his first SEC coach of the year award in 2003 at LSU.

The first coach to win a national title with two different FBS schools since the inception of the AP Poll in 1936, Saban joined Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant as the only coaches to win SEC crowns at different schools. His collection of national championships surpassed the previous record set by Bryant. Among Saban’s coaching tree, former LSU assistants Jimbo Fisher and Kirby Smart have led their teams to national titles. He is a 2013 inductee in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and will be inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame in December 2025.

After retiring from coaching, he joined the announcing crew for ESPN’s popular College GameDay Saturday morning show for the 2024 season, and has been nominated for a Sports Emmy Award. Born 10-31-51 in Fairmont, W.V.