Nick Saban is retiring after a 17-year run at Alabama, one of the most impressive stretches for a coach in the history of college sports — and maybe sports overall.
Saban leaves Alabama with a 206-29 record, a staggering 87% winning percentage. A seven-time national coach of the year who won four titles in a seven-year stretch, Saban said after the Tide’s loss in the 2024 semifinals that he was immensely proud of the way this group had grown, even if it had fallen short of its goal for a championship.
Winning titles became the expectation in Tuscaloosa, and it’s easy to see why. During his time at Alabama, he won six national championships: in the 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020 seasons. Additionally, he led LSU to the title in the 2003 season.
Here’s a rundown of each of his national titles:
2003 season
Maybe Saban’s most impressive title given what he inherited — LSU had totaled seven losing seasons throughout the 1990s — Saban led the Tigers to a 21-14 win over Oklahoma in the BCS title game. The 2003 LSU squad was dominant on both sides of the ball, ultimately helping catapult Saban to the NFL, where he spent two mediocre seasons and compiled a 15-17 record. He returned to college football in 2007, taking over at Alabama.
2009 season
Behind Hesiman winner Mark Ingram’s 116-yard, two-touchdown performance, Alabama beat previously undefeated Texas 37-21 in the Rose Bowl for Saban’s first championship at Alabama. The Tide had a monster second quarter, outscoring the Longhorns 24-0 to take a 24-6 lead into halftime before cruising to victory. Alabama finished the season 14-0. Also of note: Ingram’s Heisman was the first ever awarded to an Alabama player, and the first for Saban in his coaching career.
2011 season
Saban’s second title in Tuscaloosa came against his former team, as Alabama dominated LSU 21-0 in the BCS title game, played that year at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Offense wasn’t exactly on display at this championship, as Alabama took a 15-0 lead on five consecutive field goals from Jeremy Shelley. Running back Trent Richardson, a Heisman trophy finalist that season, ran in a 34-yard score with 1:39 to play for good measure, though Shelley missed the point after.
2012 season
Saban and Alabama went back-to-back in the 2012 season, thumping Notre Dame 42-14 in the BCS title game. The win marked Alabama’s and Saban’s third title in four years, and the school’s ninth championship overall. Though both Eddie Lacy and Amari Cooper scored twice apiece for the Tide — all on throws from Alabama QB A.J. McCarron — the game was remembered more for the hoopla surrounding Heisman finalist and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o, who had been the victim of an intricate catfishing scheme.
2015 season
In one of the most thrilling title games of the College Football Playoff era, Saban led Alabama to a 45-40 win over Clemson in the second CFP championship, played that year in Phoenix. The Tide reached the final after trouncing Michigan State 38-0 in the semis. Trailing 24-21 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Alabama reeled off 10 unanswered points before the teams scored a combined four touchdowns in the final 7:31. With the win, Saban became just the second coach to win five national championships in the modern era. The other? Alabama legend Paul “Bear” Bryant.
2017 season
Down 13-0 to Georgia at halftime, Alabama inserted freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and came back to force overtime, winning 26-23 when Tagovailoa connected with Devonta Smith for a 41-yard touchdown reception in the extra period. The winning play came just after Tagovailoa had been sacked for a 16-yard loss, and is the stuff of legend in Tuscaloosa. The win came over Saban’s protégé Kirby Smart, Alabama’s longtime defensive coordinator.
2020 season
Saban’s last title came against Ohio State, when Alabama once again used a huge second quarter to take a commanding 35-17 lead into halftime. The Tide went on to win 52-24, putting Saban — with six national championships at one school — in rarefied air. Alabama quarterback Mac Jones completed 36-of-45 passes for 464 yards and five touchdowns, while Devonta Smith grabbed 12 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns.
