Saban was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, to Mary and Nick Lou Saban Sr. His father owned a small service station and his mother was a homemaker. He grew up with a sister, Dianna, and graduated from Monongah High School in the small community of Monongah, West Virginia, about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Morgantown. Saban is of Croatian ancestry. His paternal grandfather, Stanko Saban, was born in 1895 in Gospić, in the Lika region of Croatia. Stanko emigrated to Portland, Oregon, in 1908, when he was 13 years old. He later married Anna Mihalic, of Croatian-American heritage.
As a college football head coach, Saban won seven national titles, the most in college football history. His first came when he led the LSU Tigers to the BCS National Championship in 2003. He then coached the Alabama Crimson Tide to BCS and AP national championships in 2009, 2011, 2012, and to College Football Playoff championships in 2015, 2017 and 2020. He became the first coach in college football history to win a national championship with two different Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools since the inception of the AP Poll in 1936. Saban and Bear Bryant are the only coaches to win an SEC championship at two different schools. Saban's career record as a college head coach is 292–71–1.
Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. (/ˈseɪbən/ SAY-bən; born October 31, 1951) is an American sportscaster and former professional and college football coach. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's College GameDay, a television program covering college football. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest football coaches of all time. Saban served as head coach of the National Football League (NFL)'s Miami Dolphins and at four universities: Louisiana State University (LSU), Michigan State University, the University of Toledo and most famously the University of Alabama, where he last coached from 2007 to 2023.
On December 18, 1971, Saban married Terry Constable, also from West Virginia. In 1973, he graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor's degree in business. Saban played defensive back for Kent State under coach Don James. He and a roommate avoided being part of the Kent State shootings, on May 4, 1970, when they decided to eat lunch before walking to the rally area.
Saban is from the Don James coaching tree. After Saban finished his degree at Kent State in 1972, James convinced him to join the Kent State coaching staff as a graduate assistant. Saban's coaching career encompasses the Bill Belichick coaching tree, having worked as his defensive coordinator during Belichick's tenure as head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Saban worked with Belichick's father, Steve, while on the staff together at Navy in 1982.
In 1975, Saban earned his master's degree in sports administration from Kent State. Saban's father died during his son's first year of graduate school.
Saban had not intended to enter the coaching ranks until Don James hired him as a graduate assistant at Kent State, while Saban waited for his wife to graduate. He later served as an assistant coach in NCAA Division I-A, at several schools: Syracuse in 1977, West Virginia in 1978 and 1979, Ohio State in 1980 and 1981, Navy in 1982, and Michigan State from 1983 to 1987.
In Saban's 17th season, Alabama started the year ranked #4 in the preseason AP poll and #3 in the coaches poll. In the season opener, Alabama defeated Middle Tennessee 56–7. The following week, the Tide hosted #11 Texas in the Allstate Crossbar Classic losing 34–24. The loss snapped a 57-game winning streak against non conference opponents in the regular season. The next week Alabama travelled to Tampa, FL to play South Florida. The Tide struggled but won 17–3. Alabama opened up conference play with a 24–10 win over #15 Ole Miss. The next week they defeated Mississippi State 40–17 for its sixteenth consecutive win in the series. Alabama traveled to College Station, TX winning a close game over Texas A&M 26–20. On homecoming, Alabama won a close game over Arkansas 24–21. The win gave Saban his 200th on field win at Alabama. In the Third Saturday in October, Alabama avenged last season's loss against #17 Tennessee winning 34–20. Following a bye week, Alabama avenged their other regular season loss from last season defeating #14 LSU 42–28. The next week Alabama defeated Kentucky 49–21 to win the SEC Western Division title. It is Saban's 15th overall division title and 13th with Alabama. On Senior day, Alabama routed FCS opponent Chattanooga 66–10. The win gave Saban his sixteenth straight 10-win season. In the Iron Bowl, quarterback Jalen Milroe on 4th and goal threw a 31-yard touchdown pass with 32 seconds left to defeat Auburn 27–24. The win made Saban the first Alabama coach since Bear Bryant in 1981 to defeat Auburn four years in a row. The Tide finished the regular season 11–1. In the SEC Championship, Alabama defeated #1 Georgia 27–24, snapping Georgia's 29 game win streak. The win secured Alabama its 30th SEC Championship. The win gave Saban his eleventh SEC title and ninth with Alabama. The following day, Alabama was selected for the College Football Playoff for the eighth time. They were selected as the #4 seed and would play the #1 seed Michigan in the Rose Bowl. In the first meeting since the 2020 Citrus Bowl, Michigan knocked off Alabama 27–20 in overtime. It was Saban's first playoff semifinal loss since 2014. The loss snapped a fifteen-year streak of being ranked #1 in the polls at any time during the season and marked the first time at Alabama that Saban went three consecutive seasons without winning a national championship. The Tide finished the season 12–2. Saban announced his retirement from coaching on January 10, 2024. Saban finished his coaching career at Alabama with a record of 201–29.
Saban began his career as a head coach when he was hired by the University of Toledo on December 22, 1989. Coming off of 6–5 seasons in both 1988 and 1989, the Rockets found quick success under Nick Saban in 1990. With a 9–2 season, Toledo was co-champion of the Mid-American Conference. The two games the Rockets lost that season were by narrow margins: one point to Central Michigan and four points to Navy. While coaching in Toledo, Saban turned down an application from future head coach Urban Meyer, who was looking for any coaching job on Saban's staff.
Alabama started Saban's tenth season ranked #1 in the AP and Coaches Poll. 2016 was the ninth consecutive year Alabama was #1 at some point in the season. In their first meeting since the 1985 Aloha Bowl, Alabama dominated traditional power #20 USC, 52–6, in the Advocare Classic at Arlington, Texas. In their home opener, the Tide took down Western Kentucky, 38–10. In the conference opener, Alabama avenged their last two regular-season losses, defeating #19 Ole Miss 48–43. The next week Saban took on his alma mater Kent State with a 48–0 shutout. On homecoming, Alabama defeated Kentucky 34–6. The next week Saban picked up his 10th consecutive victory over Arkansas, winning 49–30. In the annual Third Saturday in October, Alabama dominated #9 Tennessee 49–10, to win its tenth in a row over the Vols. In their second straight game versus a top-10 opponent, Alabama defeated #6 Texas A&M 33–14. After a bye week, the Tide went to Baton Rouge to face #15 LSU. In a defensive slugfest, Alabama shut out the Tigers 10–0. The win was also Alabama's sixth in a row over LSU and the first shutout over them since the 2012 BCS National Championship Game. The following week Alabama defeated Mississippi State 51–3. The win gave Saban his ninth consecutive season winning 10 or more games. With a win by Georgia over #9 Auburn, the Tide secured their third consecutive SEC West Division championship, seventh for Saban at Alabama, and tenth overall for his career. The next week the Tide defeated FCS opponent Chattanooga 31–3. In the Iron Bowl, Saban secured an undefeated regular season by defeating in-state rival #16 Auburn 30–12. This was Alabama's third straight win over the Tigers, the first time since 1990–1992. Alabama finished its regular season 12–0 for the third time in Saban's career at Alabama and first since 2009. In the SEC Championship, Alabama defeated #15 Florida in a rematch of the previous season's title game, 54–16. The win gave Alabama its 26th SEC title, 5th for Saban at Alabama and 7th overall for his career. This was Alabama's third straight conference championship, the first time it had won three straight SEC titles since 1977–1979, and its first three-peat since the SEC Championship Game was added in 1992. Alabama made the College Football Playoff for the third consecutive year and came in as the #1 seed for the second time. The Tide was selected to play in the Peach Bowl against the #4 seed Washington Huskies. In the first meeting with the Huskies since the 1986 Sun Bowl, Alabama won 24–7. In a rematch of the previous season's National Championship game, Alabama fell short to #2 Clemson 35–31 when the Tigers scored on a game-winning touchdown pass with one second left on the clock. Alabama failed to recover Clemson's onside kick and time ran out. The loss snapped Alabama's 26-game winning streak and was Saban's first loss in a title game. The Tide finished the season at 14–1.
Beginning in 1995, Saban moderately improved Michigan State's fortunes, taking the Spartans to bowl games in each of his first three seasons. From 1995 to 1997, Michigan State finished 6–5–1, 6–6, and 7–5.
On November 7, 1998, the Spartans upset the No. 1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes 28–24 at Ohio Stadium. However, even after the upset and an early-season rout of then-highly ranked Notre Dame the Spartans finished 6–6, including three last-minute losses featuring turnovers, defensive lapses, and special-teams misplays, and failed to earn a bowl invitation.
In November 1999, LSU named Nick Saban as their 31st head football coach. In 2000, the Tigers went 8–4 and won the Peach Bowl over Georgia Tech. The season was somewhat marred by several lopsided losses, including a 34–17 loss to the Auburn Tigers, and a 41–9 loss to the Florida Gators.
Saban led LSU to a 10–3 record in 2001, including an SEC Championship and a Sugar Bowl victory. After a 35–24 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels, the Tigers finished the year with six straight wins, including a 31–20 win over #2 Tennessee in the 2001 SEC Championship Game, and a 47–34 win over Illinois in the 2002 Sugar Bowl. It was the first outright SEC championship for LSU since 1986, and the first time the Tigers had won the Sugar Bowl since 1968.
The 2003 Tigers started the season with five wins, including a 17–10 victory in Tiger Stadium over the defending SEC champion, and then-undefeated, Georgia Bulldogs. LSU lost the following week to Florida, 19–7. After the loss to Florida, LSU did not lose again in the regular season and ended its regular season with a win over the Arkansas Razorbacks to win the SEC West. After winning the SEC West, the Tigers defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 34–13 in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. They were ranked No. 2 in the BCS standings and advanced to play the BCS No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners in the Sugar Bowl, which was the host of the BCS Championship Game in 2003. The Tigers won the game 21–14. The win gave LSU the BCS national championship. and a 13–1 finish for the season. The 13 wins for LSU set a new single-season record, breaking the mark of 11 wins set by the 1958 National Championship team.
Saban accepted the head coaching position for the Miami Dolphins on December 25, 2004. He was the sixth coach in the franchise's history. The Nick Saban era officially kicked off with a 34–10 win over the Denver Broncos in 2005. From there, however, the Dolphins struggled, losing seven of their next nine games to fall to 3–7. The two wins came over the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints, a game that took place in Tiger Stadium due to Hurricane Katrina. After a frustrating two months, however, the Dolphins would rally late in the season, as they won their final six games, including a win to end the season in Foxboro, Massachusetts, over the New England Patriots. The team finished the year with a 9–7 record, and narrowly missed the playoffs in Saban's first season.
On November 27, 2006, the University of Alabama announced the firing of head coach Mike Shula. Saban was rumored to be at the top of Alabama's wish list, but Saban refused to discuss the job while his NFL season was still underway. During the month of December 2006, Saban was repeatedly questioned by the media about the Alabama job, and he repeatedly denied the rumors in his weekly press conferences, stating on December 21 "I guess I have to say it. I'm not going to be the Alabama coach." Saban met with Alabama officials on January 1, 2007, which was shortly after the Dolphins' season-ending loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
During his second year as head coach of the Tide, Saban led his team from a sub-par season in 2007 to a perfect 12–0 regular season record. Saban finished the regular season undefeated for the first time in his career as a head coach as he led the Crimson Tide to its first undefeated regular season since 1994. He appeared on the September 1, 2008, cover of Forbes magazine as "The Most Powerful Coach in Sports."
On January 3, 2007, following a meeting with Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga, Saban announced that he had accepted an offer to become Alabama's 27th head coach. His initial eight-year contract totaling US$32 million made him one of the highest-paid football coaches, professional or collegiate, in the United States at the time.
On January 4, 2007, at a press conference on the Alabama campus, Saban was officially introduced as the head football coach of The University of Alabama. On September 1, 2007, his Crimson Tide opened the season with a 52–6 win over the Western Carolina Catamounts, scoring more points than during any game in the 2006 season. Saban became the fifth Alabama coach since 1900 to start his first season 3–0, earning a win over then-ranked No. 16 Arkansas Razorbacks. Alabama ended the regular season with a 6–6 record, including a four-game losing streak, a particularly humiliating loss at home to Louisiana-Monroe, and a sixth straight loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl. All six of Alabama's losses were by seven points or fewer. The Crimson Tide defeated Colorado in the 2007 Independence Bowl, 30–24, to end the year 7–6.
Saban made a cameo appearance as himself in the 2009 film The Blind Side, and requested to simply repeat a conversation he had with Michael Oher rather than follow the script, which director John Lee Hancock allowed him to do. In August 2010, the documentary Nick Saban: Gamechanger was released. Included in the film are interviews from Belichick and Alabama athletic director Mal Moore, among others.
After a bye week, Alabama clinched its second straight SEC West Division championship by knocking off LSU, 24–15. The next week Alabama defeated Mississippi State, 31–3, securing the second straight 10-win season for Alabama. Following a 45–0 shutout of Chattanooga, on Black Friday, Alabama came from behind to defeat Gene Chizik's Auburn Tigers, 26–21, marking the first time since 1973–1974 Alabama had finished the regular season undefeated in consecutive years, and the first consecutive 12-win seasons. The Crimson Tide defeated the Florida Gators in the SEC Championship, 32–13, in a rematch of the previous year's championship game. The championship represented Alabama's 22nd SEC title and its first since 1999. Saban's Crimson Tide ended the season with a 37–21 victory over the Texas Longhorns in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game to finish a perfect 14–0 to give Alabama their first National Championship since 1992. The 2009 Crimson Tide set a school record for single-season victories with 14. The win secured Saban's second national championship and Alabama's 13th, and its first in the BCS era. At the on-campus celebration, Saban famously stated "I want everybody here to know, this is not the end. This is the beginning." Following the victory over the Longhorns, the University of Alabama announced that it would unveil a statue of Saban in the week prior to the kickoff of the 2010 season. On April 16, 2011, a life-sized bronzed statue of Saban was unveiled at the 2011 A-Day spring game, making him Alabama's fifth coach to be immortalized outside the north end zone of Bryant–Denny Stadium.
In 2013, Saban was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Saban coached four Heisman Trophy winners at Alabama: Mark Ingram II (2009), Derrick Henry (2015), DeVonta Smith (2020), and Bryce Young (2021).
In a rematch of the 2012 BCS National Championship Game, Alabama overcame a late deficit with less than a minute remaining to defeat #5 LSU 21–17. The next week, Alabama suffered their first loss of the season to new conference member #15 Texas A&M 29–24. Alabama rebounded the following week recording its third shutout of the season defeating Western Carolina 49–0. The win secured Alabama's fifth consecutive 10-win season, tying the longest streak from 1971 to 1975. In the Iron Bowl, Alabama defeated Auburn 49–0 to secure its third SEC Western Division championship under Saban. It is the second biggest margin of victory in the rivalry's history and first shutout since 2008. It was Alabama's fourth shutout of the season (second time back-to-back) and second year in a row the Tide finish the regular season 11–1. In the SEC Championship, Alabama overcame a late drive by #3 Georgia to defeat the Bulldogs 32–28 winning the schools 23rd conference title. The 2012 title was Alabama's first conference championship since 2009 and Saban's fourth overall. The win also clinched a spot in a BCS bowl game for the fourth time in five years. On December 2, Alabama finished second in the final BCS rankings for the second consecutive season. On January 7, 2013, No. 2 Alabama faced #1 Notre Dame in the first meeting between the schools since 1987, defeating the Irish 42–14 in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. The win gave Alabama their 15th national championship and their third championship in four years. Alabama won back-to-back national titles for the first time since 1978 and 1979. The title was Saban's fourth national championship and his third with the Crimson Tide, tying him with Wallace Wade for second all-time at Alabama.
In 2022, Saban co-signed a letter directed at Senator Joe Manchin, voicing support for the passage of the Freedom to Vote Act, while including a footnote that he does not support the removal of the filibuster in the Senate. Saban and Manchin grew up together in West Virginia, and Saban had previously endorsed Manchin for Senate in 2018.
In his 14th season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Alabama's season was cut to an all conference, ten-game season beginning on September 26. Alabama began the season ranked #3 in the AP and Coaches Poll. In the season opener, Alabama went on the road and defeated Missouri 38–19. In the home opener, Alabama defeated #13 Texas A&M 52–24. The following week Saban took on former assistant Lane Kiffin. In a shootout, Alabama defeated Ole Miss 63–48. The 111 points scored was the most in a non-overtime conference game in SEC history. On October 14, 2020, Saban tested positive for COVID-19, along with the university athletic director, Greg Byrne. That Saturday, Saban tested negative and was able to coach Alabama in a top 3 matchup against #3 Georgia. The Tide prevailed 41–24 to improve to 22–0 versus former assistants. In the Third Saturday in October, Alabama won its 14th straight over rival Tennessee 48–17. The next week, the Tide shutout Mississippi State 41–0. Following the bye week, Alabama moved up to #1 in the polls. It's the thirteenth year in a row Alabama has reached the top spot during a season. After an extra week off due to COVID-19, Alabama returned to play defeating Kentucky 63–3. On November 25, Saban returned a positive COVID-19 test. He missed the following game against #22 Auburn in the Iron Bowl, which Alabama won 42–13. The next week, Saban was back on the sideline, as Alabama routed LSU 55–17. The win secured Alabama the SEC West division title, its 15th overall and Saban's 12th as a coach. Alabama finished the regular season undefeated after defeating Arkansas 52–3. It was Saban's fifth undefeated regular season at Alabama. It marks Alabama's 13th consecutive ten-win season as well. In the SEC Championship, Alabama hung on in a high scoring game against #7 Florida 52–46. The win secured Alabama its 28th SEC title and gave Saban his ninth overall. The following day, Alabama was selected for the College Football Playoff for the sixth time in seven years. Alabama was selected as the #1 seed and played the #4 seed Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl. In the first meeting since the 2013 BCS National Championship Game, the Tide defeated the Irish 31–14. It was Alabama's first appearance and win in the Rose Bowl since 1946. On January 5, 2021, DeVonta Smith became Saban's third Heisman Trophy winner. Mac Jones and Najee Harris finished third and fifth respectively in voting. Alabama became the second program to have three players finish in the top five in Heisman voting, joining Army's 1946 team. In the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship, Alabama defeated #3 Ohio State 52–24 to win its 18th National Championship. The win gave Saban his seventh overall National Title, and sixth with the Crimson Tide. Saban passed Paul W. Bryant for most titles all time. It was Saban's second undefeated season and first since 2009. The Tide finished the season 13–0.
On June 7, 2021, Saban agreed to a contract extension with Alabama. The deal runs through the 2028 season.
Saban and his wife Terry have been married for over 50 years. They have two adopted children: Nicholas and Kristen. The Sabans are the co-founders of the foundation Nick's Kids. This foundation has been used by the Sabans to help support children's needs ever since Saban started head coaching. In the first three years at Alabama, Nick's Kids raised more than US$1 million. Saban owns a vacation home on Lake Burton in northeast Georgia and purchased a beach house in Jupiter, Florida in 2023.
On February 7, 2024, Saban was hired by ESPN as an analyst for College GameDay, beginning with the 2024 college football season. The network announced that Saban would contribute to its NFL Draft and SEC Media Days coverage as well. Saban had appeared on the network previously as a guest analyst during College Football Playoff coverage.