The End of an Era: Nick Saban Retires after 17 years as Alabama Coach

After 17 years and 7 National Titles, Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban announces he is retiring.

“The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me,” Saban said in a statement. “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.”

Saban’s retirement ends a career that has helped launch or relaunch the head coaching careers of Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and Mississippi’s Lane Kiffin.

Since coming to Tuscaloosa in 2007, Saban He brought the storied program its first four Heisman Trophy winners: Mark Ingram, Derrick Henry, DeVonta Smith and Bryce Young.

Saban retires from coaching with a college record of 292-71-1, 201 of which came while at Alabama. He also had a brief stint in the NFL, going 15-17.

The search begins for who will carry on the legacy as coach of the Alabama Crimson tide, many names being tossed around range from Lane Kiffin to current Oregon HC Dan Lennings.

Saban joins the roster of legendary coaches for the tide, among the likes of Bear Bryant and Gene Stallings.