Nick Saban, the man who redefined what winning looks like in college football, was officially inducted today into the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2025 class. The ceremony took place in Las Vegas during the National Football Foundation’s Annual Awards Dinner at the Bellagio fitting, honestly, because nothing says “legend” like being honored on one of the biggest stages in the country.
Saban’s induction isn’t just deserved… it feels like the sport finally catching up to reality.
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For nearly three decades, he set the standard that everyone else had to chase. Seven national championships, 297 career wins, and a level of consistency that most programs can only dream about. He becomes the second Toledo coach, the sixth from Michigan State and LSU, and the fifth Alabama coach ever to be enshrined.
His path to greatness is well documented, but it still reads like a football fairy tale.
He won big in his single season at Toledo, rebuilt Michigan State during the late ’90s, and then delivered LSU’s first national title since 1958.
But it was in Tuscaloosa where Saban transformed the sport entirely.
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Over 17 seasons at Alabama, he posted a ridiculous 206-29 record, won six national titles, claimed nine SEC crowns, and made championship appearances feel like an annual tradition.
He developed talent better than anyone in the game, producing 66 First Team All-Americans, four Heisman winners, and 136 NFL Draft picks at Alabama alone.
On top of that, more than 35 of his former assistants went on to become head coaches. His fingerprints are all over college football, and they will be for decades.
His impact wasn’t just on the field, either. Through Nick’s Kids Foundation, he and Miss Terry poured over $13 million into charitable work across Alabama. He helped rebuild homes after the 2011 tornado, funded scholarships, supported youth programs, and is now spearheading the Saban Center, a huge investment in STEM education and children’s programs in Tuscaloosa.
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The man didn’t just coach a football team.
He uplifted an entire community.
During today’s ceremony, Saban reflected on the lessons that shaped him long before he became “Nick Saban.” His message made it clear that his success came from standards, accountability, and doing things the right way, every time.
“There was always a reckoning for what I did,” Saban said. “That helped me tremendously, I think, from an accountability standpoint, because my dad used to always say, ‘If you don’t have the time to do it right the first time, how you going to find the time to do it again?’”
He talked about how much he won growing up, Pee Wee ball, high school, and eventually a state championship.
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“We won an extraordinary amount of games when I was a Pee Wee player and a high school player that culminated in a state championship.”
But even winning didn’t exempt him from criticism.
“After every one of those wins, I got chewed out pretty good by my coaches and dad.”
Eventually he asked why that was.
“After all those wins, I finally asked my mom once, ‘Why do I always seem to get reprimanded even when we win?’ She said, ‘It’s not about winning. It’s about you being the best you can be.’”
That simple lesson, be the best version of yourself, no shortcuts, is what became the foundation of “The Process.”
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“Those lessons helped me develop a process that helped a lot of other people be successful, helped us be successful and helped the people I worked with give us a chance to be successful. I’d like to thank them for that.”
Today, the Hall of Fame put the final stamp on what we’ve all known for years: Nick Saban is not just one of the greatest coaches ever, he’s the standard.
And now, officially, he’s a Hall of Famer.
Congrats, Coach!
Roll Tide!
