Is Nick Saban the greatest coach in sports history?
doubledragon
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Alabama is going to have a chance to win yet another national championship on January 10th, and Nick Saban has had quite a run, and isn't done yet. By the time it's all said and done and Nick Saban retires, will he be the greatest coach not just in college history, but in sports history?
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Not sure about greatest ever.
I will say he is the hardest working coach I've ever seen.
These photos are from a practice on August 13, 2021, two months before his 70th birthday.
The thing about Nick Saban is, you know he's not going to retire any time soon, I think his contract runs until 2028, so he'll win more national championships. It really is an incredible run.
The most successful it looks like. Everyone wants to go to Alabama or Ohio State for the most part so recruiting is much easier I’m sure
And Saban has his own Allen and Ginter card, they're available on the bay right now if anyone is interested, but you'll have to hurry because there selling like hotcakes!
he is certainly one of the best NCAA Head Coaches of all-time but it's important to understand that he failed at the Professional level in the NFL. that may not seem like much or it may seem a harsh criticism, but being HC in the NCAA and the NFL are two distinctly different things. in the NCAA, a coach needs to be, first and foremost, a good recruiter to get young men to his school to coach. absent that he won't have a Team to be competitive. with the Power Five Conferences, and actually most D-1 schools, the board is equal when it comes to what is offered and the choice comes down to the sports program and the history.
with the NFL, it doesn't matter how good of a "recruiter" the HC might be because it's all about money. why couldn't Saban do in the NFL what he does in the NCAA?? it was probably money. he never had a chance to show his coaching skill because the best players went somewhere else(where they could get more money). at Alabama he gets to offer them the oppurtunity to play for the Crimson Tide and the odds on shot at a National Title and better NFL Draft prospect.
two "best head coach in sports history" for me would be Red Auerbach and John Wooden.
Absolutely not even close. He has an incredible advantage in College Football that professional coaches cannot possibly match.
I’m a 5 star recruit from Butt F Egypt. East Carolina Coastal comes calling and Alabama. Do I want to be stuck in some obscure division or do I want the scouts to see me on TV every Saturday and Nationally televised games and play for the National championship every year?
Let’s face it, no disrespect to Alabama’s scholars but it isn’t Yale or Harvard for scientists or judges.
No he’s not the greatest with the wealth of talent at his fingertips every year. As a matter of fact it makes college football a one trick pony. Alabama and everyone else. Just pencil them in for 5 or the next 10 championships and 10 of 10 championship games.
"I spent 50% of my money on alcohol, women, and gambling. The other half I wasted.
absolutely not. he failed at the highest level. had to move back to college to succeed.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
He likely is on everyone’s Top 5 College Football coaches. He did well as MSU, LSU and Alabama.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
He "failed" in the NFL because he was saddled with a quarterback he didn't want - Daunte Culpepper - instead of the HOFer he wanted (Drew Brees). And Joey Harrington. The gut went 9-7 with freaking Gus Frerotte. He'd have been just fine with somebody who could actually play. And, when he realized management was going to ignore his personnel requests, he quit. Not the same thing as failing.
Scotty Bowman is the best coach in sports history.
Took four different teams to the Finals. 9-time champion - with 3 different teams. He has the top 3 winningest regular season teams. Most wins. Averaged 104 points per season - while mostly coaching before overtime losses counted for points.
And this doesn't help his case but... 5 more titles working in the front office to give him 14 total.
no
No. He just has the recruiting advantage of being at Alabama. When you have the best talent how hard can it be to coach? Just sayin'.........
Shouldn't "the greatest coach in sports history" be able to work with whomever they have and not just quit? I agree with Craig44 - some people just can't handle the NFL and Nick Saban could not. Quitters never win and winners never quit.
And as far as College coaches, the Wizard of Westwood would also need to be considered.
Yes and no. Personnel matters. Bill Belichick couldn't win with the corpse of Cam Newton. Having your personnel requests ignored matters. If it's obvious that management isn't going to work with you, why stick around?
Especially if we're going to ignore rules violations.
Elaborate please, did not know about the rules violations. He had an amazing run of talent tho'.....
In BB, I have always been impressed with Popovich and Kerr. Their teams always play a smart style of BB and are clearly well coached. SA in particular has no advantages for getting FA's ('small market'), yet were consistently at the top for 22 years in a row with + win %, winning multiple championships (5). If only my Blazers could get a coach like that..........
Best, SH
Bill Walton, and others, have said they were paid while at UCLA. It's the reason that Bobby Knight (obviously no saint himself) didn't like Wooden. Wooden had Sam Gilbert handle his recruiting and they basically broke every rule in existence.