Who Did Nick Saban Coach In The Nfl?
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Nick Saban is one of the most successful coaches in NFL history. But before he was leading the Alabama Crimson Tide to championships, he was a head coach in the NFL. So, who did Nick Saban coach in the NFL?
Nick Saban’s Early Life and Career
Nick Saban was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, in 1951. Saban’s father, Nick Sr., was a coal miner, and his mother, Mary, was a homemaker. Saban has two brothers, Marty and Bill, and a sister, Stephanie. Saban attended Kent State University, where he played defensive back on the football team. Saban began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Ohio State University.
Nick Saban’s early life
Saban was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, to Mary and Nick Sr. His father, Nick Saban Sr., was a teacher and deacon of the Roman Catholic Church. Saban’s great-grandfather, Anthony “Tony” Bauer, of German descent from Trier, was a detainee at Ellis Island during World War I. When Bauer died in Sabans infancy, his maternal grandmother, Violetta Collier Tamkinauk, raised Saban in Monongah,[citation needed] where he attended elementary school at Duval Catholic throughout his childhood.
Saban Jr.’s nickname growing up was “Little Enos” after the film character Enos Strate (played by Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit).[14][15] He has two sisters: Nicholasi Sabans Martin (born 1957) and Karen Sabans Plosser (born 1959). Both sisters played basketball at Kent State University. Martin was a member of the Kent State women’s basketball team that won the 1979 AIAW National Championship.[16] Plosser played on the 1984 Kent State men’s basketball team that reached the Elite Eight.[17]
Saban attended Monongah High School in Monongah; his mother taught sixth grade at Duvall Catholic Elementary.[18] While attending high school he worked several part-time jobs including linebacker for the West Virginia Wesleyan College junior varsity football team and umpiring for Little League Baseball.[19][20] Saban decided to attend Kent State University>[21]:6–7 where he graduated with a degree in business administration in 1973. He was a placeholder on their 1973 undefeated football team that reached and played in the Sugar Bowl game;[22]:8 however Saban claims he was never invited back to campus after graduation because “I wasn’t good enough”.[21]:7–8
Nick Saban’s college coaching career
Nick Saban is an American football coach who has been the head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide since 2007. Saban previously served as head coach of the LSU Tigers (2000–2004), the Miami Dolphins (2005–2006), and the Alabama Crimson Tide (2007–present). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time.
Saban began his college coaching career as an assistant coach at Kent State University. He then became the defensive coordinator at Ohio State University. Saban then served as defensive coordinator for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans under head coach Mike Mularkey. In 2000, he became head coach of LSU, where he led the Tigers to a national championship in 2003.
In 2004, Saban was hired by the Miami Dolphins to be their head coach. However, he left after just two seasons to return to Alabama. Since returning to Alabama, Saban has led the Crimson Tide to five national championships (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2017). He has also won six SEC championships (2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017).
Nick Saban’s NFL Coaching Career
Nick Saban is best known for his work as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, but he also has a significant amount of experience coaching in the NFL. He was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins for two seasons and has also served as an assistant coach for a number of teams.
Nick Saban’s first NFL coaching job
Nick Saban began his coaching career with the Houston Oilers as their defensive backfield coach in 1988. He then took a job as the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns in 1991. In 1994, he became the defensive coordinator for the Michigan State Spartans. He left Michigan State to take the head coaching job at Louisiana State University in 2000.
Nick Saban’s second NFL coaching job
Saban’s second NFL coaching job was with the Houston Oilers in 1988. He was the defensive backs coach for one season. The Oilers went 3-13 that year and Saban was fired along with the rest of the coaching staff.
Nick Saban’s return to the college game
In 1999, Saban was hired as head coach at Louisiana State University. In five seasons at LSU, he turned a struggling program into a national power. His success led to his hiring as head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2005.
In his two seasons with the Dolphins, Saban compiled a record of 9-7 and led the team to its first playoff appearance in a decade. However, he chose to return to the college ranks in 2007, becoming head coach at the University of Alabama.
Since taking over at Alabama, Saban has won six national championships, including five in the last nine years. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time.