Nick Saban, unplugged
By Jennifer Allen - Special to NFL.com
(Oct. 10, 2006) -- Great games often hinge on one play. The same goes for a man's life. For Nick Saban, head coach of the Miami Dolphins, the crossroads of his life converged on one fall day in 1973.
At the time, Saban was a newly hired 22-year-old graduate assistant at Kent State, who had only recently realized what he wanted to do for the rest of his living days -- coach football. When he called his hard-working, no-nonsense Dad back home in West Virginia to tell him of his hopes, his dad was pleased. After all, his dad was once Nick's Pop Warner coach.
This was the last conversation Saban would have with his father. Shortly afterward, his father died at age 46 of a heart attack.
Nick came home immediately, ready to give up his job at Kent State and help his mom run the family business -- Saban's Service Station -- and a nearby Dairy Queen. His mother wouldn't have it. She sent him back to Ohio, and ahead into the future to pursue his dreams.
Saban shared this story with me last summer in his home on a lake in the mountains of Georgia. He sat on a leather couch beside his childhood sweetheart and wife of 34 years, Terry, in a downstairs den. Just off their teenage son's room, the den looked more like a recording studio than a football coach's shrine to life on the gridiron. Electric guitars, cords and amps filled the space. No signs of footballs anywhere. On the walls, framed black and white photos of family boat rides with Dad at the stern.
Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and sandals, at first, Saban seemed perfectly misplaced. But as the afternoon moved on, I saw that he was perfectly in place -- at home, at ease, at last.
Nick and Terry Saban haven't forgotten their small-town values and upbringing. To see Saban like this is to understand the psycho-emotional balancing act required of a head coach who intends to go the distance in the National Football League. The distance: making it through 17-plus weeks without burning out. The destination: the Super Bowl.
"This is a little slower time; there's a lot of value in this," Saban told me.
Just beyond the French doors of the den, down some stone steps, his boat was docked. Ahead: an afternoon of drifting around the lake.
"There's something about the water that is just calming. Three or four times a day -- I don't care what I'm doing, I just jump in," Saban went on. "I got three outfits here. Three swimming trunks and a hundred T-shirts."
He noted that he shaved for us today. Shaving: a highly despised offseason rite.
For Saban, coming to these rural mountains is a bit like coming home. The nearest supermarket is several miles away along two-lane roads carved along cliffs of red Georgia dirt. The nearest town shuts down at dinnertime. Town folk are completely devoid of pretension. Driveways are paved with gravel. Homes, big and small, are havens here.
Saban spends about a month in these mountains with his family every summer. Nick and Terry are trying to rear their children with the same working-class values they learned as children growing up in the coal-mining country of West Virginia. Even though their kids could well afford to bank the summer away sunbathing on the dock or the deck of dad's boat, mom and dad have made sure that both Nicholas and Kristen hold summer jobs. Kristen, 14, is a camp counselor. At 18, Nicholas pumps gas.
When Nick was 11, he pumped fuel, too, but for his own father, earning a dollar an hour at the family's gas station. All around him, Nick saw friends whose parents put in dangerous hours down in the mines. Terry's father worked the mines, too.
"It was a difficult life. You learn some great life lessons that were helpful," Saban said. "That upbringing is something I wouldn't trade for anything."
__________________ Yippee-ki-yay,
After everything is said and done, more is said than done. Defy Conventional Wisdom - Noah
Last edited by Noah.Dreams : 01-02-2007 at 10:21 PM.
Nick Saban acknowledges that the pursuit of a Super Bowl can be too consuming.
Another thing Saban would never trade away: Having his dad act as both his boss and his Pop Warner coach. Nick Sr. saw that most boys had coal-mining parents who either didn't have the time or the resources to drive their sons some 30 miles to and from football practice and games. So he bought an old school bus and drove it himself, picking up each player, ensuring that every boy could attend every game and every practice.
Nick's mom loaded up the bus with cheerleading banners to inspire the kids who played for the team known as the Black Idamay Diamonds. Wearing black-and-orange hand-me-down uniforms from a nearby disbanded team, the Black Diamonds won only one game their first season. But in the years to come, the team eventually would go undefeated.
While Nick reminisced, his wife nodded her head. She listened intently to the man who was the once "the cute quarterback" she met in eighth-grade science camp. Nick and Terry courted through high school, dates comprising mostly of phone conversations that often went on so long that his father would ban him from the singular family phone, and young Nick would have to cross the mountain road to talk to Terry on the pay phone for hours into the night.
Nick and Terry's life has been so intertwined for so many years now that they can nearly finish each other's sentences. When remembering their first date, she recalls the dress she wore. He recalls how they held hands. More often than not, his memory serves him well, she says.
Until the season begins -- and then, well, his time is set in clock on the board, and the details of birthdays and anniversaries are pushed aside by the pressure of possibly landing a playoff berth.
Last season, for instance, Terry's birthday fell on the 15th week of the season, a home game against the Jets. Miami won. Terry cheered. Birthday ... done.
A coach's wife does not whine, plead, nag nor beg. Beyond forgetting birthday bouquets, Terry has seen far greater qualities in her husband shine -- like the time Nick, an assistant in Cleveland, earned an $8,000 playoff bonus. Sure, the Sabans could have used the money. But Nick decided to ship it to where it was needed most: his in-laws. The bonus paid off the $8,000 remaining on the mortgage of the coal-mining family's home.
And so, when the Dolphins beat the Jets, Terry knew better than to expect a party. There was, after all, still the season, still more work to be done, and many more goals to be met.
Nick Saban video
Nick Saban addresses his team's latest loss and Daunte Culpepper's status.
In Saban's childhood home, victory and defeat were handled equally. Win or lose, after the game, Nick would sit aside his dad and study the play-by-play to determine what they could have done better, what they needed to still work on, and how they might try to improve.
To this day, it's a discipline Saban still maintains. Saban told me there isn't much celebrating after Dolphins victories. In fact, you won't see Saban celebrating much at all until the last game is won, he said -- that game being none other than the Super Bowl -- because to Saban, if you're not pursuing the highest form of excellence, what's the point of pursuing anything at all?
But for now, such aspirations were months away. For now, Saban's simple goal was taking in some late-afternoon lakeside play. It was time for a swim.
Moments later, Saban was barefoot, in his faded swim trunks and worn T-shirt, standing, waiting for his wife on the dock below their hillside home.
The cameramen were leaving, the reporter finishing up notes.
Soon, Terry arrived with a picnic lunch. They both climbed into the boat. Side by side, they sat as the boat slowly drifted in low gear, carving out a quiet wake across the wide-open water.
Jennifer Allen reports on the lives of families in the NFL for NFL Total Access on NFL Network.
__________________ Yippee-ki-yay,
After everything is said and done, more is said than done. Defy Conventional Wisdom - Noah
Position:
Defensive Coordinator Experience:
Third Year at UCF
Lance Thompson enters his third season as defensive coordinator at UCF. A year ago, Thompson's defense produced a pair of Conference USA All-Conference First Team selections in defensive end Paul Carrington and cornerback Joe Burnett.
Carrington tied for the conference lead in sacks with nine. He signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons following the season.
Thompson's secondary in 2005 was one of the youngest units in the nation, starting four freshmen for the majority of the season. The unit combined for 13 interceptions, including five from Burnett. Burnett was second in C-USA and 26th nationally in interceptions en route to earning Freshman All-America honors. He was the first Golden Knight in school history to earn first-team Freshman All-America honors by the Football Writers Association of America and CollegeFootballNews.com.
The Golden Knight defense in 2005 was also one of the most opportunistic units in the nation. UCF ranked 12th nationally and third in C-USA with a 0.92 turnover differential per game last season. In all, UCF's defense forced 32 turnovers in 2006.
Thompson developed one of the nation's youngest defenses in 2004, one that battled constant injuries, into a respectable unit by the end of the season.
UCF's defensive depth chart consisted for the most part of either freshmen or sophomores. The Golden Knights held their opposition to 21 points or less in three of the final four games of the season.
Before coming to Orlando, Thompson spent two seasons at LSU. Thompson served as the assistant head coach in charge of recruiting and the tight ends coach for the Tigers during their national championship season in 2003. Thompson began his tenure at LSU in 2002 as the defensive line coach.
In his first year with the Tigers, Thompson coached defensive tackle Chad Lavalais to first team All-Southeastern Conference honors as the Tigers' front four racked up 22 sacks.
Thompson is no stranger to working with George O'Leary as he coached for four seasons on O'Leary's staff at Georgia Tech. At Georgia Tech in 2001, Thompson coached a defensive line that recorded 21 sacks for the Yellow Jackets, including 10 by All-America defensive end Greg Gathers.
Thompson spent the 1999 and 2000 seasons coaching the defensive line at Alabama, where he helped the Crimson Tide to the SEC title in 1999.
Prior to his two-year stint at Alabama, Thompson was a part of the Georgia Tech staff for 11 years. During his 11 years with Georgia Tech, Thompson was defensive line coach in 1998, defensive ends coach in 1996 and 1997 and tight ends coach in 1995. Thompson served as the Georgia Tech's recruiting coordinator from 1995-98 and then again in 2001.
Prior to serving as an on-field coach for the Yellow Jackets, Thompson held the position of Director of Football Operations at Georgia Tech from 1992-94.
Thompson got his start in coaching in 1988, serving as a graduate assistant for two years at Georgia Tech, followed by two more years as a volunteer assistant in 1990 and 1991. Thompson coached the defensive ends, including former All-American and all-pro Marco Coleman. Georgia Tech won the national championship in 1990.
As a player, Thompson was a four-year letterwinner at The Citadel. He graduated from The Citadel in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in education/math.
A native of Riverdale, Ga., Thompson is married to the former Stacy Cambron of Henderson, Ky., and the couple has three daughters -- Allie, Christina and Lane. As of 6/15/06
__________________ Yippee-ki-yay,
After everything is said and done, more is said than done. Defy Conventional Wisdom - Noah
Position: Executive Head Coach/Linebackers Coach Experience: 3rd Season at FSU Alma Mater: Tennessee '84
Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden's addition of former Baylor head coach Kevin Steele to his coaching staff in January 2003 drew immediate praise from college football experts coast-to-coast, and the results of his effort both on the field and on the recruiting trail has been dramatic. Steele quickly earned the respect of both the players and his coaching peers. Bowden added the title of executive head coach to Steele's list of responsibilities this spring.
Steele was the head coach at Baylor from 1999-2002 and came to FSU prior to the 2003 season. A 1981 Tennessee graduate, Steele coached the linebackers for the NFL's Carolina Panthers from 1995-98 before taking the head coaching position at Baylor. He has also served as an assistant coach at Nebraska, Tennessee, Oklahoma State and New Mexico State.
This year, Steele's linebacking corps has been rated the best in the country by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. All three starters return in A.J. Nicholson, Ernie Sims and Buster Davis along with a group of reserves that would start at most schools. Michael Boulware, who was a linebacker under Steele in 2003, was a finalist for NFL Rookie of the Year honors in his first professional season with the Seattle Seahawks.
Steele has also earned a reputation as an outstanding recruiter. He was named the Rivals.com National Recruiter of the Year in February for his work in helping Florida State land a 2005 signing class ranked No. 1 nationally by some recruiting services.
Steele spent his freshman year at Furman before transferring to Tennessee, where he was a member of Johnny Majors' 1978 and 1979 squads. He stayed on as a student assistant in 1980 and then as a graduate assistant in 1981. He was promoted to outside linebackers coach in 1982.
Steele then moved to New Mexico State, where he served as recruiting coordinator and linebackers coach in 1983. From 1984-86, he coached linebackers and tight ends at Oklahoma State. He returned to his alma mater in 1987 and spent two years as the defensive backs coach for the Volunteers.
From 1989-94, Steele coached the linebackers under Nebraska legend Tom Osborne. During his six years in Lincoln, the Cornhuskers went 60-11, appeared in six bowl games, won four conference championships and captured the 1994 national championship with a 13-0 record.
In 1995, Steele made the jump to the NFL as the linebackers coach for Carolina. Under head coach Dom Capers, the Panthers reached the NFC Championship game in their second season (1996). After four years with Carolina, Steele was hired as head coach at Baylor in 1999. The 47-year-old Steele is a native of Dillon, S.C. He and his wife, Linda, have an 18-year-old son (Gordon) and a 16-year-old daughter (Caroline).
__________________ Yippee-ki-yay,
After everything is said and done, more is said than done. Defy Conventional Wisdom - Noah
Last edited by Noah.Dreams : 01-04-2007 at 03:26 PM.
Steve Ellis Tallahassee Democrat
Originally published January 4, 2007
Bowden surprised at Steele's departure
If anyone could understand about the lure of Alabama football, it is Bobby Bowden. He also appreciates that family played a big part in Kevin Steele's leaving Florida State. Steele's parents live in the Tuscaloosa area.
Yet Bowden, in a statement released by FSU Thursday afternoon, said he was also surprised that his linebackers coach and executive head coach has accepted a position with the University of Alabama as its defensive coordinator.
"It was a surprise and yet I can understand why with his mom and dad being
right close in Tuscaloosa," said Bowden, who was involved in two Alabama head coaching searches earlier in his career. " I can understand him wanting to be close to family and having a chance like that.
"He's done an excellent job at Florida State. He's worked great with Mickey Andrews and our defensive staff. He's done an excellent job in recruiting and has been a great asset to our program. I wish nothing but the best for him and his family."
Steele made $193,174 in base salary at FSU. He also received 26,913 for speeches and PR as well additional bonuses through the athletic department development fund which is funded by Seminole Boosters.
Steele, who was FSU's executive head coach, informed Bobby Bowden of his decision a little before noon today.
Steele finished his fourth season at FSU. His pupils include NFL players Michael Boulware and Ernie Sims. Steele had turned down offers in college football and in the NFL during his time at FSU.
__________________ Yippee-ki-yay,
After everything is said and done, more is said than done. Defy Conventional Wisdom - Noah
UA officials deflect criticism of Saban salary as 'investment'
They feel restoring Bama football will result in more positive publicity, larger enrollment and more donations
Friday, January 05, 2007 By THOMAS MURPHY Mobile Register Sports Reporter
TUSCALOOSA -- More than a month ago, a University of Alabama trustee declared that the compensation package for the school's new head football coach should not disrupt the existing salary structure in college athletics.
College coaches across the nation are rejoicing today, as Nick Saban agreed to Alabama's offer of an eight-year contract with an escalating salary structure that will average out to $4 million per year, according to sources close to the negotiations. The total in guaranteed money, $32 million according to the source, is the most expensive deal ever cut in the history of college athletics.
Joe Espy, president pro tempore of the UA Board of Trustees, argued that the contract doesn't really set a new bar for college head coaching salaries.
"Once the final numbers are put out, I think you'll see that we'll be paying consistent with the top coaches in the country," Espy said. "I think our initial year is going to be right around where (Oklahoma coach Bob) Stoops is.
"It'll escalate over the number of years where we anticipate the top coaches in the country going."
Stoops, who led Oklahoma to the 2000 national championship, claims the highest salary -- $3.4 million -- among college head coaches during the current fiscal year.
Members of the UA Board of Trustees were quick to point out that Saban's salary doesn't come from taxpayer dollars and doesn't pull any funds from academics at the university.
"Not one penny comes from academics, and not one penny comes from taxpayer dollars," Espy said.
"The athletic department here is self-sufficient, and football supports all the other sports, I think, except for men's basketball," said Finis St. John, chair of the athletics committee of the board. "(School president) Dr. (Robert) Witt thinks (paying Saban a record salary) is important for student recruitment, for donor giving and for the momentum he's built in trying to attract excellent students and making this the finest university he can."
Espy described Saban's salary as a critical investment in the university's future.
"We're going to get financial results from it," he said.
"I tell you something we've already got that you can't judge in terms of dollars -- you saw it yesterday and I think you're going to see it over the next few days -- the literal enthusiasm of our people. That means so much.
"We're in the middle of a $500 million capital campaign. You have no idea what that enthusiasm does for that capital campaign. You saw the people (greeting Saban on Wednesday). Coach Saban has never seen that before. You see today, we've got more media than the governor's got. President Ford's funeral was going on, but this was the top story in America.
"We think we're going to have more than $500 million we're going to make on that capital campaign. It's all academics. The $500 million is all academics with a large portion going to scholarships. Our people are enthusiastic. I'm convinced we'll make those dollars back."
Trustee John England said Saban's presence will generate more revenue for the university.
"We have obviously looked at the (revenue) numbers associated with the program, what a coach like Nick Saban can do with that," England said.
"The figures we've seen indicate that this program can pay for a coach of that magnitude and the coach of the magnitude of Nick Saban can enhance what's already going on, like this capital campaign."
But Saban's bonanza of a payday, in one of the most financially strapped states in the union, doesn't make sense to some.
"That certainly makes a strong statement in a state that funds education at one of the lowest per-pupil rates of any state in the country," said state Rep. Richard Lindsey, D-Centre, chairman of a House committee that writes the education budget. "I think we've let (coaches salaries) get out of hand."
The Associated Press reported Thursday that Alabama ranks 46th in the country with an average median income of $37,502, and that it is 45th nationally in funding for public schools.
"You couldn't have a more stark picture of education priorities in the state of Alabama," said Jim Carnes, communications director for Alabama Arise, a coalition that represents the poor. "We put that kind of money into a college football coach and leave our younger children at the mercy of inadequate schools and underpaid teachers. We strongly need a priority adjustment."
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
__________________ Yippee-ki-yay,
After everything is said and done, more is said than done. Defy Conventional Wisdom - Noah
Nick Saban BIO
Nick and Terry Saban haven't forgotten their small-town values and upbringing. To see Saban like this is to understand the psycho-emotional balancing act required of a head coach who intends to go the distance in the National Football League. The distance: making it through 17-plus weeks without burning out. The destination: the Super Bowl. 
Position:
Linear Mode
