Legendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban announces retirement

The world of collegiate sports was shocked this week to learn that legendary University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban would retire after 17 seasons at the program's helm, as ESPN reported.

At age 72, Saban recently concluded his final season with a Rose Bowl loss to the University of Michigan, the eventual national championship winner, but leaves the ranks of college coaches with an overall record of 292-7-1, including time spent at Toledo, Michigan State, and LSU, in addition to Alabama.

Despite that ending, Saban's tenure in Tuscaloosa was marked by tremendous successes rivaled only by fellow coaching legend Bear Bryant.

Saban led his Alabama teams to a total of 201 wins, six SEC titles, and six national championships, cementing his legacy as one of the most highly respected coaches in collegiate athletics.

In a statement issued by the coach himself, Saban said, “The University of Alabama has been a very special place to Terry and me. 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,” Saban went on. “We always tried to do it the right way.”

Speaking to how he approached the role, Saban said, “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.”

Effusive in his praise for the departing coach was University of Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, as ESPN further noted.

“Simply put, Nick Saban is one of the greatest coaches of all time, in any sport. He is the consummate coach, mentor and leader, and his impact is felt far beyond the football field,” Byrne stated.

The university official added, “While his time as our coach may have come to an end, his legacy will live on forever. What an honor it has been for us to have a front-roe seat to one of the best to ever do it.”

Though it remains to be seen how Saban will choose to spend his time in retirement, there are some who have already weighed in on what they believe should be his next move, as The Hill reports.

Members of the Alabama Democratic Party have suggested that Saban launch a Senate campaign for the purpose of defeating Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville – former football coach at Auburn University.

Journalist Josh Moon wrote on Twitter, “Nick Saban for US Senate. Save us from Tommy Tuberville one more time,” to which the state party X account replied, “we officially second this.”

Though Saban has not made a practice of wading into politics on a regular basis, he did endorse the 2018 Senate reelection campaign of childhood friend Joe Manchin (D-WV), but whether that translates into any interest of his own in public office is far from certain.