Alabama head coach Nick Saban leaves the field after their win against Ohio State in an NCAA College Football Playoff national championship game in Miami Gardens, Fla., in this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, file photo. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
WHEELING — Nick Saban, a national record-setting college football coach, will be inducted into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Saban, born in Fairmont and a Monongah High School and Kent State University graduate, will be enshrined by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association at the 78th annual Victory Awards Dinner on May 4 at the Bridgeport Conference Center.
“Nick Saban is not only one of the greatest college football coaches in history, but he’s one of the top sports ambassadors for the state,” WVSWA secretary-treasurer Doug Huff said.
A digital plaque listing, with photos, of the past inductees into the Hall of Fame since 1950 may be found at wvswa.org.
Saban retired from coaching in 2024 with a record unmatched by any other state native and a list of accomplishments that places him among the greatest to have coached college football. The first state Hall of Fame class of 1950 included Fielding Yost, a native of Fairview in Saban’s home Marion County, who won six national titles at Michigan. The 1991 state Hall of Fame class included John McKay, a native of nearby Everettsville and Shinnston High graduate, who won four national crowns at USC.
A head coach for 28 seasons, Saban won an unprecedented seven national championships, the most titles in FBS history–six at Alabama and one at LSU. He’s the only coach in history to win national titles at two different FBS schools since the AP Poll’s inception in 1936. He’s the only head coach in the BCS and CFP eras with multiple national championship seasons.
He retired with a 292-71-1 career record (80.4%), ending as the NCAA’s active leader in wins and ranking sixth all-time among FBS coaches.
During his 17 seasons at Alabama (2000-23), Saban built the most dominant dynasty in modern college football annals, leading the Tide to nine BCS/CFP title games while winning six crowns. He compiled an overall Tide mark of 201-29 (87.4%) and had 15 consecutive seasons with a No. 1 AP ranking plus nine SEC titles. He led Alabama to 17 bowl appearances, with a 13-4 postseason record. He had a 26-game win streak from 2015-16 and went 11-1 in SEC title games at both Alabama and LSU. He coached 12 conference title teams, 25 bowl teams and was selected SEC coach of the year five times. His SEC record was 161-33 (82.9%).
He never had a losing record and, overall, claimed more than 20 coach of the year accolades including the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year twice (2003, 2008).
His unmatched ability to develop talent resulted in 66 First Team All-Americans, including four Heisman Trophy winners, which ties him with Hall of Famer Frank Leahy for the most honorees. He coached 136 NFL Draft picks at ‘Bama and had the most first round draft picks in a career with 52.
Saban’s head coaching tenure began at Toledo (1990) where he went 9-2 and won a share of the Mid-American Conference title in his lone season. From 1995-99, he led Michigan State to a 34-24-1 record and four bowl teams in five years with the 1999 Spartans ending with a final No. 7 ranking.
Coaching at LSU from 2000-04, he posted a 48-16 overall mark and gave the Tigers its first national title since 1958 with a win in the 2003
BCS National Championship over Oklahoma. He also led LSU to two SEC crowns, a 4-1 postseason bowl mark, and four Top 25 final national rankings.
He also coached in the National Football League as head coach of the Miami Dolphins (2005-06) and assistant coach of the Cleveland Browns (1991-94) and Houston Oilers (1988-89). His college assistant coach stops included Michigan State (1983-87), Navy (1982), Ohio State (1980-81), West Virginia (1978-79), Syracuse (1977) and alma mater Kent State (1975-76) after two years as a graduate assistant.
A three-year letterman at safety for Kent State (1970-72), he earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. At Monongah High School, he was a three-sport all-star as a football quarterback-defensive back, basketball point guard and baseball shortstop.
Currently an ESPN College GameDay analyst, the retired coach was honored at Alabama with the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium named in his honor. He is also among the inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame on Dec. 9.
Beyond football, Saban’s philanthropy includes Nick’s Kids Foundation which has distributed over $13 million to more than 150 charities. He helped rebuild 22 homes with Habitat for Humanity after a tornado struck Tuscaloosa and made multiple $1 million donations to support first-generation scholarships, Alabama athletics and St. Francis Catholic Church. His latest venture, the Saban Center, will house a STEM Discovery Center, the Alabama STEM Hub and the Tuscaloosa Children’s Theater.
