“To start with, you wouldn’t have Nick Saban because I fired the other people.”
College football fans recall Tommy Tuberville as the head football coach of the Auburn Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels, and Cincinnati Bearcats prior to his election as an Alabama senator.
When Nick Saban took over as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide in his first season, Tuberville was still in charge of Auburn, where he guided the Tigers to victory. By the next season, Alabama had ended both the Tuberville era at Auburn and a six-game Iron Bowl winning streak when they defeated Auburn 36-0 and claimed their first SEC West title.
Tuberville now claims that Alabama hired Saban in the first place because of him. To show his appreciation, he believes Alabama supporters ought to support him in the upcoming election.
“I told them that you wouldn’t have Nick Saban first, because I fired the other people,” he remarked. “I think Nick altered the environment regarding Alabama’s potential when he joined the team. He was the most qualified applicant.
The remark seems a little self-serving, and Alabama supporters will likely see right through it. Though, to be fair, Tuberville was very complimentary of his former rival.
In terms of notoriety and the number of television sets dedicated to college football, Tuberville stated, “You can’t say enough about what he’s done and meant to football over the last 25 years.” “We shall miss him.”
Additionally, Tuberville stated that he was aware that Saban was going to retire due to NIL.
“It was kind of inevitable,” Tuberville remarked. “He never brought it up, but for the past few years, he and I—along with many other coaches and ADs—have been working on an NIL bill. And he simply grew weary of it. Not all of it was NIL. I believe he reached a point where he felt he might want to pursue another endeavor. He’d come so far. And I’m sorry to see him quit collegiate athletics. I’m not sure how, but I believe he will continue to be active. The level of success he achieved is unmatched—at least not in our lifetimes.
Paradoxically, Savan has been courted by Alabama Democrats to challenge Tuberville in the upcoming Senate race. Despite never having revealed his political affiliation, Saban is well-known for being close to the soon-to-be former Senator Joe Manchin (D) of West Virginia and for having donated to his campaign on several occasions.
The remark seems a little self-serving, and Alabama supporters will likely see right through it. Though, to be fair, Tuberville was very complimentary of his former rival.
In terms of notoriety and the number of television sets dedicated to college football, Tuberville stated, “You can’t say enough about what he’s done and meant to football over the last 25 years.” “We shall miss him.”
Additionally, Tuberville stated that he was aware that Saban was going to retire due to NIL.
“It was kind of inevitable,” Tuberville remarked. “He never brought it up, but for the past few years, he and I—along with many other coaches and ADs—have been working on an NIL bill. And he simply grew weary of it. Not all of it was NIL. I believe he reached a point where he felt he might want to pursue another endeavor. He’d come so far. And I’m sorry to see him quit collegiate athletics. I’m not sure how, but I believe he will continue to be active. The level of success he achieved is unmatched—at least not in our lifetimes.
Paradoxically, Savan has been courted by Alabama Democrats to challenge Tuberville in the upcoming Senate race. Despite never having revealed his political affiliation, Saban is well-known for being close to the soon-to-be former Senator Joe Manchin (D) of West Virginia and for having donated to his campaign on several occasions.
