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The Alabama football program will honor Nick Saban this season by dedicating the field in Bryant-Denny Stadium to the legendary head coach. They plan to do so in Week 2 of the Crimson Tide’s campaign.
Tony Tsoukalas of Tide Illustrated was one of the first to report on the incredible gesture, which highlights Saban’s unmatched college football success.
Tide Illustrated has learned that Alabama is set to dedicate the field inside Bryant-Denny Stadium to the former head coach during a ceremony on Sept. 7. While Bryant-Denny Stadium will still keep its name, the playing surface inside will now be named after Saban.
Saban, 72, retired from Alabama after leading the Crimson Tide the past 17 seasons. He posted a 201-19 record at Alabama, leading the Tide to six national titles and nine SEC titles during that span.
Nick Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium will soon be the official venue name, a fitting honor for the man who won more games than anyone not named Bear Bryant in Tuscaloosa.
His 87.7% winning percentage is tops in Crimson Tide history, while his six national titles match Bryant’s output (he won a 7th at LSU to surpass Bryant’s career total).
Saban nearly played for yet another college football crown in his final season but fell to eventual champion Michigan in overtime in the Rose Bowl. That made his abrupt retirement announcement all the more surprising at year’s end.
When looking back at that final year, as well as the evolving landscape of the sport, it made sense for Saban to walk away when he did. Despite making the College Football Playoff and winning another SEC title, there were struggles.
Alabama will honor Nick Saban on Sept. 7th.
That happens to be the Crimson Tide’s second home game of the season. The opponent in that matchup is interesting given what transpired in 2023.
Last year, Alabama travelled to South Florida as a 35-point favorite yet escaped with a slim 17-3 victory. They scored a late touchdown with less than a minute remaining to break what had been a one-score game throughout.
Quarterback issues haunted the offense as star player Jalen Milroe was benched amid an awful performance.
Nick Saban looked defeated in the Alabama locker room.
“He looks broken,” one viewer said while he took his team off the field to a 3-3 tie at halftime. A number of folks believed it to be the beginning of the end after having watched Texas maul the Tide in Tuscaloosa the week prior.
Fortunately for Alabama, things got better soon thereafter. The team ripped off 10 straight wins after that trip to USF, beating rival Auburn in dramatic fashion before taking the conference crown over Georgia in the SEC Championship.
Now, things have come full circle as he’ll be honored in front of the team that many said made him contemplate leaving the sidelines.
While Saban has retired from coaching, he still plans to be involved with the program. Alabama is paying him half-a-million in a full-time advisory role, and he’ll soon have a permanent place on the field in Bryant-Denny Stadium.