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You’d be hard-pressed to find many Americans who were old enough to process the events of 9/11 who don’t have a vivid memory of one of the most tragic days in the country’s history, but it would appear Nick Saban is an exception to that rule based on how the legendary coach handled the news of the attacks leading practice at LSU.
September 11, 2001 started as a typical Tuesday for people across the United States, but by now, everyone is familiar with the chaotic situation that unfolded after hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon (as well as rural Pennsylvania)—a spree of attacks that claimed close to 3,000 innocent lives and sparked a paradigm shift in America and beyond that lingers to this day.
Most people who watched 9/11 unfold in real time spent the bulk of the day glued to the television while trying to process the surreal footage, and while there were certainly some members of the public who tried to continue with business as usual, they were in the vast minority.
However, that group apparently includes Nick Saban, who’d gotten off to a 2-0 start during his second season as the head coach at LSU and spent the morning of 9/11 overseeing practice as the Tigers prepared for a game against Auburn that was initially scheduled for September 15th.
According to The New York Post, the upcoming book The Price: What It Takes to Win in College Football’s Era of Chaos contains an anecdote about what unfolded on the practice field in Baton Rouge on that infamous day and, well, it’s safe to say it firms up Saban’s reputation as a Football Guy.
Based on the published account, a secretary initially informed Saban and some other LSU coaches about a potential situation unfolding in New York City shortly after the first plane struck the North Tower.
17 minutes later, it became clear America was under attack, but Saban declined to stop practice while delivering the following message to his players:
“Boys, there are some screwed-up people in the world. Now, what are we going to do when we’re in Cover Two against these routes?”