Getty Image / Joel Auerbach
Nick Saban‘s retirement came as a bit of a shock on Wednesday. Reports claimed he was interviewing candidates for vacant positions earlier in the day before the big announcement came out.
While everyone in the College Football world had something to say about Nick Saban‘s retirement the coach himself was notably absent from the limelight on Wednesday. And it was his wife, Miss Terry, who issued the family’s first statement following Saban’s retirement announcement.
Published on the Nick’s Kids Foundation Facebook page, Miss Terry spoke about the “incredible” past 17 years in Tuscaloosa and went on to say while the game may change the “process will never go out of style.” Her full statement reads:
“It has been an incredible run these last 17 years at the University of Alabama and we take with us many amazing memories. We hope that the Saban legacy will be about helping others and making a positive difference in people’s lives as well as the winning tradition on the field. Our Nick’s Kids Foundation will continue to help children, student, and teacher causes in the State of Alabama. The rules for the game of football may change, but the ‘process’ will never go out of style: hard work, discipline, the relentless pursuit of a worthy goal, not cutting corners, and doing things the right way for the sake of constant personal improvement, not for the scoreboard. Alabama will always feel like ‘Sweet Home’ to our family, and we’ll be cheering ‘Roll Tide’!”
Ms. Terry Saban ♥️
Speaking on Thursday morning to ESPN, Nick Saban reiterated that he’ll be around to help. He said “I want to be there for the players, for the coaches, anything I can do to support them during this transition.”
Saban added “There are a lot of things to clean up, to help as we move forward. I’m still going to have a presence here at the university in some form and trying to figure out all that and how it works. This is a place that will never be too far away from Miss Terry’s and my hearts.”
While the Saban’s will live in their $17.5 million waterfront Jupiter Island mansion where Nick can get in a round of golf every day, it is all but a certainty they will remain regular fixtures around Tuscaloosa, Alabama throughout the coming years.
In the comments, countless Crimson Tide fans thanks Miss Terry for her family’s immeasurable contributions to the University of Alabama and its football program.
One fan wrote “We love y’all and wish you many years of health and happiness.” Another added “Thank you for sharing your family with us. Enjoy retirement Coach! Roll Tide forever 🐘.”
It remains to be seen who will assume Nick Saban’s throne in Tuscaloosa but a late-night shift in betting odds suggested that the University of Alabama might’ve already found their guy.
All signs indicate that Oregon’s Dan Lanning will be the next Bama coach but nothing is ever done until the contracts are signed and even then things could change. National Signing Day is less than a month off. Alabama will want to move as quickly as possible here to ensure Saban’s recruiting class doesn’t evaporate.