As a 15-year head coach in college, Saban has never had a losing season.
View full sizeAn unexpected vacancy in the Alabama 2011 schedule created an opening for Kent State alumni Nick Saban to welcome the Flashes to Tuscaloosa on Saturday.Gameday: Kent State at No. 2 Alabama, Saturday, 12:15 p.m.
Age: 59
Alma mater: Kent State, where he played in 1970 and 1971 as a defensive back.
Did you know? Saban has had 13 stops in his coaching career, from college to the NFL, but has never coached anywhere longer than five years.
The lowdown: Since first becoming a football coach in 1972, the West Virginia-born Saban has had 14 stops with 13 different teams (Michigan State twice) in his college and NFL career. As a 15-year head coach in college, Saban has never had a losing season. He has won two national championships, at LSU in 2003 and at Alabama in 2009.
Q: Legendary Kent State football coach Don James -- if he comes to Saturday's game, who pays for the tickets, you or KSU?
A: If he calls me, I'll pay for them any game he wants to come. He's been a great mentor for me. I still talk to him on occasion. You know, he's as responsible as anybody in the world for me getting into this profession. Things I learned from him are a lot of the principles and values we still use today.
Q: How did the game with Kent State come about?
A: It wasn't totally planned. Another team dropped us, and we didn't have a lot of options. [Alabama administrators] came to me and said, 'Who would you like to play?' I said it would be great for Kent State, since it is my alma mater, and I have a lot of respect for the Mid-American Conference. There are a lot of good football teams, a lot of good football players, and a lot of good programs in that league. It would be great if we can get this set up. And it did work out. It's a good thing for Kent State.
Q: Do you have any KSU memorabilia in your office?
A: I've been so many places in my career. I don't think I have any Golden Flash stuff up.
Q: What impact did the spring tornadoes in Alabama have on this game?
A: I don't think there's any question, in the back of everyone's mind, a lot of people externally are looking forward to the season being a distraction, or something else to think about from the issues in the community and a lot of people affected in the community have gone through.
Our team has been very involved in trying to be supportive of the community, and I think our team really understands the season is going to be something that is going to leave an impression on people. A lot of people had a lot of things happen to them this spring, and since then, relative to the storm. This gives them something else to focus on. It would certainly be nice if we could make that a positive for them.
Q: What did you share with the KSU players this summer when they visited Alabama and helped rebuild parts of the community?
A: I just told those guys how much we appreciated them making the sacrifice to come. I think our players worked side-by-side with them on one day. It's a great example for all people to see: You can compete against each other, when it comes to helping people and community, we can all work together to make things a little better.
I appreciated their effort. I appreciated them coming. It made me proud to be from Kent State.
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/index.ssf/2011/08/off_campus_with_alabama_footba.html
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