Nick Saban accepted off from Alabama

Slim · 01-03-2007, 12:22 PM

Nick Saban has accepted an offer from Alabama to coach the Crimson Tide and left the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday, two weeks after declaring "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach."

Jeff Zelevansky/Icon SMI
Saban will return to the SEC, where he won a national championship with LSU .Saban told team owner Wayne Huizenga of his intentions via telephone and then informed all of his coaches by speakerphone that he was leaving to accept the Alabama position, a source told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

But as of late Wednesday morning, Saban was not yet headed to Tuscaloosa for a formal introduction.

"All indications are that he's coming, but I know they're not in the air yet," an Alabama athletic department official told ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach.

Alabama made its formal offer to Saban on Monday after rumors swirled for weeks that the Crimson Tide were pursuing the former LSU coach. The offer, believed to run from eight to 10 years, is worth $35 million to $40 million, and includes many variables, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Monday.

Saban had issued repeated denials that he was interested in coaching at Alabama, one of the most high-profile and high-pressure college coaching jobs in the country. He leaves the Dolphins with three years left on a deal worth approximately $4.5 million a year.

Alabama began looking for a coach after firing Mike Shula on Nov. 27. The Tide finished the season 6-7, losing to Oklahoma State in the Independence Bowl.

On Tuesday, Saban asked for and recevied more time from Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga to make a decision.

Huizenga remained optimistic Tuesday that Saban would return to Miami, and gave him until 10 a.m. Wednesday to make a decision.

"I'm hoping he's leaning on staying," Huizenga was quoted as saying in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "I like Nick a lot and hope he's going to stay. I'm not upset. You just have to play this thing through."

Huizenga has said he received repeated assurances from Saban late in the season that he would return in 2007. And Saban issued frequent public denials of interest in moving to Tuscaloosa, such as on Dec. 21, when he said: "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach."

espn.com

Slim · 01-03-2007, 12:23 PM

he is a better college coach then he is nfl, but i really didnt think he was going to take it. who will the dolphins get? Dennie Green??

Randy Orton · 01-03-2007, 12:33 PM

lol on espn yesterday they were all saying how he would stay at miami and wouldn't leave.

Slim · 01-03-2007, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rambo
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lol on espn yesterday they were all saying how he would stay at miami and wouldn't leave.

lol, yeah. He said he wouldnt take it a few weeks ago, but i guess money can change everything lol. I don't think he was ever very happy in the nfl anyways. He seems happy in college.

Randy Orton · 01-03-2007, 12:40 PM

Yea true. Another forum I go to they were talkign about him and how every other place he's coached at when someone has offered him antoher job he has said no and then has taken it(except for the bears offer)

B-Money · 01-03-2007, 01:47 PM

Good for him, you can't blame him for taking the money and job security. It'll be good for the Patriots to get another Belichick desciple out of their division and now Saban can return to college where he can basically act as a scout to Belichick like he did when he was at LSU.

Griff0rd · 01-03-2007, 01:52 PM

I had little respect for him as it was... but for him to go like he did after saying he wouldn't... I have none for him. And as far as Dennie Green... i would hope not for Miami's sake. I think it will be a step up from a coordinator from somewhere... who I am not sure of yet, but I don't expect to see a fired coahc come in.

Dr. Giganto · 01-03-2007, 01:55 PM

Um...he took a 8-year, $32 million offer. That's a half a million per year LESS than he was getting paid by the Dolphins. Although it's like 5 years longer, but still. Does he think he's such a shitty coach that he has to jump at the money now, instead of waiting for when his contract expires in 3 years?

I dont know...leaving a professional sports team in like the coolest city in America to go to that ass-backwards state of Alabama, at a school where you're constantly at the mercy of cocksucking descendent-of-slavedrivers boosters.

Good decision on his part...