Nick Saban

Theo Von (0:00)

He's probably the greatest college football coach of all time, and I know he didn't like hearing me say probably right there. His run at the University of Alabama will never be matched, I would guess. He's had seven national championships. What he's done is unprecedented. And he has a new documentary out this week on ESPN. It's called Saban. I suggest that you enjoy that. I am grateful for his time.

Truly, it was an honor. Today's guest is Nick Saban.

Yeah, that's one of those days. Sometimes I have those days where you're just like, how am I going to get it all done? You ever have days like that?

Nick Saban (0:54)

Oh yeah. Today's one of them.

Theo Von (0:56)

Has it been? And did you have to regroup a little? Or what do you do in a moment like that? Because I'm sure you've had them at intense levels and then it's at regular day to day levels. Sometimes I'm just like, there's not a breath deep enough I can take sometimes, it feels like.

Nick Saban (1:11)

But I'm so used to grinding through it, coaching 14 hours a day, one problem after the next, one solution after the next.

I can usually grind through it. What I don't do very well at is having nothing to do. You know, that after being so busy for so long, I mean, now when I don't have anything to do, I'm like, like my wife, she didn't, she, she, she, you playing golf today? Get out of here.

Theo Von (1:40)

She's like, we're going to build a course in the backyard if we have to.

Nick Saban (1:42)

I go to church on Sunday morning and she says, well, you're going to play golf afterwards, right? I don't want to see you until 2 30

Theo Von (1:50)

Yes, I guess it's kind of new for her that now you're home, right?

Nick Saban (1:53)

That's right. I came home one day at 3 o'clock. She said, what are you doing here?

Theo Von (2:00)

Where did you meet Ms. Terry at?

Nick Saban (2:03)

Seventh grade science camp. We went to different schools in West Virginia. She went kind of the city school and I went to the country school. And but we met at science camp. Now we lived about 10 miles apart, but that's like worlds apart, you know, back in those days. Oh, yeah. Yeah. But so we always liked each other, but I could never see her. And it wasn't until I was a senior, she was a junior that we started dating. So.

So there will be 55 years in December.

Theo Von (2:36)

We've been married and how did congratulations?

Nick Saban (2:39)

It's been fun.

Theo Von (2:40)

That's cool. No, it's great to hear that. How did you propose to her?

Nick Saban (2:46)

I think over the phone, if I remember right.

Theo Von (2:49)

What, like a recruiting call?

Nick Saban (2:50)

No, I mean, I was at Kent State. She was back home going to Fairmont State and we talked on the phone. But, you know, in those days, I mean, you know, it was expensive, you know, to talk on the phone. So we'd have these short conversations maybe once a week or whatever. And she came to visit during the season when I was playing and kind of talked about it then, but.

Theo Von (3:15)

Did she ever make you get down on, like did she ever make you go through kind of the formal?

Nick Saban (3:19)

No, not really.

Theo Von (3:20)

Wow.

Nick Saban (3:21)

And then we had our honeymoon in Wheeling at the Wheeling Holiday Inn.

Theo Von (3:25)

Did you really?

Nick Saban (3:26)

Oh yeah. And we went to Big Boy, you know, with the strawberry pie. Yeah. That was great.

Theo Von (3:33)

That was where your honeymoon was?

Nick Saban (3:34)

That was it.

Theo Von (3:35)

Oh, that's pretty cool. I will tell you this, I had a show in Pittsburgh one time and I had a couple of ladies offer me the Wheeling feeling after the show.

I didn't get any of it, but.

Nick Saban (3:46)

Yeah, that's not one of the most accommodating places to visit.

Theo Von (3:52)

Yeah.

Nick Saban (3:53)

Yeah.

Theo Von (3:54)

I've had some good times. I did a show at the Big Sandy there in Huntington, which was really cool. I did a show one weekend when the guy read, remember they made that movie about the plane that crashed for Marshall?

Nick Saban (4:06)

Oh yeah.

Theo Von (4:06)

You know, that it was just that horrific tragedy that happened there within that community. And the guy who didn't take the plane, the coach's name was read something. He was speaking at the hotel that I was staying at that day.