Is Nick Saban Catholic? Exploring how the Alabama HC feels his faith is critical to his success as a leader
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban has been one of the best coaches of all time. One big thing in his life has been his faith, as he is Catholic.
Famously, he spoke about having to go to church when the College Football Playoff schedule was released in December 2020.
"I go to church from 11 to 12, so they’re going to have to either schedule it at a different time, or I’m going to find out when I get out of church," Saban reportedly said.
Saban and his wife, Terry, regularly attend Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The couple also were able to be a major contributor to the creation of a Catholic student center, the Saban Catholic Student Center. They serve more than 6,000 Catholic students and help establish their faith.
Nick Saban talked about how his wife was a big component in creating the center.
"My wife, Terry, is very involved in it. We have a lot of Catholic participation by our students here. We felt it would be great for them to have a place they can go socialize and develop the kind of relationships that might be helpful to them and their faith development," Saban told EWTN.
How important is faith for Nick Saban?
Nick Saban has spoken about his Christian faith before but does not push it in everyone's face. There is a vast faith component in the southeastern portion of the United States, so it does not come as a surprise.
However, it is not only about his faith but also instead working on character improvement.
"I don't think there's any question about the fact about character, moral development are all a part of leadership. ... I look at it as, we always say, 'God have mercy,' but that mercy is not a well. It's not a cistern. It's a channel that should run through other people," Saban told EWTN in 2016.
"That's part of what we try to do for our players, so they have a chance to be more successful in life," he added. h/t Aleteia
Players do not seem to have an issue with it, as sometimes religion could cause a rift. However, it appears that Nick Saban does a good job of not focusing on the religious aspects and instead on the lessons. Of course, this is coming from an outsider's point of view, and we do not know how the locker room is.
Saban has shown the ability to be one of the greatest coaches in college football history, and faith has definitely played a factor. It will be interesting to see how much faith comes into play during the 2023 SEC Media Days and the upcoming season.