Nick Saban’s daughter-in-law Samira Saban beams with Pride as former Alabama HC gets a field to his name
Alabama will honor the former coach Nick Saban by naming a field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Following the announcement on Friday, Saban's daughter-in-law Samira beamed with pride at the achievement. The field will be known as "Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium."
The official resolution to rename a playing field is expected to be by Friday next week. Samira Saban reshared a video of alabamafbl and ua_athletics with a small message saying:
“So proud”
The official christening ceremony for the "Saban Field" is slated for Sept. 7 during his former team the Crimson Tide's home opener against South Florida. During his tenure, he led the Crimson Tide to six national championships with an impressive 108-9 record at home.
The renaming places Saban's legacy alongside another coaching great, Paul "Bear" Bryant. Originally named Denny Field after University President George H. Denny in 1929, the stadium was renamed Bryant-Denny Stadium in 1975 to honor Coach Bryant's contributions.
Nick Saban addressed retirement at SEC Media Days
Nick Saban spoke about his retirement during the 2024 SEC Media Days. He acknowledged that he misses the close relationships fostered within a team environment, however, he added that he has no regrets about retiring after the 2023 season.
Despite his retirement, Saban is still engaged with the sport through his role as an ESPN analyst.
He said:
"The relationships of players. I think this thing that I'm doing now, like I did the draft, sec Media Day, game day in the fall, it keeps me involved in the game. So I watch film, I make my own evaluations of players, so the technical aspects of the game I still do some degree.
The biggest thing I miss is the relationships with the people, the players, the coaches, the staff, and all the people that you work with, being a part of the team. I also got to the point where it was difficult for me to sustain things the way I needed to sustain myself that I was doing a good job. So last year was hard. So I said, maybe it's time for somebody else. I don't regret that."
Nick Saban concluded by reiterating his belief that it was the opportune moment to step down and allow new leadership to usher Alabama into the future.