"We actually moved 17 times": Former Alabama HC Nick Saban expresses heartfelt gratitude for wife Miss Terry at ESPY AwardsÂ
After spending 17 long years at Alabama, head coach Nick Saban decided to hang up his boots and announced his retirement on Jan. 11, 2024, shortly after facing a close 27-20 loss against Jim Harbaugh's Michigan Wolverines.
Saban is one of the most accomplished college football coaches in the game's history. Under his belt, the Alabama Crimson Tide secured a staggering six national championships and nine SEC titles during his tenure.
Nick Saban has also won the SEC Coach of the Year award a total of five times and bagged the Bear Bryant Award twice in his career, along with 12 other national Coach of the Year honors.
On Thursday, Coach Saban was presented the Icon Award at the ESPYs by his two Heisman Trophy winners, Mark Ingrim and Bryce James.
The former Alabama head coach has been vocal in thanking his wife, Miss Terry, for supporting him throughout his career and expressed his gratitude for her during his speech:
"You have to have great support from your family. You know, Miss Terry has been the love of my life for 52 years. And she has supported me in every way as my family has. And I certainly appreciate that, because there's a lot of sacrifices families make in coaching. We actually moved 17 times before we ever got to Alabama 17 times.
"So I can only accept this award on behalf of all the other folks that contributed to it, which there's a 1,000 of them. And every time I look at this, I'm gonna see the faces of all the people who work so hard to help us be successful. And the relationships that were able and forged in those teams that made it so special."
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When Nick Saban spanked A.J. McCarron during a game
Nick Saban is well-known for his unapologetic, passionate coaching style and he doesn't shy away from acting the way he thinks is best for the team.
The former Alabama head coach has been under the spotlight before for his heated moments both on and off the field.
One such example is when he spanked Alabama's redshirt freshman quarterback A.J. McCarron for throwing an ill-advised pass.
Later, when asked about the incident, Saban said that football is for tough people and he didn't see anything wrong with the situation.
Alabama will certainly miss Nick Saban's passion for the game in their first season without him in the 2024 college football season, spearheaded by new head coach Kalen DeBoer.