Nick Saban and several other SEC coaches took part in the 26th annual L’Arche Mobile Football Preview Thursday night. While the event was held virtually due COVID-19 restrictions, the Alabama head coach was still able to sound off on several questions.
Here’s a look at everything Saban said during the event.
On the best lesson he learned either coaching or playing sports
“I think the best lesson that I learned coaching and playing sports is basically the character of competition. There’s a lot of things that go into that. You learn work ethic, you learn perseverance, how to work with other people, how to overcome adversity, pride in performance, trying to be the best you can be at whatever it is you do because in competition, you’re actually faced off against someone else.
“So, all these things, to me, are the same kinds of things that help you to be successful in life, and I think that’s probably the thing that I learned early on in competition.”
On his greatest moment as an athlete or coach
“It’s really hard to point out just one thing that was my greatest moment as an athlete or a coach. I think every championship that you win is something that is very special because of the relationship that you have with the team, the togetherness on that particular team, everybody buying in to doing all the things they needed to do to help the team be successful. It’s kind of a special feeling. So, to say one was better than the other, I can’t say that.
“Even when we won the state championship in high school, that was just as good as all the rest. So, when you’re in coaching and you’re trying to climb the mountain and you’re trying to be the best, when you win the championship and you accomplish that, that’s probably one the best feelings that you ever get.
“Personally, it’s completely different. Family, having children, raising children. I mean, a lot of the self-gratification that comes from all of that is far greater than winning any championship.”
On providing leadership amidst a crisis
“I think leadership in the face of crisis is when you really do see true leadership. People who can stay focused on what they can control and not worry so much about what they can’t control, and therefore, you have the opportunity to control the circumstance rather than the circumstance that you’re in controlling you. And I think that if you can do that calm in the midst of chaos — is what I always say — and set a good example for other people, be somebody that they can emulate, understand what they’re going through and the uncertainty that it may create and try to help them for their benefit, you still need to serve other people even in crisis.
“Sometimes you say, ‘Well, there’s nothing I can do.’ Sometimes your presence is just as important that you care than anything that you really might be able to do to fix whatever the problem is.”
On his message during this crisis
“I think, first of all, what we’re going through right now with this pandemic, the No. 1 concern anybody has is the health and safety of people everywhere. And I think, obviously, if you follow the health guidelines that have been established by our government and our communities, it’s the best opportunity to slow the spread of this, whether it’s washing your hands, social distancing, staying at home whenever possible.
“I think we have to do this together, and everybody’s gotta do their part. And I think once, maybe, we’re not taxing the healthcare system so dramatically, maybe we can start to get back to normal.”
On this season’s team
“That’s kind of difficult because all we’ve had with this particular team is the offseason program. Some of the things that I really liked about this team so far is we had the best attention to detail, the most discipline — guys going to class — on and off the field. Whether it was guys going to class, fewer points, guys doing a good job in the offseason program and not having a lot of issues and problems.
“But because we didn’t have spring practice, it’s really hard to evaluate the progress, especially of the younger players who are less experienced who benefit the most from spring practice. Hopefully, if we can get back to some kind of summer program, we’ll be able to systematically implement something that will help the development so these guys will be a little more ready for fall camp.”
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