Tony's Take: Don't worry about Saban's retirement, just enjoy the ride
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I have the word’s best dog.
Granted, my 2-year-old lab/pit, Rooney, won’t be earning any acclaim from the Westminster Kennel Club anytime soon. But to me he’s irreplaceable. Other than a pair of iffy hips, I have nothing to worry about. Rooney’s going to be around for quite a while, and as long as he is things are going to be great.
That being said, life gives you moments of pause. My friend lost a pet the other day prompting me to contemplate what life would be without Rooney. Being that my dog is in good health, I didn’t let the thought trouble me for long. However, it was concerning nonetheless.
While I’m admittedly biased in my evaluation of my dog, there’s no doubt Alabama has the top dog in college football in Nick Saban. Although, unlike my Rooney, at 65 Saban is no young pup.
That’s what makes the early retirement of former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops so concerning. Look at it this way, Stoops called it quits at 56. When Saban was that age, he was in the midst of his first season with the Crimson Tide.
Heading into his 22nd year as a head coach, Saban has shown no signs of slowing down. He is the only head coach to lead his team to all three College Football Playoffs and is poised to take Alabama to a fourth straight appearance this season. Talking in front of a group of reporters at his annual Nick’s Kids Golf Tournament earlier this month, he provided Tide fans with a little reassurance by stating he would continue to coach “As long as I feel good.”
“I’ve been a part of a team since I was nine years old. It scares me to death to figure what it’s going to be like when I’m not a part of a team," Saban said at the event. “So, as long as I feel good and I’m healthy and I can do it, we certainly have every intention of trying to do it. If I felt like I couldn’t do it to the standard that I want to do it, then I think that would be time not to do it. But I certainly don’t feel like that’s anytime soon.”
By all accounts, Saban seems to be in good health. It’s easy to imagine him coaching another 5-7 years. Who knows, given his drive and passion it wouldn’t be unrealistic to see him coaching 10 years from now. After all, former Penn State coach Joe Paterno coached well into his 80s.
Still, moments like Stoops’ retirement make you wonder — how many more years does Alabama have left with Saban? Will he try to break Bear Bryant’s record of six national championships? Saban currently has four with Alabama and one with LSU, so another title this year would bring him even.
You wouldn’t predict Saban to call it quits until he can officially and unabashedly cement himself as the greatest college coach of all time. Although to be fair, due to the increased difficulty in present-day coaching, he's probably already accomplished that feat.
There's no way to know how the wheels are truly spinning inside Saban's head. Nobody would have predicted Stoops to hang up the whistle at such a young age while in great health. Will those types of surprises be enough to one day cause Saban to re-evaluate his future?
“I don’t think that anybody can not have those thoughts,” Saban said. “But my thought is I want to do it as long as I feel like I can do it. I really enjoy being around the players. I really enjoy trying to create value for them and their future, whether it’s their personal development, seeing them graduate, seeing them develop as football players and have opportunities in life.”
Maybe Saban is just a different breed of coach than Stoops. His passion and untiring devotion to craft would suggest that Alabama fans have nothing to worry about, at least for the near future. Although, while I don’t want to think about ever losing my dog any more than Alabama wants to think about losing Saban, there will come a time when both are inevitable.
Until then, there’s no use in worrying. Just like Alabama fans, I have the best and might as well enjoy it while it lasts.
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