Bobby Bowden Is Right: Nick Saban IS Better Than Bear

Who is the greatest to ever coach football at Alabama?

Bobby Bowden put in his two cents this week by stating that Nick Saban is, in fact, better than Paul “Bear” Bryant.

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Revered former Florida State University head football coach Bobby Bowden has made headlines once again – this time, discussing the differences between Alabama coaches Paul “Bear” Bryant and Nick Saban.

Tuesday, while on a radio show in Mobile, Alabama, Coach Bowden was once again asked to weigh in on the debate pitting Bear and Saban against one another as the greatest coach in Crimson Tide history.

AL.com quoted Bowden with the following statement:

"“I’d say probably what Nick Saban is doing (is more impressive) because football is more balanced now. I think when coach Bryant came to Alabama in 1958, I think it was unlimited recruiting. You could sign all the kids you wanted, and he’s gonna get most of them."

If you ask me, this is a no-brainer, and Bobby Bowden is 100% correct.

Coach Nick Saban is already the greatest coach in Alabama history, and here’s why.

*Recruiting

As Bowden said, recruiting requirements and restrictions have changed dramatically over the last several decades, with a limited number of scholarships allowed, and the NCAA now sticking their noses in any situation they can find.

During Bryant’s tenure at Alabama, there was no limitation to the number of scholarships that could be awarded, so Bear was able to obtain pretty much any player he set his eyes on.

Today, at the Football Bowl Series schools, a maximum of 85 scholarships are allowed to be given. Not only is Nick Saban able to do more-with-less, he is doing it as well as or better than any other coach in the country with top rated recruiting classes year after year.

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*Win-Loss Percentages and Championships

Bear’s record at Alabama over his 25 years (from 1958-1982) was 232-46-9, which is an 80.8% win percentage. At just about any other school in the nation, this is a better record than any coach they’ve ever had.

Bryant is #4 on the list of Most All-Time Wins with 323 overall, behind Joe Paterno (409, before being stripped of 111 wins from 1998-2011), Eddie Robinson (408), and Bobby Bowden himself (377). In his tenure at Bama, Bear won 6 National Championships. Saban’s career wins might not be quite as high as those coaching legends, but his overall record is an impressive 191-60-1.

In his nine seasons at Alabama, Nick has gone 100-18, a staggering 85% win percentage. He has brought 4 National Championship titles to Tuscaloosa in the last 7 seasons. Saban has made no mention of retiring anytime soon, so we can only expect those numbers to continue to rise.

*Schedules

There’s no doubt that Alabama played many talented, top-notch schools while Bear was at the helm. However, nothing compares to the yearly juggernaut our boys must face in the Saban era.

Even ESPN, with their seemingly anti-SEC bias admitted this week that the SEC does in fact have the toughest of any conference schedules. Alabama plays top 25 teams week after week, and even 1 loss can severely damage the Tide’s chances to play for a championship.

Several of Bear’s teams lost in the post-season but still made it to play in the title games – a feat that would NEVER occur in modern football. Along with tougher schedules than ever before, teams are now playing more games than in previous years. A typical schedule for Bear included 11 games in a season with 1 or 2 post-season matchups.

Now, including the SEC championship, semi-finals, and national championship games, teams that make it all the way play 15 games in a single season. Schedules are tougher, seasons are longer, and still Saban comes out on top.

Dec 31, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban in the first half against the Michigan State Spartans in the 2015 CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /

*Social Media and Intense Scrutiny

Back in the Good Ol’ Days before every idiot had a smart phone and people posted pictures online of what they ate for dinner, news traveled slower.

MUCH slower.

Stories from practices, information about players, and post-game press conferences were all relayed to the general public through actual newspapers, television, and radio broadcasts. Because of this, every tiny detail was not able to be reported, and many things were omitted.

Bryant’s much publicized battle with alcohol, including a stint in rehab in 1977, was common knowledge. However, no one whipped out their always handy iPhone and recorded video of Bear drinking to excess or weaving a web of curse-word obscenity above the practice fields in Tuscaloosa.

Reputation is everything, and if we’re being honest, Bryant’s probably wouldn’t hold up as well in today’s society.

Saban is squeaky-clean. When the “worst” video you can find of a coach is the time he smacked AJ McCarron on the ass, he’s doing pretty well. Information travels at light speed, and Bad News travels even faster. The most dirt we can dig up on Saban is his Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie addiction.

What I’m getting at is that yes, Bear had excellent numbers. Yes, Bear had championships.

But if you place him in today’s intense, highest-level college football arena, he pales in comparison to Saban.

We could debate even more points all night long – believe me, I have no doubt you will share your thoughts oh so lovingly on Twitter and Facebook – but I think these examples speak for themselves. We should probably label this post “#BamaProblems”, because only those who bleed crimson would spend time debating which of the two coaches who absolutely dominated during their time in Tuscaloosa was the best.

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If anything, deciding between The Bear and Saint Nick is the best problem we could ever hope to have. Roll Tide.

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