Alabama Football: Nick Saban wins Bryant Award … finally

Alabama Football, Head Coach Nick Saban was named the Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant Coach of the Year for the 2020 college football season.

The first response from many Alabama football fans upon hearing the good news was, “what took you so long?’ Until Wednesday night Nick Saban had never been chosen for the Bryant Award as the Alabama Football, Head Coach. Saban did win it in 2003 as the LSU Head Coach.

The ‘Bryant’ has been awarded every season going back to 1986 when Penn State’s Joe Paterno won the first one. The Bryant Coach of the Year (COTY) is defined as,

"College football coaches are recognized for their contributions both on and off the field."

There is no debate about the outstanding community and statewide contributions made by Terry and Nick Saban every year. Nick not being chosen in any year cannot mean he did not measure up “off the field.” On the field, while the Alabama Crimson Tide was winning National Championships, Chris Petersen won the Bryant in 2009; Mike Gundy won it in 2011; Bill O’Brien won it in 2012; Dabo Swinney won it in 2015 and Scott Frost won it in 2017.

Fighting the urge to scoff at a couple of those selections is difficult. Let’s just say the 2020 Bryant Award going to Nick Saban was long overdue.

Other reputable organizations also name a Coach of the Year every season. The American Football Coaches Association has been doing it since 1935. Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant won that award three times in 1961, 1971 and 1973. Gene Stallings won it in 1992. Nick Saban has never won it.

For the 2008 season, Saban was named COTY by the Associated Press, the Walter Camp Foundation, Home Depot and the Sporting News. In 2014, Saban won the Bobby Dodd COTY. Counting his 2003 recognition, Saban has been named COTY for four different seasons.

By comparison, Dabo Swinney has been COTY for three different seasons. Not to disparage Dabo, but his three to Nick’s four does not match their career achievements.

Former Alabama Football coach, Bill Curry won the 1989 Bobby Dodd COTY Award. There was symmetry in that choice with Curry having played and coached at Georgia Tech. Totaling lacking symmetry is another Alabama football coach, though one with a short Crimson Tide career, won the Home Depot and Sporting News COTY awards for 1997. It was then Washington State, Head Coach, Mike Price.

We suspect Nick Saban appreciates winning such awards, while not measuring his success by them. That perspective alone should have him in the running for COTY every season.