January 10th is a day that will always live in infamy for Alabama football fans. One year ago today, legendary coach Nick Saban announced his retirement, sending shockwaves through the state of Alabama and the college football world as a whole.
Saban joined the set of College GameDay this year and has been a star on TV as everyone predicted when he finally decided to retire from coaching. He has brought a level of expertise and humor to the show that has provided a spark and brought excellent ratings to ESPN.
On the set of a special College GameDay ahead of the Cotton Bowl between Texas and Ohio State with a spot in the National Championship on the line, Rece Davis and the rest of the GameDay crew surprised Saban with the news that he is the first member of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame class.
Nick Saban will be joining the College Football Hall of Fame‼️
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) January 10, 2025
Well-deserved 👏 pic.twitter.com/fCWcpYWkNI
Saban seemed surprised by the news and Pat McAfee presented him with a special football to commemorate the announcement.
It was a foregone conclusion that Saban would join the College Football Hall of Fame once he retired. Saban is considered by most the greatest coach in the history of the sport, an opinion that is hard to dispute.
Saban won seven national championships during his career, six with the Crimson Tide. He finished his career with a record of 297-79-1 (.806%) including a ridiculous 206-29 (.877) mark during his 17 years in Tuscaloosa. He also led Alabama to 9 SEC Championships and a 9-1 overall record in SEC Championship Games.
Saban becomes the fifth Alabama coach to be selected for the Hall of Fame, and the 27th in the history of the program.
Saban will officially be inducted in a ceremony held in Las Vegas on December 9th.