On the University of Alabama campus, Jan. 10 was supposed to just be the first day of class, a day for students to get back into their routines, classmates to catch up, friends to grab dinner during syllabus week.
Instead, a flood of texts, tweets and Instagram notifications took over the student population of the Capstone as UA students, Crimson Tide fans, and the college football world learned that the greatest college football coach of the century had just announced his retirement.
“A lot of people remember days like their birthday or where they were on 9/11, but I’ll remember Jan. 10,” said Colin Wanek, a freshman majoring in interdisciplinary studies. “I was in my dorm, woken up by screaming roommates — a god had fallen. It’s just hard news to hear.”
Buzzing phones, a silenced campus, the crowded Nick Saban statue. Many students flocked to the Walk of Champions tribute with Little Debbie’s Oatmeal Creme Pies, flowers, and more, all to honor the coach who, for many, brought them to the Capstone.
“If my parents see this, I came here for the education. If they don’t see this, I came here for Pope Saban,” Wanek said.
Like Wanek, freshman biology and business double major Hayden Battles said he also came to The University of Alabama because of Saban.
“I didn’t want to be a bandwagon at first, but I couldn’t help but love watching the Tide, and they kind of just became my adopted team,” Battles said. “Then I ended up coming here, so they’re my team-team now. I feel like the only reason I applied was the football.”
Like most students across campus, Battles heard the news of Saban’s retirement through a text. The news spread fast and far as friends sympathized with friends, moms checked in on their sons’ well-being, and college football fans cautiously taunted their Crimson Tide counterparts.
While the retirement announcement spread like wildfire, the reason for it remained unknown, and one student was unfortunate enough to learn the news through someone who dared to speculate.
“The first thing that I saw was Dave Portnoy’s post, which was absolutely terrible,” said Kate Marron, a senior majoring in communicative disorders. “His [Saban’s] last game was Michigan, and Dave Portnoy’s all about Michigan, and he said he retired because Michigan beat him, which is not true.”
Later, Saban clarified that his age was the main factor in his retirement. On Wednesday night, though, the main focus was the end of an era, and many students felt like it was only fitting to memorialize it at the legendary coach’s statue.
“I asked her [her roommate] if it was true and she sent a sad face, and that’s when I knew and I just started crying and I haven’t really stopped,” Marron said. “Now I’m here in my LANK merch because Let All Naysayers Know that Nick Saban is the best.”
Some accused the UA student population of being too dramatic. Leaving flowers at his statue when he didn’t die, just announced his retirement, may have been excessive, but for many students, Saban meant more than just the head coach of a football team.
Jacob Kelley, a sophomore majoring in biology, said the retirement meant even more to him as a lifelong Crimson Tide fan and Alabama native.
“I’ve been watching him for as long as I can remember watching football,” Kelley said.
As the news became more and more official and the reality continued to settle in, most students reconciled with the fact that there will be no more Saban national championship runs, only memories. While many said that his wins were among their favorite Saban moments, others, such as freshman finance major Brogan Barnum, said they appreciated moments when he proved what a good coach he was.
“There’s a famous TikTok video of him yelling to get in the nickel and he calls a timeout late in the game even though they were already up by so many points,” Barnum said. “Every detail mattered even if the score was a blowout.”
Freshman biology major Fred Nelson said an SEC championship win was his favorite Saban moment, but not because of the victory.
“My dad always has this big thing about Nick Saban smiling and when we won, he [Saban] let off the biggest smile. It was a great moment,” Nelson said.
