After nearly a year of speculation, the statue commemorating head coach Nick Saban and his 2009 championship team finally has a date set for its unveiling.
On Saturday, University officials announced the statue would be dedicated on April 16, before the kickoff of the Tide’s annual A-Day spring football game.
“In keeping with our custom of honoring our national championship head football coaches, we are pleased and proud to unveil the statue of Coach Saban to add to our Walk of Champions at Bryant-Denny Stadium,” UA Director of Athletics Mal Moore said in a press release. “By leading our team to Alabama’s 13th football championship in 2009, coach Saban earned his place among the legends we recognize. This is an outstanding testament to his work at Alabama, and a fitting tribute to the accomplishments of our entire football program under his leadership.”
Saban is the University’s fifth coach to win a national championship. The previous four – Frank Thomas, Wallace Wade, Paul “Bear” Bryant and Gene Stallings – already have statues that stand along the Walk of Champions.
Stallings, along with family members of Thomas, Wade and Bryant, are expected to be at the statue’s unveiling alongside players from the national championship team.
The day’s activities begin at 12:15 p.m., as the University’s captains from the 2010 team will be honored outside of Denny Chimes. At 12:40 p.m., the unveiling of Saban’s statue is expected to begin.
Elizabeth Singleton, a junior majoring in apparel and textiles design, said she is excited to attend the statue’s unveiling.
“I was anticipating celebrating Coach Saban’s statue being placed along the Walk of Champions last A-Day game, but, unfortunately, it wasn’t ready yet,” she said. “Now that it is complete, I am excited all over again. It should be a good time to both celebrate Coach Saban’s success here and relive our championship run of 2009.”
ESPN.com first reported that the statue’s arrival on campus would be delayed because “the first two statue submissions were rejected partly because the hair and face weren’t right.”
Despite the setback, MTM Recognition, the company who built Saban’s statue, continued designing and working with the piece until it was approved.
“I’m excited to see how the statue came out, as well as see the players and coaches that helped make that memorable season complete,” Singleton said. “It should be a lot of fun. Next Saturday will be a very memorable day for all of UA’s students and fans.”
