There’s little debate about who the greatest college football coach of all time is. It’s none other than former Michigan State, LSU, and Alabama head coach Nick Saban, but as is often the case, failure to launch came before the rise to glory.
Not many know that Saban was once an assistant under former Ohio State head coach, the late, great Earle Bruce, from 1980-81. Saban started his coaching career as a graduate assistant for his alma mater, Kent State, in 1973 and was promoted to the linebackers coach in 1975. He also had stops as an assistant at Syracuse and West Virginia before Bruce hired him as a defensive backs coach in 1980. Amazingly enough, Saban was hired to replace another famous coach, Pete Carroll, on the Buckeye staff.
However, Saban’s time with a scarlet and gray wardrobe was short-lived. He was fired after a 31-28 Ohio State win against Navy in the 1981 Liberty Bowl as part of a housecleaning of some of the defensive staff because of a reported disagreement in philosophy.
While appearing on the Pat McAfee Show, right out of the gate, McAfee — with former Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk sitting in tow — asked Saban if he was ever fired, and Saban was quick to point out his time in Columbus.
“Yeah, I talked to you about that. I got fired when I was a defensive backs coach at Ohio State,” Saban said.
McAfee then went on to give Hawk and Ohio State a hard time, making a comparison between Michael Jordan being cut from his high school team as an inspiration. Saying the firing likely led to Saban being an “inspiration for killing everyone all the time.” Before he went any further, though, Saban did take responsibility for what happened and even expressed his admiration for the Buckeye program.
“I actually love Ohio State,” Saban quickly fired back. “I’ve always liked Ohio State; I loved it when I coached there. It’s a great institution. It was my fault I got fired. I can’t blame anybody else for that.”
And now you know. Most who follow Ohio State probably know that Saban had a short stint in Columbus, but many may not know that Brice fired him and that it was likely a learning experience to become better. Saban went on to have stops as a college assistant at Navy (funny enough), Michigan State, and Toledo, and also moved around in the NFL as an assistant with the Houston Oilers (now the Titans) and Cleveland Browns, before leading Michigan State, LSU, and Alabama as a head coach.
Let this be another reminder that success often comes after failure and is rarely an overnight thing. Saban went on to win seven national championships and set the bar for coaching success. But that was many years after the G.O.A.T. was a scapegoat first on the banks of the Olentangy.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Nick Saban reveals he got fired from Ohio State as an assistant
Reporting by Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire / Buckeyes Wire
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By Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire | USA TODAY Network
