Former LSU coach Nick Saban appeared on ESPN's College GameDay this Saturday from the University of Oregon, sharing a memorable story from his early days at Alabama. While discussing Bill Belichick's struggles at the University of North Carolina, the conversation prompted Saban to reflect on his own rocky start at Alabama.
College GameDay shared the moment on X, posting a video where Saban recounted a humiliating loss to ULM during his first year at Alabama. “First year at Alabama, we lost to ULM. Remember that? Alabama beat them 73-0 this year. We lost to them, most humiliating game loss of my whole career,” Saban explained.
An Alabama fan really told Nick Saban he'd never coach the Tide to a title 😂
This story is so funny six championships later 💍 pic.twitter.com/9bM1pcdqlA
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 11, 2025
What happened next made the story even better. “I get in my car to go home, and I got no gas; I used to wear my LSU national championship ring; I paid for the gas. The guy says, ‘Hey, what is that?' I said, ‘It's a national championship ring. We're going to do the same thing here.'”
The gas station attendant’s response became the punchline. Saban recounted, “He said, ‘We’ll never do it as long as Nick Saban’s a coach.’” Everyone burst out laughing at this story, while Kirk Herbstreit asked if Saban had returned to see that fan after winning six championships at Alabama.
Alabama football fan proved wrong
Saban proved that doubting fan wrong. During his 17 seasons at Alabama, he won six national championships and posted a remarkable 206-29 record. He transformed the Crimson Tide into college football's most dominant program before retiring in January 2024, leaving behind a legacy that silenced every doubter questioning him after that ULM loss.
Circling back to Belichick, Saban's point was clear. “Every coach needs to have the opportunity to establish his culture and also to recruit his kind of players,” he explained.
He noted that first-year struggles are natural when taking over a program as coaches lose players and drop games while building their roster. “They probably misjudged a little bit the timing of the first portal window,” he said. While it affected this year, Belichick won't miss the window next year and is doing a great job recruiting.
