Tennessee football’s all-time best coach? The numbers point to Saban.
Nick Saban stepped down as the football coach of Alabama two weeks ago. And since he hasn’t decided to accept the position at Vanderbilt or altered his mind, I believe Tennessee fans can finally relax.
Saban was the greatest sideline opponent in Vol football history.
throughout his time at LSU, he caused trouble for Tennessee, and throughout his 17 years at Alabama, he was an unstoppable force. Upon recollectingUT’s most formidable coaching adversaries, Saban, Steve Spurrier, and Bear Bryant immediately spring to mind.
Between his stints at Kentucky, Texas A&M, and Alabama from 1958 to 1982, Tennessee defeated Bryant 14 times. Throughout his career at Duke, Florida, and South Carolina, Spurrier was defeated ten times by the Vols.
Tennessee only defeated Saban twice in 20 attempts, separated by 21 years.
In 2008, two weeks after losing to Saban a second time, Phillip Fulmer was let go. By 2021, Tennessee’s losing run against the Tide had grown to 15 games, despite five different UT coaches.
The Vols only came close twice, under Lane Kiffin in 2009 and Butch Jones in 2015.
Josh Heupel, the team’s sixth coach, eventually ended the run in 2022 with a historic 52-49 victory. After a 34-20 victory, Saban’s final season saw a return to normalcy with cigars lighted in the Crimson Tide locker room.
Final score: 2–18.
(Aside: Urban Meyer never won the Vols in six meetings, but he lacked Saban’s tenacity to have a significant impact on the conference.)
Thinking back on Saban’s legacy, I read over a few articles I written about him in the past.
This is a quote from the 2016 SEC Media Days:
For years, the media’s ability to forecast the SEC champion was ludicrous. What a group of jerks.
Auburn would have won if we had chosen Georgia. LSU would have won if we had chosen Auburn. If we choose Tennessee, Florida would have won. It would be Georgia if we choose Florida.
Since Saban arrived, we have become more intelligent. Select Alabama. Of course.
For years, the media’s ability to forecast the SEC champion was ludicrous. What a group of jerks.
Auburn would have won if we had chosen Georgia. LSU would have won if we had chosen Auburn. If we choose Tennessee, Florida would have won. It would be Georgia if we choose Florida.
Since Saban arrived, we have become more intelligent. Select Alabama. Of course.
The second looked at Saban’s coaching hierarchy. To put it mildly, Tennessee has been intricately involved.
On Saturdays, Tennessee had to play previous assistants under Nick Saban, ranging from Billy Napier to Jim McElwain, Will Muschamp, and Jimbo Fisher. And Kirby Smart at Georgia, most notably.
Then there was the search for the ideal Saban protege to hire.
In 2010, Derek Dooley’s seven years of employment with Saban, rather than his parents, were what made him most appealing.
As athletic director, Fulmer selected Jeremy Pruitt, who had worked under Nick Saban for the majority of the previous ten years, when the 2017 season collapsed. There was another implosion after that.
Finally, former Tennessee coaches now have a safe haven thanks to Nick Saban’s Alabama dynasty. The image of Lane Kiffin, Butch Jones, and, in 2023, Dooley, rejoicing over their old employer, has been difficult for Vol supporters to accept.
We now proceed.
I hope Saban has a pleasant retirement. Tennessee is due for more calm sailing in the post-Saban era.
Mike Strange was a News Sentinel writer once. He currently contributes a sports column to Shopper News every week.
