Nick Saban responds to Steve Spurrier’s dig – four months later
Nick Saban isn't exactly one for trash talk — he lets all of his national titles do the talking for him — but after hearing what Steve Spurrier had to say about him back in the spring, he just couldn't help himself.
Spurrier, who was speaking to ESPN.com, was responding to a question about the success of Saban and said Saban had it "easy."
"He's got a nice little gig going, a little bit like [Kentucky basketball coach John] Calipari," Spurrier told ESPN.com of Saban. "He tells guys, 'Hey, three years from now, you're going to be a first-round pick and go.' If he wants to be the greatest coach or one of the greatest coaches in college football, to me, he has to go somewhere besides Alabama and win, because they've always won there at Alabama."
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Actually, Saban's won everywhere he's gone, and four months after Spurrier's little dig, Saban wanted to clear up any misconception about his coaching skills to "The Dan Patrick Show."
"LSU wasn't winning when I went there. Michigan State wasn't winning when I went there. Toledo wasn't winning when I went there. And Alabama really wasn't winning when I came here. I guess I gotta go someplace else. I don't know.
"I think it's great, I love Steve. I'm always anxious to hear what he has to say — it's always funny."
Funny, ha-ha? Or funny like, shut your pie hole Spurrier? Methinks it's the latter.
[Pat Forde: NCAA probe targets Memphis-area football players]
Saban speaks truth when he says he has the Midas touch when it comes to rejuvenating football programs.
In Saban's first year with Toldeo in 1990, he led the Rockets to a 9-2 record and its first MAC title since 1984. The two seasons prior had resulted in 6-5 campaigns.
From 1995-99, Michigan State was 34-24-1. The Spartans were 27-29-1 the four years prior.
When Saban coached LSU from 2000-04, the Tigers were 48-16, which included a BCS national championship in 2003. In the four years prior to his arrival, the Tigers were 33-24-1.
Love him or hate him, Saban doesn't need to justify his coaching pedigree to anyone. All he has to do is line up his crystal footballs and championship rings and walk out of the room.
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