Back in 2006, when I first began advocating for a regime change in Tuscaloosa, it seemed unthinkable that Alabama
would go from Mike Shula’s malaise to Nick Saban’s excellence so swiftly. Alabama didn’t seem to have the capacity
to acquire a coach with Saban’s caliber. But when Nick Saban came to Tuscaloosa, Alabama started a remarkable run
thanks to a combination of good fortune, the tough discourse of Paul Finebaum’s radio show, and the bravery of Mal
Moore.
Remember those gloomy times before Saban? The Mike Shula, Mike Price, and Mike Dubose era.
The three Mikes’ issues stemmed from a lack of self-control and leadership, not from their football expertise or
plans.
Not one of those Mikes could run a significant college program. It’s alright. While some people excel as head coaches
at smaller, peripheral programs, others make excellent assistant coaches. Few people are able to perform well on a
large scale, and even fewer are able to handle the SEC’s platform. And nobody could maintain that level of excellence
at Alabama for as long as Nick Saban did.
Is there anything else to say about Nick Saban? He is the all-time greatest football coach. Talk radio hosts and ESPN
chatterbox hosts are promoting their biographies of former player Nick Saban. To be honest, I’ve considered writing
a book of Nick Saban called A Greater Than The Bear: A book. Even so, though, it doesn’t seem to do Saban’s
greatness justice. Maybe more time is required to fully understand Nick Saban’s legacy.
All we can do is remember those gloomy times before to Saban. Success was always hampered by the lack of
discipline in the football teams, the athletic department, and the UA administration.
That doesn’t really convey how chaotic Alabama was. Within the Athletic Department, the politics were medieval.
Who anyone forget covert sources trying to exact revenge on Phil Fulmer by providing him with negative information
in Tuscaloosa?
Tuscaloosa was still in disarray, even with Mal Moore serving as athletic director. Moore put a lot of effort into
uniting the divisions. However, instability continued to ensue even after Moore made the decision to terminate Mike
Shula. Do you recall the coaching search?
If Paul Finebaum hadn’t made fun of Rita Rodriguez’s hair, Alabama probably would have hired Rodriguez instead of
holding off on hiring her till Nick Saban finished his season.
Do you remember the low point of the coaching search, when it seemed imminent that Rodriguez would accept the
Alabama job and then rejected it? Paul Finebaum’s show likely had a great deal to do with that stroke of luck.
When news broke Rodriguez would not take the Alabama job, things looked bleak. I remember at the time I was
sitting in the press box of all places Legion Field watching the state high school football championships. Nobody
knew what would happen next. It looked like the coaching search had already failed.
“Malfunction” Moore had done it again. Yet, Moore didn’t give up. After that fiasco, Moore settled down and waited on Saban. And the rest is history.
