Nick Saban arrived in Baton Rouge four years ago to take over a program with much turmoil.
Just five years earlier, Gerry DiNardo had vowed to “Bring back the magic” of LSU football. He appeared to be the ‘Moses’ of the Tigers’ football program – leading Tiger fans out of the bondage of six straight losing seasons and into the ‘Promised Land.’
DiNardo’s parting of the Red Sea experience came when LSU defeated then-No. 1 Florida in 1997. After the 1997 season, DiNardo – like Moses- got the big head and decided he was the best coach ever. He starred in commercials for Bank One and Ford and started his own restaurant. To top it off, he hired one of the worst defensive coordinators ever in Lou Tepper and refused to fire him to save his job.
DiNardo was sentenced to wander in the football wilderness much like Moses, going 6-15 his last two seasons at LSU.
Saban had a 26-12 record going into this season, but many people including myself doubted Saban’s ability to continue his winning ways. However, LSU’s 33-7 win against South Carolina made him the first coach since Charlie McClendon to lead the Tigers to four consecutive non-losing seasons. It’s important to be able to win with players you recruit and Saban is doing exactly that.
Saban has also led the Tigers to two consecutive New Year’s Day Bowl games with the Sugar and Cotton Bowls in 2002 and 2003, respectively. That was another benchmark not accomplished since the days of Charlie Mac – the winningest football coach in LSU history.
Nick Saban achieved another benchmark this season with the Tigers being ranked in the Top 10 for the last six weeks. It marks the longest run since the 1986 and 1987 seasons when the Tigers were ranked in the Top 10 for 15 consecutive games.
When Saban took over he was met with skepticism from the media and the fan base. After a 13-10 loss to rent-a-win Alabama-Birmingham, the LSU community probably said “not again.” But ever since, Saban has been LSU’s Joshua, leading the Tigers to the Promised Land unlike his predecessors.
Saban’s “Battle of Jericho” came against Auburn in 2001 at Tiger Stadium. The game was a must win for the Tigers. Many people doubted the Tigers’ ability to win the big game. But with the horns of the Tiger Band sounding and the shout of 92,000 Tiger fans in pregame, the offensive and defensive walls of Auburn came tumbling down.
Saban led the Tigers to a 31-20 victory against (the giants) No. 2 Tennessee in the SEC Championship game in (Canaan) Atlanta, Ga. The Tigers then partook in the “milk and honey” that came with a 47-34 Sugar Bowl win against Illinois.
Nick Saban is a proven winner with a 75-39-1 as a head coach and a 32-13 record at LSU, which ties him for fifth place for wins as an LSU coach. Ironically, he’s tied with DiNardo. Saban would break McClendon’s record of 137 wins if he stayed here for the same number of seasons as McClendon did, 18.
Saban is a hot commodity in the coaching profession and the NFL will probably snatch him up before we know it. But who knows? The old coach might surpass another benchmark.
Coach Saban, do you think you can win a national championship before you leave?