A man of vision who has a proven record of championship success, head coach Nick Saban has returned the University of Alabama to the top of the college football landscape with his commitment to building the total program. After the victory over Clemson in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Saban joined Paul "Bear" Bryant as the only two coaches to win five national titles in the modern era.
Beginning his 11th season in Tuscaloosa, Saban's uncompromising dedication to excellence in every phase of the program has resulted four national championships over the last seven years. A seven-time National Coach of the Year, Saban has achieved resounding success as a head coach and has earned a reputation as an outstanding tactician, leader, organizer and motivator. Those qualities have sparked impressive turnarounds at every stop of his career. Saban's consistent approach and disciplined leadership are the reasons his teams are known for exhibiting grit, determination and resilience, often overcoming adversity to achieve victory.
Saban's 2016 squad completed an undefeated regular season for the first time since 2009 and secured the program's 26th SEC Championship – the third straight for the program – and the fourth in the last five years. The Tide defeated Washington in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (24-7), before dropping a stunning 34-31 game to Clemson in the CFP National Championship Game in Tampa, Fla. Alabama finished with a 14-1 record after defeating nine ranked teams and 11 teams that qualified for bowl games during the 2016 season. Alabama finished the year No. 2 in the national polls.
Saban, who was named the SEC Coach of the Year and Munger Award National Coach of the Year (presented by the Maxwell Football Club), had five players earn first team All-America honors – Jonathan Allen, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Reuben Foster, Marlon Humphrey and Cam Robinson. Allen also captured the Nagurski Trophy and the Bednarik Award, both of which go to the national defensive player of the year, and the Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end, while Foster won the Butkus Award that is given to the nation's best linebacker, and Robinson captured the Outland Trophy. The senior class posted a NCAA-record 51-6 record from 2013-16 and a 64-7 over the last six years which is also the best in NCAA annals.
Saban has compiled a 205-61-1 (.770) record as a college head coach and has gone 112-13 (.896) in the past nine seasons in Tuscaloosa, which includes a 64-8 (.889) mark in regular season conference play. In 2016, the Tide reached the 10-win milestone for the ninth consecutive season and won 11 or more games for the sixth straight year, which extended the conference record. Saban is 12-2 all time in conference or national championship games. Alabama has been ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for at least one week for nine straight years, which broke the all-time record of seven established by Miami (1986-92). Alabama extended its streak of consecutive weeks in the AP Top 25 to 145 weeks, the longest in school history.
The 2015 team secured the Crimson Tide's fourth national championship in the last seven years. They became the first team to win back-to-back Southeastern Conference Championships in 17 years (Tennessee, 1997-98) and were the only program to earn an invitation to each of the first two College Football Playoffs. Saban led his team to victories in the final 12 games of the season, including wins at No. 8 Georgia, at No. 9 Texas A&M, vs. No. 4 LSU, at No. 17 Mississippi State, against No. 18 Florida in the SEC Championship Game, vs. No. 3 Michigan State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl and over No. 1 Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. The senior class won a school-record 50 games (50-6) over their four years with three SEC Championships and two national titles.
The Cri ...