It was sometime back in the 1967 football season, likely at a game at East-West Stadium here in Fairmont where Monongah High School played most of its football games, when Nick Saban’s coach Earl Keener said that “having Nicky out there is just like having a coach on the field.”
No one thought a whole lot about that at the time. But as the years began to pile up, and Nick “Brother” Saban evolved into a highly successful football leader, people would turn back to Keener’s statement as a prophecy which had come true.
Without a doubt, based on his record and all the things he has accomplished, Nick Saban is the most successful college football coach in the country. It’s a title he has richly earned.
Nick Saban, from Idamay, W.Va. — the No. 1 college football coach in the country! And he has certainly worked his way up to that title.
For a review, Saban received a football scholarship to Kent State, and he joined the staff after graduation because of the determination he had shown as a graduate assistant.
Six assistant coaching jobs followed his stint at Kent State, including a stopover at West Virginia University, where he was on the staff of Frank Cignetti.
He was also an assistant coach with the Houston Oilers before accepting his first head coaching job at the University of Toledo. Then he returned to the NFL with the Cleveland Browns before becoming the head coach at Michigan State and then LSU.
From there he joined the Miami Dolphins as the head man, but his record there was a sub-par 15-17. At that time he said, among much speculation, that he would not be leaving the Dolphins for the Alabama job — where the late Bear Bryant had won five national titles, the last one in 1979.
But Saban did leave the Dolphins a couple weeks later for the Alabama job and is already looking ahead to another national title to go with the three he has at the school — four overall, including one at LSU.
The Crimson Tide have rushed for at least 150 yards in a game on 50 different occasions since the start of the 2008 season. And they’ve won every one of those contests, after rushing for 265 yards on the way to a 42-14 win over Notre Dame on Monday nigh in the national championship contest. It appears that if a team can’t stop Alabama’s rushing game, it has no chance.
Saban has proven to be tough to beat in big games. He’s now 8-1 in championship games — 4-1 in Southeastern Conference title matches during his stints at Alabama and LSU, and 4-0 in games that decided the Bowl Championship Series national title.
“I think it’s pretty special what we’ve accomplished, what the players accomplished, what the coaches accomplished. I think it’s really special,” Saban said.
“And one of these days, when I’m sitting on the side of a hill watching the stream go by, I’ll probably figure it out even more,” he told a writer for The Associated Press.
Marion Countians have every reason to be very proud of Nick Saban.
Opinion
Saban earns title of nation’s most successful coach in college football
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A complete commitment: When fathers become dads
On the third Sunday of June each year, we observe Father’s Day. This is extra special to Fairmont because the first celebration was observed here in The Friendly City. Over the years of annual observance, the role of father has taken on many new and varied duties.
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What’s the solution for funding highways?
There was a time when the federal government put substantial highway dollars in the states to match funds for projects.
That was two wars and a recession ago, though. That was when Congress had its differences but could pass a bill or two every now and again. -
Valley Falls great recreational area, but don’t ignore the rules on safety
The signs at Valley Falls State Park couldn’t be more clear:
“Danger. Rocks are slippery. Hazardous currents and rapids. Swimming and wading prohibited.”
The signs also note that alcoholic beverages are prohibited and that the minimum fine for violating the rules is $167. -
Following court decision, let’s move on, see FGH ‘grow and thrive’
We don’t think anyone would argue the point that our community and its leaders need to be forward-thinking, forward-moving and focused on the bricks that will pave the pathway to the future.
Sometimes there’s a disagreement about that future. And sometimes those disagreements have to be settled. -
Gary Price strong as superintendent, in position to bring stability to schools
“An evaluation of a superintendent is not intended to find fault, but is a measuring tool to see how effective one is doing and see if any improvement or concentration in any area needs to be worked out to make one better.”
This was Marion County Board of Education president James Saunders reading a prepared statement prior to going into discussion about the status of Superintendent Gary Price. -
Livelihood of people at center of Patriot Coal case
The bankruptcy of Patriot Coal is far more complicated than many of us will ever understand.
What complicates it is people. This isn’t just about paperwork and reorganization. The livelihood of workers and those who spent years in the mine are at stake here. -
Relay for Life: A reason to give thanks but much work to be done
The annual Marion County Relay for Life was held Friday inside the Falcon Center on the shared campus of Fairmont State University and Pierpont Community & Technical College — moved indoors for the first time because of weather. It was held three weeks after Mannington’s Relay for Life, also a growing, annual event held this year at Hough Park.
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Judge’s ruling about Patriot Coal is ‘tragic’ and a ‘travesty’
We wonder how many readers were angered when they read the top story in the Times West Virginian on May 30.
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D-Day reminder of ‘great and noble undertaking’ made during World War II
It was nearly 70 years ago that Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was offering the following words to soldiers, sailors and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force:
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All must invest time, effort and funding to keep our children safe
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare — watching your child taken away in an ambulance following an accident, not knowing the full extent of their injuries.
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A complete commitment: When fathers become dads
