Alabama head coach Nick Saban explains why he's still coaching

Alabama head coach Nick Saban, now 69 years old, has every accolade a college coach can dream of and more.

Saban holds a 170-23 record at Alabama, he’s won eight SEC West titles (and seven SEC championships), he’s claimed seven national championships with the Crimson Tide (and one more with LSU), he’s produced three Alabama Heisman Trophy winners, he’s produced 41 consensus All-Americans in Tuscaloosa and has turned Alabama into a titan of the college football world, having been ranked No. 1 in national polls for all or part of every season since 2008.

But despite all he’s accomplished, Saban, who turns 70 on Halloween, is still under contract through the 2028 season after the Crimson Tide finalized a recent contract extension.

The reasoning for coaching well into the fourth quarter of his life, according to Saban, is simple.

“I enjoy what I do. I like the challenge,” Saban told the New York Times. “I’m not a sit around, do-nothing kind of guy. I like to be involved in things, I like challenges, and this provides tremendous challenges. I love the relationship that I have with the people in the organization, the players. I love to see the program help players be successful personally, academically and athletically so they have a better opportunity to be successful in life.”

Saban loves coaching and has yet to give any indication on when he might retire. However, he did note that there will come a time when he might “ride the program down” as head coach; that’s when he’ll know it’s time to move on.

“I don’t want to stay here beyond my years and ride the program down,” Saban said to the New York Times. “So as long as I feel like I can make a contribution in a positive way, to continue to have a great program for the players and that that’s helping them be successful and we have an opportunity to be successful because of that, I don’t think of age as an issue. I mean, how old’s Nancy Pelosi?”

Jokes aside, Saban made it clear that he plans on coaching for however long he can have a positive impact on the Alabama football program, provided his health permits. Saban said he’s been on a team since he was nine years old and can hardly imagine life without competition. For that reason, when he does retire, he won’t look to sit idly; rather, he’ll be looking to pivot into a new area of competition.

“I know there’s a lot of competitive situations in business and a lot of things, but I haven’t experienced that,” Saban said to the New York Times. “But whenever I do quit, I’ll be looking for something like that. I’m not looking to be sitting on the side of the lake somewhere and just staring out into the water and wondering what’s happening.”

Saban and the Crimson Tide open up their season on Sept. 4 against Miami.