Nick Saban shows soft side while visiting children's hospital, considers adding stuffed animals to sideline

Alabama coach Nick Saban showed a different side of himself Tuesday as he made a visit to a children’s hospital in Birmingham. Typically known for his intense demeanor on the sidelines and in press conferences, Saban let himself relax as he handed out stuffed ducks and joked with kids.

A smile even crept across the coach’s face as he explained to the kids how to make the ducks talk, and he quipped about needing one to calm himself down when things go awry during the Crimson Tide’s games.

“I like the thing myself. I wouldn’t mind having one myself,” Saban told the Associated Press. “You just rub it and it makes little sounds and it makes you feel good. I kind of like that. Sometimes when we’re not stopping them on third down, or we’re having trouble on third down, I might need this thing on the sidelines.”

Saban’s visit to the hospital was in partnership with Aflac, whom he is a spokesperson for. According to company president Virgil Miller, Aflac has donated more than 23,000 of the stuffed ducks to children with cancer and sickle cell in the US, Japan and Northern Ireland since 2018.

The Alabama coach saw the way that the gesture brightened up the kids’ day, and left with the sense that his visit had a big impact.

“There is an emotional, psychological effect that this little guy has,” he said. “There’s no doubt. Especially on the kids that are old enough to realize, over 3, I think, they kind of get it. I enjoyed the ones that really got it and got a big smile on their face and it lifted their day.

“When you walked in this room today, a lot of these kids had a really tough look on their face. And when they left today, they had a big smile on their face.”

Terry Saban describes visit to children’s hospital with her husband

Nick Saban was accompanied by his wife, known as Miss Terry, on the visit to the children’s hospital. She said that she has seen this other side of her husband with their grandchildren, ages nine and three, and couldn’t help but feel joy as she watched him interact with the kids Tuesday.

“I think us having our grandchildren really brought out the softer side of Nick,” Terry Saban said. “To see him on the floor playing with the babies, it really changes who you are. And then to see these children who are having a really tough time, you can’t help but be heartbroken when they come in and then be happy for them when they leave, that maybe you did just one little thing to brighten their day.

“It’s fun to see Nick interact with the children and laugh with them and tickle the duck. It was a great day.”

It’s back to business for Saban after this visit, as he is set to make a trip to Washington DC on Wednesday to make a case for federal NIL legislation. Still, Tuesday served as a good opportunity to make an impact outside of sports.