Gene Chizik reflects on how Nick Saban brought 'class and integrity' to Iron Bowl

From 2009-12, Nick Saban and Gene Chizik squared off in their biggest game of the year. The Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn is one of the historic rivalries in college football, dating back to their first meeting in 1893.

Saban’s Crimson Tide won three of those four games against Chizik’s Tigers, with the latter getting a win in 2010 as part of a national championship-winning season behind Cam Newton. Auburn parted ways with Chizik after the 2012 campaign.

Earlier this week, Saban announced his retirement, opening the door for Kalen DeBoer to take over as Alabama head coach. When looking back on Saban’s time in Tuscaloosa, though, Chizik doesn’t necessarily focus on his record in the Iron Bowl.

Instead, he talked about the people on that Alabama sideline — and how they conducted themselves with “class and integrity” in such a heated rivalry.

“All of the success that he’s had is always well-noted, but the behind-the-scenes things that I always noticed about him,” Chizik said on SiriusXM College. “I played in seven Iron Bowls. Four of those [were] when he was the head coach. That’s one of the most heated rivalries in the history of mankind. It just is. And you never saw Alabama guys coming across, talking smack to the Auburn guys. They were very business-like, they were very much, ‘Let’s take care of what we can control,’ and you never saw any of that. Well, why did that happen? It happened because of Nick Saban.

“And go look at a lot of rivalries across the country, it doesn’t happen that way. That’s what I remember about Nick. And that’s why I think not only is he the greatest of all time. The way he carried himself and the way that program was built is always going to be in my mind, one of the great things about him.”

Gene Chizik: ‘You never saw a lot of jawing’ on the Alabama sideline during the Iron Bowl

When it comes to rivalry games, tensions can run high. That’s a common tale around college football. But when Alabama took on Auburn, Gene Chizik didn’t see that from the Crimson Tide sideline in the Iron Bowls he coached.

Instead, he saw players who followed the example their head coach set. After all, Nick Saban is the same coach who yelled at Crimson Tide players who threw up a “Horns Down” after defeating Texas in 2022.

“The way his players conducted themselves on the field, you never saw a lot of jawing, you never saw a lot of that come together in the middle of the field face-to-face with guys talking crap before the game,” Chizik said. “He always talked class. He always talked about ways to carry yourself, he always talked about just the way the program was built. It was built on class and integrity. His players exuded that on the field. You never saw him getting up and pointing at guys and trying to start all the crap. That’s what resonates with me.

“Obviously, the wins speak volumes for themselves. But I want you to think about, when was the last team you saw an Alabama team get on the field, and just as a team, they looked out of control? You never saw it. Win, lose or draw, you never saw it. When they spoke to the media after the game, they were always very complimentary of the opponent, and it didn’t matter. You could be talking to Jalen Hurts or Tua [Tagovailoa], it didn’t matter who you were talking to — Will Anderson, I can go down the list. But those guys carried themselves well, and that’s all a product of the leadership at the top.”