Rece Davis says LSU tenure solidified Nick Saban’s legacy as the greatest coach of all time
Nick Saban announced his retirement from the coaching ranks on Wednesday.
The coach at Alabama for 17 seasons, Saban has cemented himself as the greatest college coach of all time with seven total national championships, six of which came in Tuscaloosa.
However, while he’s most remembered for those latter six, the first shouldn’t be ignored. It came during Saban’s tenure at LSU in 2003 as he ended a nearly 50-year national championship drought.
ESPN’s Rece Davis said Saban’s championship in Baton Rouge is as important to his legacy as anything else.
“I want to point this out about his time at LSU, Kevin, which is one of the reasons that I believe him to be the greatest ever,” Davis said, per On3. “For half a century or more, LSU was the sleeping giant, the coaching graveyard. They should be great but they aren’t – and he fixed it. He fixed LSU to such a degree that they’ve been able to carry it into subsequent tenures where two other coaches have won national championships there.
“There is plenty in his Alabama legacy to make him the greatest of all-time. When you factor in what he did at LSU? And, really, the rebuild at Michigan State too? In addition to his defensive acumen? It’s a pretty short list for those who might have any argument to the contrary.”
LSU has won two more national titles since Saban left under two different head coaches. But it’s hard to imagine any of it would have been possible without his initial work to bring the program into the modern era.
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