It’s great to be appreciated and appreciated by your assistants, players, colleagues and fans, but carrying the same value at home, you place someone in your own class.
Today is a special day for Nick Saban.
As the head coach of football for the University of Alabama, he is celebrating his 49th wedding anniversary. He and his wife, Mrs. Terry Saban, married in 1971 and the two stood the test of time. The two opposites first met in a seventh-grade science camp.
They began meeting years later, when Saban attended Kent State and Terry was a teacher in West Virginia. Before starting the coach, Saban had some easy moves in the meeting game.
He took Miss Terry to see her Gone with the Wind at their first meeting in 1968 and they married three years later. Since then, the couple has had two children – Nicholas Saban and Kristen Saban Setas – and now have a couple of grandchildren. He leads the football program in Alabama and other stops during his coaching trip; however, it helps with recruitment and also keeps you up to date with certain things.
♥ ️49 years today. Happy birthday to the king and queen of marriage goals. pic.twitter.com/gHRW6KDZZ4
– Kristen Saban Setas (@KristenSabanS) December 18, 2020
Mrs. Terry took care of coach Saban after the hip surgery and did her best to bring him back healthy, following a positive test for Coronavirus and with mild symptoms for him.
He participated in every match, post-game press conference, recruitment trip and made every student-athlete feel at home. Nick and Terry Saban also co-founded the Nick’s Kids Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping young people and giving back to the Tuscaloosa community. Throughout the rise, the football program, the University and the community, the Saban family played a critical role in creating a special atmosphere in a university town. On Thursday, Saban paid a heartfelt tribute to his Miss Terry on his “Hey Coach” show before the SEC title game.
“He was a great partner and really supportive and helped me in so many ways to improve in so many things that I can’t tell you how much I appreciate him, I appreciate her,” Saban said of Mrs. Terry.
At the 9th annual Teacher Excellence Awards, Ms. Terry spoke about how she has a new respect for what Saban does.
Saban did not coach the 85th Iron Bowl against Auburn in the regular season. He missed his first game in 14 years with Crimson Tide and, despite the emotions of the match, Mrs. Terry got quality time with her husband in quarantine.
“At that time at home with Nick, I would hardly change,” she said. “In the 40 years since he got married, this is the first time I have a direct vision of what his days are like. I tried not to comment. I had opinions, but I try not to give my opinion on everything. “
The two were in opposite areas of the house for the Iron Bowl, and on Mrs. Terry’s account, the head coach was as intense watching television as he was on the field.
During Nick Saban’s quarantine for the Iron Bowl, Ms. Terry said she would never change that moment.
“It’s the first time I’ve had a direct view of what his days are like.”@TDAlabamaMag pic.twitter.com/sGHNSX0ZIA
– Stephen M. Smith (@CoachingMSmith) December 11, 2020
“The biggest point was that I would hear this boom almost as if people were describing a tornado coming. I would stop and say “what was that?” And then I would realize that Nick was screaming at the TV. I know it was much more tried for him than for me, but I liked being close to it. – Terry Saban when he was home with Nick Saban for the Iron Bowl
She balanced him in 49 years, and Tide fans want more.
The power couple aims to bring another conference title and a national championship home to Tuscaloosa.
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Stephen M. Smith is the editor-in-chief and lead writer for Alabama Touchdown Magazine. You can “appreciate” it Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter via @CoachingMSmith.
