Reviewed by: Liv George
What Nick Saban said after winning 2024 ESPY’s Icon Award
Nick Saban may be retired from coaching but his trophy case is still growing.
Thursday night, Saban was presented with the Icon Award during the 2024 ESPY Awards show, recognizing the coach’s legendary career that ended in January. He won seven college football national championships, including six in 17 seasons with Alabama.
Keep reading to find out more about the ESPY Icon Award + what Saban said on stage after receiving the award.
‘Conductor of a process’
The award did not come as a surprise Thursday night as Saban was in attendance, sitting with his wife, Terry. The award was then introduced by former Alabama Heisman Trophy winners Mark Ingram and Bryce Young, just before the duo brought up their college coach.
“We have a good group of guys here. Enough that we can actually have practice after this,” Saban said when he was greeted by his players.
Saban spent most of his time on stage giving credit to the players and other people involved during his coaching career. He thanked the players, his coaching staff, support personnel and of course, Miss Terry.
“I can only accept this award on behalf of all the other folks who have contributed to it and there’s a thousand of them. Every time I look at this, I’m going to see the faces of all the people who worked so hard to help us be successful. And the relationships that were forged in those teams that made it so special.”
~ Nick Saban
By the numbers
Over 28 seasons as a college coach, Saban recorded:
- 292 wins
- 12 conference championships
- 7 national championships
- 49 first-round picks
- 4 Heisman Trophy winners
However, the coach spoke more about what his players accomplished than how many games or wins he led on the field. Saban said one number he was most proud of: 668 degrees for his players.
Saban has always spoken on the importance of developing football players to succeed beyond the football field. He also mentioned how much many of those players have been able to do in their own communities by bringing people together.
“One thing my dad told me, when I was a young kid in West Virginia, that was the most important part of your character, is to have compassion for other people. People aren’t going to remember what you say, they’re gonna remember how you made them feel.”
~ Nick Saban
What’s next?
While his coaching career may be over, Saban certainly won’t be completely out of the spotlight. He is employed as an analyst for Alabama and will also be on air for ESPN during the upcoming college football season.
He will be a part of the College GameDay crew on Saturdays during the season. Next week, he will be a part of ESPN’s coverage of SEC Media Days from Dallas.
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