Collective shock struck football fans on Wednesday with news that legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban was retiring, unexpectedly. It was a stunning twist to the college football landscape that nobody seemed to see coming. Not even the dozens of Saban produced NFL players who call Alabama their Alma Mater – Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper included.
"My immediate reaction was just surprised." Cooper said one day after Saban's announcement. "I was very surprised, because I mean, just being under Saban, and his whole thing is being persistent, consistent. So, you know, with that ideology, every player, I think, that played under him probably thought that he would just coach forever. To the day he died or something like that."
Cooper's hardly alone in that thinking. In many ways, Saban was synonymous with college football. Whether you were diehard Alabama fan or got sick of the program's constant success and hate watched man's Crimson Tide, there was always an intersection between those two lanes where everyone understood what he meant to sport and the imprint he had made.
His status at times can feel like almost like something out of fiction. Rest assured though, he is human.
"At the same time, I wasn't [shocked] because, you know, all good things come to an end," Cooper said. "And I mean, at the end of the day, he is a man, he's a human that has a real life outside of football. But I'm really proud of him as a man, because I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that he gave everything he had to be the best head coach he could be to, you know, groom, the young men that came through the program, and the right way."
Cooper, a Miami Fla. native, admitted that the gravitational pull of Saban was one of the main reasons he committed to Alabama in 2011. Before attending school there, his only real recollection of the state was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights work, particularly the 1965 Montgomery Bus Boycott. Otherwise, Alabama and Tuscaloosa might as well been another planet to Cooper.
But Saban's resume spoke for itself. He got results, going 206-29 during his time in Tuscaloosa. He won championships – seven in total by the time he hung it up this week, plus nine SEC titles as well. He got players prepared for the next level. In 17 seasons, more than 120 Crimson Tide players were selected in the NFL Draft, 44 of which were first round picks. Perhaps most importantly though are the lives of men he molded along the way.
Cooper is currently the highest paid Alabama player in the pros, with career earnings that fall second only to fellow wide receiver Julio Jones. It's less about the money though and more about the person he's become as he lives out his NFL dream.
"Getting there at 17 years old. I mean, at the time, you don't really realize it, but you're still a kid," Cooper said. "You think you're a grown man, because you're lifting all these weights, but you're still a kid. In those three or four or five years, really pivotal years in your life, because it's defining what the rest of your life is gonna be like. So, I didn't take it for granted at all. Very grateful to have been a part of that dynasty, because it's truly a phenomenal time in history."
Saban's impact runs deep. His tough love approach is well documented and feels eerily similar to how many parents would attack raising a child. His main goal – as he expressed in a statement Wednesday – was always to help his athletes, "create more value for their future, be the best players they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program."
In three year's under Saban's tutelage, Cooper ammassed 3,463 yards – second in program history only to 2020 Heisman winner DeVonta Smith. His 31 touchdowns are also second all time at the university. He won a National Championship as a freshman in 2012, was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2014 and is one of those aforementioned first round picks from Saban's tenure.
That success has obviously continued at the NFL level where he's been elected to five Pro Bowls and boasts six 1,000-yard seasons to this point in his career. With the Browns this year, he posted a career best 1,250-yard campaign. He credits Saban for helping him become the player and person he is today.
"I learned how to play through injuries when I was when I was at the University of Alabama," the 29-year-old receiver said. "In my head, you're the type of player, you feel like no one can stop you if you're 100-percent. But then when you're hurt, you know that people can stop you. So kind of battling that, like should I play, should I not play. But when you have guys that are probably just as good as you, or around the same skill level issue behind you, you gotta do something. Coach Saban, he actually had to bench me because of that, because I kept taking myself out of the game. And when I did get back healthy, you know, I wanted my my job back like I wanted just to be the complete starter, but it didn't work like that."
Years later, Cooper sees much more clearly lesson in it.
"I understand why looking back," he said. "At first I was like, you know, I'm hurt. Yeah, sure a guy could play for me. But then when I was healthy, I wanted my job back. But it wouldn't have been fair, you know? And so I learned a lesson that day, like I'm never letting a guy play for me again, because I want to be in that situation again. I'd rather just be a man about it. That's just one of the one of the many lessons that was more so a hard lesson, but learned a lot from him."
Plenty of other players from Saban's dynasty have taken to social media to offer stories like Cooper's or to just say "thank you" for the impact he had on their lives. The days after his retirement announcement have become a steady stream of odes to one of the greatest coaches of all time, from every corner of football.
From his players, fellow coaches, media members who covered him – everyone seems to have been impacted by his presence in this game in some capacity. He's changed it forever. His greatness, unquestioned. No one dominated that level of the sport more than Saban.
"The only other person that I can think of is Bear Bryant," Cooper said of the GOAT debate. "[Another] Alabama guy. But no, I'm not gonna take anything away from any other coaches because there's some coaches out there who have done a phenomenal job. But my honest opinion is Coach Saban is the best 100-percent."
It's hard to deny. And success stories like Cooper only bolster his case.
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