Nick Saban's Final Moments at Alabama Revealed

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Mathey Gibson | Last updated Mar 13, 2025 10:55 AM ET

Nick Saban’s legendary tenure as Alabama’s head coach ended with an emotional farewell, as revealed in the FOX Nation documentary series "The Tides that Bind: Inside Alabama Football."

The seven-time national champion delivered his final address to the team in a moment filled with raw emotion and reflection.

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne recalled the anticipation surrounding Saban’s speech, stating, “I said to Coach Saban, ‘If you start talking about offseason workouts and academics and priorities, then I’m going to disappear out of the back of the room. Nobody knows I was going to be there. But I said, ‘If you start doing the retirement speech, that’s when the plan starts going into place.’”

What started as a routine conversation quickly took a sentimental turn.

HaHa Clinton-Dix, Alabama’s director of player development and a former Crimson Tide standout, described the shift in energy during the meeting.

“When Coach Saban first got on stage, he was having his normal conversations like we were getting ready to go fight for another championship,” Clinton-Dix said. “Towards the end of the conversation, he started stumbling a little bit—started getting kind of teary-eyed. You could feel the energy change in the room.”

The documentary provides a behind-the-scenes look at the moments leading up to his decision, while following Alabama into the 2024 season, offering fans an intimate glimpse at the emotions behind one of the most significant coaching retirements in college football history.

To usher in a new era of Crimson Tide football, Byrne brought Kalen DeBoer from Washington to Tuscaloosa, marking the start of a big chapter for Alabama.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: