Oct 16, 1999; Wabash, IN, USA; FILE PHOTO; Michigan State Spartans head coach Nick Saban on the sidelines during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-Imagn Images RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Former MSU Coach Nick Saban Recalls Departure to LSU

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Jul 6, 2025 10:01 PM ET

Nick Saban, arguably the greatest coach in college football history, is primarily known for his years at Alabama and LSU, but Michigan State fans will always consider him one of theirs.

It stung the Spartan faithful when he left the program for LSU. And it haunts fans even more now after seeing what he would go on to become.

Saban was recently inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. During the ceremony, he spoke on moving to LSU and why there was hesitation.

"They offered me the job, but I said, 'I can't take the job; I've never been to LSU before, I don't know what it's like,'" Saban said. "And I can't go for an interview because if they find out publicly at Michigan State that I'm thinking of going some place else, they'll absolutely crucify me."

"So, I send Miss Terry (wife Terry Saban) -- this is the God truth -- to interview. And DeLaine Emmert, Mark's (Emmert) wife, showed her around for two days. They saw billboards of who LSU wanted to hire. My name wasn't on there.

"But anyway, she spent two days. So, I call and I say, 'Well, what did you think?' And she said, 'Man, this place needs a lot of work.' She said, 'The stadium's in bad shape, they have no academic facilities, they have no academic support center, the players are not doing well academically.' She said, 'You have to get in the bus and ride to practice every day from the campus because the facilities are separated. The coaches' offices were in a bank building and very unimpressive; I don't know how you would recruit there.'

"But she said, 'I went in the weight room today. And they got some damn good looking players.' So, that's how I took the job.'"

Saban would begin his tenure at LSU in 2000. Just three seasons later, he won his first national title. He would eventually win five more at Alabama.

Saban still holds an appreciation for Michigan State and, according to athletic director J Batt, who held a number of roles at Alabama when Saban was there, is "so positive about Michigan State and his time here."

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