Interesting story from Saban's agent...Bear Bryant or Don Shula? | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Interesting story from Saban's agent...Bear Bryant or Don Shula?

Superself

Superself

If you want to, we can supply you.
Club Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2002
Messages
6,504
Reaction score
2,407
Location
New Jersey
Jimmy Sexton, Saban’s agent, told a story to a Memphis newspaper about a year ago about the day Saban decided to leave LSU for the NFL. Sexton sat with Saban in his coaching office as he mulled the offer in the final hours, then finally asked a question he thought would settle the matter.

“I asked him if he wanted to be remembered as Bear Bryant or Don Shula [the NFL’s all-time winningest coach and, coincidentally, Mike Shula’s father]," Sexton related. “He said, Bear Bryant."

Saban ultimately decided to go the NFL route, but cited his love for college football and the chance to affect the lives and character of young players as the reason he decided to leave the Dolphins for Alabama.

http://www.tidesports.com/article/20070107/NEWS/701070360/1016/NEWS
 
Interesting that Saban's agent, someone who knows him well, thought that a question about Saban's legacy would settle the matter. Shows you how important Saban's legacy is to him, and it's a short step from there to think that one of his primary motives for leaving was that he wasn't "padding" it enough (or AT ALL) here.

It's a lot easier to pick Bear Bryant over Don Shula when you've coached Don Shula's team for two years and are still way behind Shula's curve.
 
He will have a better chance of being remembered as ManBearPig than Bear Bryant,(South Park reference)
 
Haha, love the manbearpig reference. It's funny how change blinds some people. They kicked out a Shula at Alabama for who they thought could be the next Bear Bryant...unfortunately Rich Rodriguez decided to stay at WVU. Bama fans will rue the day they begged for Nick Satan.
 
i could see how saban would choose bear byrant over the don becasue bear byrant ruled with an iron fist and saban is more of his style then shula. you got to remeber that saban is a southern boy and probably watched alot of bears games. i also think that saban thinks highly to much of himself the only thing he has to show for his coaching carrer is one national championship (that was split) there are many coaches that have obtained this feet. i ask you why not have hiren larry coker he has one a championship and been there twice. the point is we were all caught up in the hype that follows this guy as you can see with bama. yall should be glad that he is gone and not a coach that thinks he the sh*t when he is nothing but cold diarehhah (sp?)
 
phish729 said:
i could see how saban would choose bear byrant over the don becasue bear byrant ruled with an iron fist and saban is more of his style then shula. you got to remeber that saban is a southern boy and probably watched alot of bears games. i also think that saban thinks highly to much of himself the only thing he has to show for his coaching carrer is one national championship (that was split) there are many coaches that have obtained this feet. i ask you why not have hiren larry coker he has one a championship and been there twice. the point is we were all caught up in the hype that follows this guy as you can see with bama. yall should be glad that he is gone and not a coach that thinks he the sh*t when he is nothing but cold diarehhah (sp?)
Click to expand...

Ummm, from what I hear...Shula was no pushover back in his day. :wink:
 
no but u listen to the speaches that bryant gave and shula and you can def tell the difference (low deep voice) "i aint been nothing but a winner"
 
The lack of class showed by Saban in dealing with this issue will make him be remembered more as Don Knotts than Don Shula so he doesnt have to ever worry about being compared to Shula.
 
Although it has nothing to do with this thread, I remember reading somewhere that the Dolphins went after Shula back in 1970 only after Bear Bryant turned them down.
 
It looks like Saban came to the fins for the wrong reasons... Thanks a bunch Saban for wasting two yrs of our lives...
 
Short of winning 5 titles in a row one day, Saban has 0 chance of being remembered as Bear Bryant coaching for Alabama. He'll always be in that shadow, and I now wonder if Saban's ego will let him accept that. LSU was probably his best shot at being remembered that way, and he blew that royally by leaving.
 
You know what's pretty interesting? Alabama's receivers coach, Charlie Harbison, was on Nick's staff at LSU before he went to Miami. When Nick comes to Alabama, what does Harbison do? He agrees to become the wide receivers coach at Mississippi State.

Also, Jimbo Fisher took the FSU offensive coordinator position when many in the college game thought he would follow Saban to Alabama.
 
KB21 said:
You know what's pretty interesting? Alabama's receivers coach, Charlie Harbison, was on Nick's staff at LSU before he went to Miami. When Nick comes to Alabama, what does Harbison do? He agrees to become the wide receivers coach at Mississippi State.

Also, Jimbo Fisher took the FSU offensive coordinator position when many in the college game thought he would follow Saban to Alabama.
Click to expand...

Kinda like Saban's first year when Bates "decided" to move on to greener pastures....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom