| Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley | | | | Like Saban, James was a winner. James went on |
| | | | to coach 18 seasons at the University of |
| Nick Saban recently became the University of | | | | Washington. He was twice named National |
| Alabama football coach by signing the richest | | | | College Coach of the Year (1984 and 1991), |
| contract ever awarded to a college football | | | | guided Washington to the National |
| coach. | | | | Championship in 1991, took the Huskies to 6 |
| | | | Rose Bowls (winning 4), won the Orange Bowl |
| His 8-year, $32 million deal with the Crimson | | | | title in 1985, had a 10-5 bowl game record, |
| Tide has a base salary of $225,000 that will | | | | and won 22 straight games from 1990 to 1992. |
| be supplemented by a personal services fee of | | | | |
| $3.275 to $3.975 million per year. College | | | | James was inducted into the College Football |
| football supporters are awash with money for | | | | Hall of Fame in 1997; Saban will likely be |
| winners who they believe can put their team | | | | inducted into the same Hall of Fame at some |
| on top. | | | | point in the future. |
| | | | |
| Saban's deal does not include a buyout clause | | | | Here is what Saban had to say about James: |
| if he leaves, but it does cap public | | | | "Don James was my college coach at Kent |
| appearances at 15 per year (for alumni and | | | | State. I guess he had as much of an impact on |
| booster clubs) that are unrelated to | | | | me as anyone in terms of organization, |
| endorsements. | | | | quality of work, (and) being the best you can |
| | | | be. He's the person that got me (into) |
| The contract also has incentives that could | | | | coaching." |
| generate another $650,000 for on-field and | | | | |
| academic success with his players. One biggie | | | | Saban was a graduate assistant and then |
| is $200,000 if he reaches the BCS | | | | defensive assistant for the Kent State |
| championship game and escalates to $400,000 | | | | University football team. |
| if Alabama wins. | | | | |
| | | | I have distant connections to Saban and |
| Saban also gets a country club membership, | | | | James. |
| two cars, a luxury box at Bryant-Denny | | | | |
| Stadium and up to 25 hours of yearly flight | | | | I graduated from Michigan State in 1966 and |
| time for personal travel in a non-commercial | | | | saw two great years of football before |
| plane. | | | | graduating. I remember the 1966 "Game of the |
| | | | Century" between then No. 2 ranked Michigan |
| Ah, it is good to be Nick Saban in Alabama | | | | State and No. 1 ranked Notre dame that ended |
| today. Now he must win and win big, something | | | | in a 10-10 tie when Norte Dame decided to |
| he has been able to do at other college | | | | settle for a tie rather than go for the |
| coaching positions. | | | | victory. |
| | | | |
| In his only year as head coach at Toledo he | | | | There were 5 All Americans on MSU's 1966 |
| took the Rockets from 6-5 to 9-2 and the | | | | team: fullback Bob Apisa, halfback Clinton |
| Mid-American Conference co-championship. | | | | Jones, defensive end Charles "Bubba" Smith, |
| | | | wide receiver Gene Washington and rover |
| Saban then went to Michigan State and in five | | | | (linebacker) George Webster. |
| seasons turned the Spartans from a mediocre, | | | | |
| continual late-season failure into a 9-2 | | | | I remember a game in 1965 when All-American |
| season that included wins over Notre Dame, | | | | running back Jim Grabowski from Illinois and |
| Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State before he | | | | George Webster were running full steam toward |
| resigned in 1999. | | | | each other and Webster flattened Grabowski. |
| | | | It was one of the greatest tackles I ever |
| A season earlier, MSU knocked off then No. 1 | | | | witnessed. Grobowski went on the play for the |
| ranked Ohio State 28-24 at Ohio Stadium and | | | | NFL Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. |
| routed highly-ranked Notre Dame before | | | | |
| folding later in the season. | | | | Football at MSU then turned to crap until |
| | | | Nick Saban arrived and took the Spartans back |
| If the Big 10 was not tough enough, Saban's | | | | to prominence. It was one long drought that |
| next stop was another five seasons with the | | | | lasted from 1967 to 1999. |
| LSU Tigers in the even tougher, nastier | | | | |
| Southeastern Conference. | | | | I relocated to Washington State in 1973 and |
| | | | followed the University of Washington |
| He chalked up a 10-3 mark and an SEC | | | | Huskiesand Don Jamescloser than I did |
| championship in his second year and topped | | | | Michigan State during those years. Here in |
| things off with a 13-1 record in his fourth | | | | Washington Don James is affectionately known |
| season (2003) that earned the Tigers a second | | | | as the "Dawgfather" and treated with as much |
| SEC championship with Saban as well as the | | | | respect as was Don Corleone in The Godfather |
| BCS national championship title after a 21-14 | | | | movie. |
| win over the Oklahoma Sooners. | | | | |
| | | | You will not meet a better college football |
| After two average years trying to get the | | | | coach or person than Don James, he is always |
| Miami Dolphins of the NFL in gear, he left to | | | | about honesty, integrity and doing the right |
| become Alabama's new hope. Saban was able to | | | | thing. |
| build a defense with the Dolphins but never | | | | |
| really got the offense going, suffering his | | | | My expectation is that Nick Saban will bring |
| first losing record as a head coach. | | | | Alabama football back to its rightful place. |
| | | | I have been a Crimson Tide fan since the day |
| Saban's extended family has football | | | | "Joe Willie" Namath walked onto the Alabama |
| connections. His cousin Lou Saban was a | | | | campus. |
| two-time All-Big Ten player at Indiana | | | | |
| University and later was head coach for the | | | | I am also fired up for the football season to |
| NFL Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos and New | | | | start as Michigan State has a new head coach, |
| England Patriots. | | | | a guy named Mark Dantonio who is serious |
| | | | about defense and will instill the kind of |
| Saban played as a defensive back for Don | | | | discipline and winning attitude MSU needs. |
| James when James was head coach at Kent State | | | | |
| University. James also coached NFL great Jack | | | | The days of the country club atmosphere are |
| Lambert and led the Golden Flashes (it may be | | | | over at Michigan State. Players will either |
| true) to their only Mid-American Conference | | | | get with it or get gone. Dantonio will not |
| title in 1972. | | | | accept losing and neither will Saban. Look |
| | | | out SEC, here comes Nick Saban. |