Nick Saban was so focused on football that he plowed straight through work during the infamous Sept. 11 attacks, according to a new book.
In “The Price: What It Takes to Win in College Football’s Era of Chaos,” written by Armen Keteyian and John Talty and available to buy on Aug. 27, the scene was described where Saban was in his first season coaching LSU and preparing for a game the upcoming Saturday against SEC rival Auburn.
When a secretary informed the coaching staff that the first plane had hit the World Trade Center, there was reportedly some confusion but they continued their preparation.
When the second plane made it clear that there was an ongoing terrorist attack, Saban still did not break stride.
“Boys, there are some screwed-up people in the world,” he said, according to the book. “Now, what are we going to do when we’re in Cover Two against these routes?”
LSU practiced as scheduled, and Saban never addressed the terror attack with the team, as some of the Tigers players reportedly had “no idea what was happening across the country.”
Saban later apologized for having his “head in the sand” to a newspaper as the attacks were unfolding.
Kirby Smart, now the head coach of Geogia, was a defensive backs coach under Saban at LSU in 2004.
In 2007, he was hired to the same position with the added assistant head coach title under Saban at Alabama.
As the new staff assembled in Tuscaloosa, Smart reportedly used the Sept. 11 reaction as an example to the group of the focus they were in for.
“This guy is all football all the time,” Smart, who would be promoted to defensive coordinator on Saban’s staff a year later, told them, according to the book. “When he’s in the office, he’s not thinking about anything else.”
The game against Auburn was ultimately canceled.
“It certainly probably was the best decision not to play,” Saban said upon later reflection, in 2021. “Probably good for the players and good for everyone to have a chance to deal with their emotions.”
Saban retired this offseason after a legendary coaching career that included seven national championships, and is now a member of ESPN’s “College GameDay.”
