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Alabama coach Nick Saban released a statement about Bob Stoops on Wednesday. The statement was about Stoops' surprising decision to retire as coach at Oklahoma.

"Bob is a great friend and one of the best coaches in the country during his time at Oklahoma," Saban said. "I have had the pleasure of knowing him and his family for over 40 years. I have always had so much respect for Bob because of his professionalism and his integrity. The quality of teams he has been able to field on a consistent basis is second to none. We wish him well in whatever he chooses to do in the future."

Saban and Stoops only coached against one another twice, but both were huge games.

Their first meeting took place in 2003 when Saban was still at LSU. That game happened to be the BCS National Championship Game, which Saban's Tigers won 21-14 to give Saban his first national championship. Stoops had won his first three years earlier.

The next meeting came in the Sugar Bowl yet again, this one following the 2013 season. Alabama had won the last two national titles, and Stoops had received plenty of attention from the media during the previous season for his comments about the SEC. Long story short, Stoops wasn't afraid to say that he felt the SEC's reputation as being the best conference in college football was overstated.

Stoops then backed up his opinion with a win over the Tide, as his Sooners won 45-31, surprising many.