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College football reached the end of an era Wednesday with news that Alabama coach Nick Saban would retire after 17 seasons with the Crimson Tide, ending a career that included 292 wins and a record seven national championships at the FBS level. Saban's resume has cemented his standing as arguably the greatest coach in the sport's history, leaving massive shoes to fill for his eventual successor in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 

While the on-field results for Saban-coached teams fueled the 72-year-old's status as a larger-than-life presence in the sport, Saban himself delivered plenty of memorable moments during the course of his illustrious coaching career. From explosive outbursts and viral interviews on the sidelines to press conference one-liners that quickly went viral, there was rarely a dull moment when Saban was in front of the camera. 

As the curtains close on Saban's legendary run, we revisit the best of the best when it comes to unforgettable Saban moments. 

Unparalleled intensity, explosive outbursts

There's a reason why Saban reached highs that no other college football coach has touched, and his on-field demeanor certainly had something to do with that. Simply put, no other coach routinely chewed out players the way Saban did when they didn't live up to his expectations, whether that be on the practice field or on gameday. 

While there are endless examples of such, this clip of Saban from Alabama's loss at Tennessee in 2022 might just sum it all up. Those are the kinds of scenes that college football fans are sure to miss as Saban heads to retirement. His successor will feel the pressure to maintain that same level of intensity, too, as the Crimson Tide look to remain a national powerhouse. 

On-field interviews take a twist 

You never know what you'll get from a coach during in-game or on-field postgame interviews, and Saban was certainly no exception. One of his more fiery moments directly in front of a microphone game during Alabama's Week 1 win against Louisville in 2018, when Saban didn't take kindly to a question regarding the quarterback conundrum featuring Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa. Saban said he felt baited into taking one signal-caller's side, and didn't hold back. 

"I still like both guys," Saban told ESPN. "I think both guys are good players, I think both guys can help our team. Alright, so why do you continue to try and get me to say something that doesn't respect one of them? I'm not going to, so quit asking!"

While Saban was compelled to apologize for his behavior on that occasion, a more lighthearted on-field interview came during the 2020 College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl.

Already forced to keep his distance from the ESPN sideline reporter due to COVID-19 protocols that were in place, technical issues with Saban's headset led to a rather awkward exchange before the interview finally proceeded as normal. Still, Saban's initial expression and accompanying "I can't hear you" remark made for another viral moment that would have a lengthy shelf life on the internet. 

Controlling 'rat poison' 

Somewhere in the bowels of Kyle Field in October 2017, Saban uttered a phrase following Alabama's road win against Texas A&M that would be frequented during the back-end of his career -- "rat poison," which was Saban's description of Crimson Tide players listening to media praise rather than their head coach. 

"I'm trying to get our players to listen to me instead of listening to you guys," Saban said. "All that stuff you write about how good we are. ... It's like poison. It's like taking poison. Like rat poison."

Judging by the results, Saban's players succeeded in avoiding the "rat poison" more often than not. That 2017 Alabama team went on to win the national championship, and another was still to come under Saban's watch in 2020. 

Unfiltered moments from the podium 

There was always a chance of Saban delivering must-see theater when he took the podium in front of media members for midweek updates on his team. The list goes on and one, but several viral moments from Saban's media availability over the years stand a bit tall compared to the rest. In 2015, Saban went on an unsolicited rant over Alabama's 2011 victory against Georgia Southern in which he didn't mince words regarding the Crimson Tide's lackluster defensive showing. 

"You all don't remember the Georgia Southern game, do you?" Saban said. "I don't think we had a guy on that field that didn't play in the NFL, and about four or five of them were first-round draft picks. And I think that team won a national championship, but I'm not sure. And they ran through our *ss like s*** through a tinhorn man, and we could not stop them. [We] could not stop them!" 

Later that same year, Saban spoke his mind when approached about reports of then-Alabama assistant Kirby Smart departing to take the Georgia head coaching job. Saban didn't appreciate being asked to comment on the matter, giving way to an unforgettable rant involving the Coca-Cola bottle placed on the podium for sponsorship purposes. 

"Get this bottle to respond [to the questions], because I don't know anything more than that," Saban said. "I told you everything I know. So you can ask the bottle, but don't ask me." 

Fanning the NIL flames with a former assistant 

While Saban wasn't exactly known for calling out those beyond the walls of Alabama's facilities -- at least not in a public light -- he didn't hold back from doing so in Spring 2022. Speaking at a Crimson Tide booster event, Saban stirred the pot when a clip went viral of him claiming that Texas A&M -- fresh off signing the highest-rated recruiting class in college football history -- "bought" its roster using NIL incentives. 

Whatever Saban's true intentions were that evening, it didn't sit well with then-Texas A&M coach and former Saban assistant Jimbo Fisher. He called for a press conference the next morning in which he decried his former boss as a "narcissist" and implied that Saban's coaching track record wasn't as clean as it seemed.

"We build him up to be the czar of football," Fisher said. "Go dig into his past or anybody that's ever coached with him. You can find out anything you want to find out, what he does and how he does it. It's despicable; it really is."

Alabama's Nick Saban goes in-depth on out-of-control NIL: '[Texas] A&M bought every player on their team'
Ben Kercheval
Alabama's Nick Saban goes in-depth on out-of-control NIL: '[Texas] A&M bought every player on their team'

Saban's humorous side 

Although Saban will be remembered for his fiery demeanor on the field, that was just one side of the legendary coach. Alabama players often recounted the jokes Saban would make throughout the course of the day -- sometimes unsuspecting -- and the Crimson Tide coach has even admitted to as much. 

"I like to have fun with the players," Saban told the Dan Patrick Show in 2020. "I think it's probably good that they see you every now and then in a little bit different light. Since I'm a defensive coach and I probably get on the defensive players a little bit more ferociously, it's a little easier for me to be lighthearted with the offensive players.

Saban's weekly in-season radio show also brought out that side of him as fans called in with their questions and comments. Look no further than the episode following Alabama's uninspiring Week 3 win at South Florida, in which Saban sarcastically flipped the script when a frequent caller went on the line. 

Those are the kinds of moments that reminded us all that Saban is -- in fact -- human. 

A one-of-a kind breakfast routine 

Routine was everything for Saban during his coaching career, and part of that was a diet that was, well ... the last thing one might expect to be the breakfast of champions. It's been widely documented that Saban begins his day by eating a pair of Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies for breakfast, with a third even included during his more difficult days. 

"I get up everyday, let the dog out, have a cup of coffee and I get two Little Debbies," Saban explained to Pat McAfee in 2023. "That's how I start. I shower. I game plan when I go to work every day. Routine sort of helps people stay in the moment ... Sunday is a very difficult day for us. I might even eat an extra Little Debbie." 

Nutritious or not, leave it to Saban to make such a quirky habit a teaching moment for his players and others.