For a second straight week, her husband is on the road doing what he loves.
To say that Nick Saban is a well accomplished individual would be recording the obvious.
One can see he is arguably the best college football head coach of his generation, and one of the best coaches in general too.
He has guided the University of Alabama program to five national championships and eight Southeastern Conference titles. Saban provides a smile to the faces of Crimson Tide fans with each recruiting class, while bringing joy to parents in placing their sons into the National Football League.
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With the relationships he has crafted in 14 years with the Tide, the best one he made came in 1971.
When it comes to Terry Saban, she has seen the 69-year-old at his best and worst.
She has been there for every national championship celebration, every freshmen signing class, every student-athlete in the NFL Draft, every student-athlete graduating with a degree, and every disappointing loss. She tries not to be too involved in his space, nevertheless, the most intense mentor in college football needs someone to console him too. She has done this for Coach Saban for 40-plus years of marriage, and the most entertaining moment came during Saban’s time in quarantine for the Iron Bowl.
It was the first time in his coaching career where he was not on the sidelines for the Tide. Due to sustaining very mild symptoms for Coronavirus, Saban had to stay at home.
Although he prepared Steve Sarkisian to coach against Auburn, Mrs. Terry knows her husband wants in on the action.
Saban conducted practices, team meetings, coaches meetings, player meetings and press conferences via Zoom all week.
While she checked his temperature, fixed meals and made sure he was getting better, she developed a deeper appreciation for what he does as the Alabama head football coach.
“I was quarantined for 21 days, most of it with Nick, so I did my part,” Mrs. Saban said on Friday at the 9th annual Teacher Excellence Awards. “But, I actually found it to be a very interesting time. Our office is up above the kitchen and its open, so I could hear every meeting, every practice, I could hear the interaction between Nick, the coaches and the players.”
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She is concerned about her husband, children and grandchildren as all wives, mothers and grandmothers are in the pandemic, but she cherished her time with Coach Saban.
Despite his perfectionist attitude at times and yelling at the television, Mrs. Saban enjoyed her time cheering on the Tide from downstairs and hearing her husband coach from home.
During Nick Saban’s time in quarantine for the Iron Bowl, Mrs. Terry said she would never trade that moment.
“It’s the first time I really got a first hand view of what his days are like.”@TDAlabamaMag pic.twitter.com/sGHNSX0ZIA
— Stephen M. Smith (@CoachingMSmith) December 11, 2020
“That time at home with Nick, I almost would not trade it because in 40 something years of being married it was the first time I really got a first-hand view of what his days are like,” she said. “I tried not to comment. I had opinions and I try not to give my opinion on everything.”
On game day against the Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Mrs. Terry said she knew Saban would have ’emotional feelings.’
“We did separate ourselves before the game,” she said. “He was upstairs and I was downstairs in front of the TV, and I can be a fan. I can yell and scream and cheer and I do and I did. I did not even know he could hear all of that, but the biggest point was I would hear this booming … almost like how people would describe a tornado coming and they are like ‘what is that sound coming?’ I’d stop and I would say ‘what was that?’ and then I realized it was Nick screaming at the TV. It was as if he was trying to get his point across to the players. I know it was much more trying for him than for me, but I enjoyed being near that.”
Behind every man of character is an even stronger woman.
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Mrs. Terry is a vibrant pillar in the Tuscaloosa community, she is constantly giving back to the youth and teachers, and she makes the Nick’s Kids Foundation a very special function.
It does not matter how long he continues to coach, Saban knows he is a winner at home.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
