Former Alabama players pleased with Saban hiring

By Staff
Mike Self, FCT Sports Editor
Two former Alabama football players who now reside in Russellville were encouraged by this week's hiring of former LSU coach Nick Saban, who decided to leave the Miami Dolphins after two seasons and accept an offer to become head coach of the Crimson Tide.
"Based on his track record and the success he's had at the college level, I think it's a good hire," said Russellville High School boys basketball coach Michael Smith, who was a defensive back at Alabama in the late 1980s. "I think the people at Alabama finally got the coach they feel is worth the money they were willing to pay. Name-wise, he was definitely one of the best candidates out there. He won a national championship and SEC championships at LSU. He's a proven winner, and if people will give him the chance he'll win at Alabama, too."
Former Tide player Lanny Norris, now an insurance agent in Russellville, shared Smith's optimism and also said he was a bit surprised when the rumors of Saban's candidacy actually came to fruition.
"I was excited to hear about it," said Norris, who played under legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant from 1970-1972. "It had been rumored for some time now, but at first I thought it was just wishful thinking like all the Steve Spurrier talk that was going around. I didn't realize until recently how interested [Saban] actually was in coming to Alabama. Apparently he and his wife were pretty unhappy with the NFL, and he was looking to get back into the college ranks.
"We happened to be looking to make a change at the same time he was looking to make a change. That's probably the first time since Coach Bryant was hired that we've had any kind of fortuitous circumstances."
Saban, who guided LSU to two SEC titles and the 2003 BCS national championship during his five-year tenure in Baton Rouge, was almost immediately mentioned as a candidate for the job when Mike Shula was fired in late November. He repeatedly denied interest in coming to Tuscaloosa, going so far as to say "I will not be the coach at Alabama."
Once the Dolphins' season ended this past Sunday, Saban changed his tune. Alabama made a formal offer on Monday, and, after two days of deliberation, Saban accepted the four-year, $32 million deal and immediately became the highest-paid coach in college football.
"People have to realize that he was committed to being the coach of the Dolphins until their season was over," Smith said. "That was his responsibility right up through that last game. I wouldn't want somebody who would leave and take another job while he's right in the middle of coaching another team, because I would be afraid he might eventually do that to my program, too."
Alabama had just one winning season in four years under Shula and has not played for a national championship since upsetting Miami in the 1992 Sugar Bowl. Tide fans have high hopes that Saban can restore the program to its place as one of the best in college football.
"I think he brings a lot of what's been lacking at the University of Alabama for a long time now," Norris said. "He's an intense figure who can bring back the fear and intimidation factor that Coach Bryant had. That's what helped get the program where it used to be."
Norris also said he thinks Saban will have a positive impact on recruiting
"We can't beat people anymore by only recruiting in Alabama and the surrounding states," Norris said. "We have to do what teams like USC, Texas and Notre Dame are doing, and that's recruit all over the country. I think Coach Saban has the name and the successful track record to be able to do that, whether he's recruiting somebody from New Jersey or Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, or wherever."