1. Saban eats the exact same things for breakfast and lunch every day: two Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies in the morning and a turkey salad in the afternoon.
2. Saban is a lousy crime witness. He was once at the scene of a shotgun holdup robbery with Bob Stoops – the uncle and namesake of the current Oklahoma head coach – at a bar called The Talk of the Town in Youngstown, Ohio, and neither had any idea. They were too engrossed in chatting about football to notice. Saban was the Michigan State defensive coordinator at the time.
3. Saban is the commissioner of the Noontime Basketball League at Alabama. He plays with other UA staff members in Coleman Coliseum and admits to picking his own team so he has an edge. He also likes to be in control at point guard. The pick-up games normally start after recruiting wraps up.
4. Saban and his wife, former Terry Constable, first met at a science camp in junior high school. While Saban was playing football at Kent State, he wrote his sweetheart daily love letters as she stayed home to teach. They tied the knot on Dec. 18, 1971, and have been married now for 45 years.
5. Saban loves the Weather Channel. He watches it every day for just 15 minutes while eating breakfast. He’s even OK with the fact that out of those 15 minutes, about eight are dedicated to commercials.
6. Saban replaced Pete Carroll and Dom Capers replaced Saban, all at Ohio State. All are former defensive back coaches for the Buckeyes under former coach Earle Bruce, ranging from 1979-83. Carroll left after a season, Saban was fired after two seasons, and Capers was hired to replace him. Bruce fired all of his defensive assistants after a bad bowl performance against Navy.
7. Saban is best friends with U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, who is also a former governor of the state. The two grew up together. Their childhood homes in West Virginia were less than 10 miles apart.
8. Saban believes his kids were afraid of him growing up. Many of his players have admitted that they are afraid of him, but Saban says his first granddaughter, Amelie, is not. She’s 3 years old.
9. Saban went to Monongah High School in West Virginia. He played football, basketball and baseball, earning first-team All-State honors in all three sports. Playing quarterback and safety, he won a state title in 1968.
10. Saban’s birthday is on Halloween. This past year for his 65th, he said he received just one present: a joke device that utters an expletive when the button is pushed. He was told not to bring it home, even though he believes he might need it more there than at work.
