TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Five-time national champion and Alabama head football coach Nick Saban has become known for not just his football prowess, but also for his famous “process” that can serve as a formula for success anywhere in life.
Recently, Saban weighed in on the release of some players from his team and in the importance that “choices” play, particularly in young people.
“They all think they have this illusion of choice,” Saban said in an interview. “Like ‘I can do whatever I want to do’. And you kind of have a younger generation now that doesn’t always get told no, they don’t always get told this is exactly how you need to do it. So they have this illusion that they have all these choices.”
Then Saban went full-on philosophy major, explaining that success has a price tag.
“But the fact of the matter is, is if you want to be good, you really don’t have a lot of choices, because it takes what it takes. You have to do what you have to do to be successful. So you have to make choices and decisions to have the discipline and focus to the process of what you need to do to accomplish your goals.”
“All these guys that think they have a lot of choices are really sadly mistaken. And I think, as we all have done with our own children, they learn these lessons of life as they get older, and sometimes the best way to learn is from the mistakes that you make, even though we all hate to see them have to make them. And we don’t really condone them when they do.”
In an age of wowing recruits with flashy uniforms and busting out in the latest dance move, many attribute the Alabama dynasty to Saban’s old-school mentality. Few can seriously argue with the results. During his tenure in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide have won four national championships, four SEC championships, five division titles, two Heisman Trophies, and have had twenty-five consensus All-Americans.
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