Despite being nearly five months removed from retiring, Nick Saban has been a busy man in 2024. He’s been spotted relaxing at the Masters, giving advice at Senate roundtables on Capitol Hill, and providing commentary on NFL Draft broadcasts.
How does Saban prepare for his travels? The former coach told ABC 33/40 that he relies on another Alabama legend: James Spann.
Nick Saban on who he gets his weather reports from when traveling and hitting the golf course: @abc3340 @spann
" I call James Spann and say what's the weather look like in Dallas? I don't want to get caught in any thunderstorms and he's always right on." pic.twitter.com/KXJgAnToaR
— Chris McCulley (@ChrisMcCulleyTV) May 2, 2024
“I’ve been flying all over the country to speak,” said Saban. “I call James Spann and say, ‘what’s the weather look like in Dallas? We’re flying over there today and I don’t want to get into any kinds of storms.'”
“He’s always right on, so I appreciate that,” the coach laughed.
The longtime friends have shared an open line of communication for a long time. After the Crimson Tide’s loss to Tennessee in October 2022, Saban joked that he was thinking about retiring to work with Spann.
“If we don’t start playing better, I was gonna see if you had openings at your place and be an assistant. I watch The Weather Channel, so I feel like I’m an expert,” Saban said.
Spann was a frequent guest on “Hey Coach & The Nick Saban Show” and would brief the Crimson Tide on the weather before games, going as far as to call Saban “a weather dweeb, a total weather dork.”
Charles Vaughan is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News.
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