Meet the SEC West coaches’ wives

The wives of the SEC West coaches have plenty to work with.

You may also want to check out the video for the Wives of the SEC College GameDay segment.

After Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen received a raise this offseason, no coach in the division makes less than $4 million. That’s more than enough money for a family to live comfortably. Yet only only one coach will win the SEC West this year, leaving the other six to face criticism for underperforming.

That’s where the wives come in. They’re the coaches’ confidants, rocks and best friends.

Here are the spouses of the SEC West coaches, in order of their husbands’ 2014 division record.

Terry Saban, Alabama

Ms. Terry and Coach Saban have been married a whopping 45 years, celebrating their anniversary last December shortly after Alabama won the SEC Championship. Both devout Catholics, Saban credited his wife with keeping him grounded before the Crimson Tide beat Missouri in that game. After refuting details in a recent biography about himself, Saban said that only his wife is an expert on his wife.

Megan Mullen, Mississippi State

Megan and Dan Mullen met each other through sports. Megan was a sports reporter for a Toledo TV station while Mullen coached at Bowling Green. Players call her “Mama Mullen” but this mother of two could likely beat all of the Bulldogs in at least one sport: golf. She was the captain of her high school golf team.

Jill Freeze, Mississippi

Jill met her future husband while both were students at the University of Southern Mississippi. After moving around the country for Freeze’s coaching jobs, the two are back in the state as the First Family of Oxford. That didn’t stop Mississippi players from dumping freezing Gatorade on the two of them after the Rebels’ Egg Bowl win.

Kristi Malzahn, Auburn

Kristi Malzahn Jason Getz

The Malzahns like to keep things simple, celebrating Auburn victories with trips to Waffle House. They’ve celebrated this transition since Gus coached high school football in Arkansas. The couple has two daughters, one of whom was was recently married earlier this summer. Here’s hoping Kristi’s son-in-law is a fan of breakfast food, too.

Kathy Miles, LSU

Kathy Miles met Les while he was at Michigan. A former basketball player at Central Michigan University, Kathy helped coach the women’s team at Ann Arbor. That coaching skill has paid off, as Miles says Kathy has a good eye for football talent.

Charlene Sumlin, Texas A&M

charlene-sumlin-aggies

A mother of four, Charlene and Kevin Sumlin met while he was coaching in Minnesota. She’s from the state, but has followed her husband south to Norman, Houston and now College Station. Follow Charlene on Twitter to keep up with the Sumlin Family.

Jen Bielema, Arkansas

jen-bielema-arkansas

Jen Bielema probably still isn’t loved by Wisconsin fans for her “karma” tweet a few years ago, but Badgers fans should give her credit for being an alumna. While not so boisterous on Twitter nowadays, Jen has an Instagram page worth following. She’s very active in Fayetteville and on the Arkansas campus, especially in the Greek community.