Nick Saban explains why 'CEO role' isn't for him
Some coaches, as they get older, tend to transition into “CEO” roles as head coach, allowing them to still be the head coach, but lighten their workload by delegating responsibilities to trusted staffers. Nick Saban turns 68 next week, but he’s not interesting in being the CEO of Alabama football. Saban explained Thursday night on his weekly radio show that he likes the work that comes with being an actively involved head coach.
“I really don’t like not having something to do, not being busy,” Saban said. “And I think if you sort of take a CEO role, you sort of lose a little bit of touch with the players. You’re not with them every day, you’re not on the field, you’re not coaching them, you’re not seeing how they react and respond to things. I mean, I just wouldn’t have the same feel for the team and a lot of the individual players and what you can do to help them in a lot of ways.
“I would be absolutely bored to death if I wasn’t involved. I can’t really stand around on the field and just watch. That’s kind of boring to me. And I know Coach (Bear) Bryant was a great coach, and he stood up in his tower and all that. But I’d have a hard time with that unless I had a bullhorn or something that I could be telling people what to do. I don’t think I would enjoy doing it nearly as much if I wasn’t involved with the players.”
Even Saban can’t out-scheme getting older, so there will always be questions of how long he’ll continue to coach before retiring. But it’s clear that he’s not looking to slow down any time soon.