Holly Rowe shares touching story about Nick Saban supporting her during cancer battle
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Holly Rowe faced what she described as a “death sentence” 10 years ago. In 2015, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer after what started as melanoma but spread to her lungs.
The longtime ESPN sideline reporter is now cancer-free. And during her fight against the disease, she received support from various individuals. That included Nick Saban and his wife, Miss Terry.
“I got this big box of apples one day with this cute note: ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away – Miss Terry and Nick Saban,'” Rowe recalled during an interview with AL.com released on Tuesday.
Rowe then shared that Saban some time later called her from the SEC spring meetings in Destin, Fla.
“One day I get a voicemail. I miss the call, I get a voicemail, and I listened to it. And it’s like, ‘Hey Holly, this is Coach Saban. I’m at Destin. I’m at the coaches’ meetings, and your name came up, and I’m just thinking about you,'” she said.
It was a side of Saban not many people see, Rowe added.
“Everybody thinks Nick is one kind of crusty, tough, whatever, character type of way. And he is those things, but there is a really kind and loving and really understanding great side to him,” she said. “And he would check on me during those cancer years. I mean, nobody would think that of Coach Saban, and that meant a lot to me.
“I’ve saved that voicemail forever ever more to hear the care and sweetness in his voice, checking on me.”
On Saturday, Rowe will be back on the sidelines as she has been for hundreds of games during her career. She’ll be on duty in Tuscaloosa in Week 6 as Alabama hosts Vanderbilt.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
