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Nick Saban on 2003 championship team at LSU: ‘It doesn’t feel like 20 years’
Before Nick Saban was bringing championships to Alabama, he was doing it at LSU.
Saban’s first national championship came at LSU in 2003. The Tigers defeated Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl to win the BCS National Championship — the first of many for Saban.
This season marks the 20th anniversary of Saban’s fist championship, and this Saturday he will face off against his former team.
“It doesn’t feel like 20 years,” Saban said during the SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday. “Look, I love that team. That team’s always going to be special because that was our first championship. Those guys came to LSU when we weren’t very good and a lot of guys on that team bought in to what we were trying to do and sort of set the precedent to what the program was all about. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate their commitment and the way they competed all year long and just a great bunch of young men.”
After his time with LSU, Saban spent a brief period in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins before beginning his tenure with Alabama. Since his first championship at LSU, Saban has gone on to win 7 championships total.