Nick Saban reflects on LSU tenure at HOF induction: ‘I think we raised the bar’
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Nick Saban was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday evening.
While Saban spent the bulk of his college coaching career at rival Alabama, he was in Baton Rouge during a pivotal point in LSU’s history. He was the Tigers’ head coach from 2000-04 and helped lead the program to two major milestones: the SEC Championship in 2001 and the National Championship in 2003.
When the Tigers won the SEC in 2001, Nick Saban said it was his first-ever championship as a coach. But it was also the first conference title for LSU since 1988.
“Once you accomplish something, it sets a new horizon,” Saban said to the crowd at his Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame induction. “It sets a new standard. And then in 2003 when we won the National Championship, that set a new horizon and a new standard.
“I’m very proud of the fact that that contributed to that iconic brand that LSU has and the state of Louisiana has … I think we raised the bar and raised the standard.”
Saban’s tenure in Baton Rouge was relatively short. By 2005, he was coaching the Miami Dolphins in the NFL. But his work as LSU’s head coach over 5 seasons helped pave the way for the Tigers to win National Championships in 2007 and 2019.
“Every time I see LSU, all the time I coached at Alabama, I know it was a great rivalry,” Saban said. “But I was always proud because I felt like we did something to raise the bar here and the program has been outstanding ever since.”
Here’s a clip from Saban’s speech:
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
