Many head football coaches have been fired, retired, or re-hired in recent weeks. On Monday, January 10, 2024, Alabama head coach Nick Saban retired.
Nick Saban, who had been coaching for 26 seasons, has retired with a final career record of 274-67-1. Saban had coached in the NFL and NCAAF. He coached for the Miami Dolphins for one year (2005-2006), then came to college and coaching LSU, where he won 2 SEC Championships and 1 National Title.
In Alabama, it’s easy to refer to him as the G.O.A.T., as Saban ended his Alabama career with 8 SEC Championships and 7 National Titles. Nick Saban officially retired following his team’s loss to the national champion Michigan, losing in overtime, 20-27. He holds many records, but the most impressive one is when he spent the most weeks at number one in the AP Poll, standing alone at 109 weeks, all with Alabama.
In NFL news, after going 4-13 this season, the New England Patriots have decided to part ways with head coach Bill Belichick. Belichick had a final career record of 333-178. He holds the record for the most Super Bowls in the Super Bowl era with 6. All those super bowls were with Tom Brady, who also retired in recent years.
Belichick had previously coached for the Clevland Browns from 1991-1995, starting his 24-year coaching career, before being fired after the 2023 season.
The most recent coaching news, surprising many, was about national champion coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh had just won a national championship with Michigan this year, but it was announced that the Los Angeles Chargers hired him on Monday, January 24. Harbaugh had been a quarterback for the Chargers back in the 1999-2000 season. It comes as a surprise to many Michigan fans that Harbaugh retired after winning a national championship.
All in all, the hope is high for a new wave of coach/team pairings. As a new college format emerges and the NFL continues to be competitive, coaches are as important as ever.