Nick Saban didn't let 9/11 attacks interrupt his coaching for a game that ended up postponed: book
When Nick Saban was the head coach at LSU after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he made just one mention of it to his coaching staff, according to the new book, "The Price: What It Takes to Win in College Football's Era of Chaos," by Armen Keteyian and John Talty.
The book claims Saban was at LSU's practice site preparing for a game against Auburn when the first plane hit the Twin Towers that morning. When the second plane hit, Saban finally made mention of it to the coaches, barely.
"Boys, there are some screwed-up people in the world. ... Now, what are we going to do when we’re in cover-two against these routes?" Saban said, according to Keteyian and Talty.
The book claims Saban never addressed the attacks with his players. It was his second year as the LSU head coach after an 8-4 season with a bowl game victory in 2000. In 2001, the team got off to a 2-0 start with a game against Auburn scheduled for Sept. 15.
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However, Saban's focus on his cover-two defense against the conference rival ended up wasted for that week. The game was postponed to December in response to the attacks and America's mourning of nearly 3,000 killed.
Saban later apologized for having his "head in the sand," according to the book.
When Saban's team returned to the field at No. 7 Tennessee Sept. 29 that year in its first game since the attacks, it lost its first game of the season, 26-18. The next week, against No. 2 Florida, LSU was blown out 44-15.
Saban eventually righted the ship and led LSU to a 6-1 finish in the regular season. In its rescheduled game against Auburn Dec. 1, Saban's focus on cover-two defense may have paid off. His team won 27-14 and held Auburn to just 177 passing yards.
LSU later beat Tennessee in a rematch in the SEC championship game and then beat No. 11 Illinois in the Sugar Bowl that year.
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Saban's SEC and Peach Bowl championship campaigns in the aftermath of 9/11 coincided with a run by a coach close to him who also boasts a reputation for intense preparation. Bill Belichick led the New England Patriots to their first Super Bowl title in 2001 in Tom Brady's first year as a starter after an injury to Drew Bledsoe. It was a win that sparked a dynasty for Brady, Belichick and the Patriots.
Belichick has described similar indifference to Saban regarding the effect of the terrorist attacks that year on his focus on coaching.
"Two thousand one was, football-wise, a pretty happy experience. When you mix it in with 9/11, it definitely puts another perspective on it that is a lot bigger than football," Belichick told reporters Sept. 10, 2021, one day before the 20th anniversary.
"I was so deep in the middle of it that, honestly, we were just trying to prepare and win a game. We won a lot of close games that year. We weren't any type of dominating team. ... I mean, the support was fantastic, and, again, it was a very magical year for all of us. What it meant outside of the region and to the country and all of that, I don't know that I could give you a good answer on that."
Saban was the first coach Belichick hired when Belichick became head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 1991. Saban joined him as defensive coordinator until 1994, when the staff was fired. Their friendship began in 1982, when Saban took a job at the Naval Academy, where Belichick’s father, Steve Belichick, was assistant football coach.
Since then, they have become known as the two dominant football coaches of the 21st century, winning a combined 13 Super Bowls and national championships as head coaches.
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