Nick Saban- More Than A Scowl

He's seeking his sixth title in 10 years. His power and influence have never been greater. But there's a side to the legend that you don't know. 
 

- Kevin Van Valkenburg

The most powerful man in college football raises a skeptical eyebrow when he hears the question. His glare feels like it could crack one of the crystal trophies in his office. Two seconds of silence passes. It feels like two minutes. What is something Nick Saban thinks people get wrong about Nick Saban?

Finally, a hint of a smile creeps across his face. He removes his reading glasses and folds his hands in front of his chin, interlocking his fingers. “One of the things that has bothered me a little through the years is I don’t think the perception that people have of me as a coach is really, truly who I am as a person,” Saban says. “I’m always portrayed as the tough, grinding, working hard guy. And I think those things are true. But there is more than that. And I don’t think people realize that.”

After winning 218 games and six national championships, after spending more than a decade as the man everyone in the sport is both chasing and trying to emulate, it would be easy to assume Saban, at 66 years old, does not see flaws in his own methods. But ask him if there is anything he wishes he could change about himself and he mulls it for a full beat. “I always pray that I won’t get angry,” he says. “Because most of the time when I get angry or emotional, I don’t make good decisions. Sometimes I appear to be angry as a coach, but I’m not really angry. People don’t remember what you say; they remember how you made them feel. I think I’ve gotten a little better at that, but there is definitely room for improvement.”