Retiring, At Least Moving On, History Making Coaches

Certainly, there has been much news concerning Nick Saban (the big surprise), Bill Belichick (as expected and noting his nice jacket at the announcement–what you expected, a so called “hoodie?!”) and Pete Carroll (a mild surprise), moving on.

I type “moving on” as retirements often are “un’d.”

While Belichick did not retire, he is out as New England Patriots’ coach after 24 seasons (2000-2023), 6 that resulted in Supe wins and 9 that yielded Super Bowl/NFL Final appearances.

Carroll won a national title and shared another, also winning a Super Bowl and would have at least approached Belichick and Saban (by a slight margin over Belichick, I opine Saban as “the best for last”) were it not for two crucial play calls gone wrong, one in the exponentially less heralded and important run failure with over a TD lead in the 2005 national title tilt loss to Vince Young and Texas, and that one I need not detail, manifesting in a Mal Butler interception and a 4th crown, first in 10 years for Belichick and New England in the 2014 season Super Bowl/NFL Final.

Saban, an assistant to Belichick with the last original Browns’ ‘offs team, in what was their penultimate year in Cleveland in ’94, won 6 undisputed national crowns with Alabama and shared one as LSU coach with Carroll’s 2003 USC team.

He also had by far the best 2023 season, among the three.

In 2003, all three men won or shared crowns. Both Belichick and Carroll won titles in 2004, Carroll with U.S.C.

Only in Saban’s “share year” of 2003 did Belichick and Saban win titles in the same season.

Their other 11 combined crowns came in different seasons, amounting to that many, in 20 combined seasons from (2000-2020).

One thing for sure each coach, Carroll and the “titles record holding,” Saban and Belichick created history in their years on the job, which clearly, and I believe unfortunately, may not be completely in the “rear view.”

Two women I knew and liked/like, one deceased, claim they started the ripped jeans “thing” 50 years ago. I am not against it.

However, Mr. Saban’s perspective on what is the last decade or less trend toward ripped jeans is minimum, somewhat sensible and I think among other things, humorous.