Nick Saban’s trophy case was full already. However, the man who won six national championships as head coach for Alabama football will have to find room for one more piece of hardware.
Saban was awarded a Sports Emmy for outstanding personality/ emerging on-air talent on Tuesday, the Emmys announced. The former coach had been asked about his Emmy nomination early on Tuesday, at his Nick’s Kids charity golf tournament, and cracked a joke.
“Must have been not a good year for people in the Emmys,” Saban said, adding that it was an honor.
The other nominees for the award included Prime Video’s Ryan Fitzpatrick and Richard Sherman, ESPN’s Jason Kelce and CBS’ Jay Wright. Saban joined ESPN for the 2024 season, after retiring as the Crimson Tide’s head coach.
He contributed to, among other things, the network’s College Gameday pregame show. Saban earned positive reviews for his performance on the show, though three viewers filed official complaints with the FCC about his swearing (the FCC took no action as ESPN is a cable channel).
“A lot of people helped contribute to learning how to do it,” Saban said. “I certainly appreciate them and thank them for that. We had a really good team of people who has lots of experience, I think, helped me fit in the program.”
Saban is set to return to the College Gameday desk this season. However, the show will be losing one of its most beloved personalities, as Lee Corso is set to retire following the first broadcast of the 2025 season.
Ahead of the 2024 season, Saban spoke to reporters at SEC media days in Dallas, explaining his approach to broadcasting.
“I’m still a coach at heart,” Saban said. “I want to ask the coaches questions so that they can actually talk about things they want to talk about and maybe things they want to be able to get out there. So I’m not trying to put anybody on the defensive. I’m trying to help them express what they’d like to express about their team or about a particular player or about a position on their team that may be an issue or may be a strength. Or the quarterback or whatever. I still view this from a coach’s perspective. I just happen not to have a team.”
