Fansided

Best college football coach in history from each state

By Nathaniel Reeves

TUSCALOOSA, AL - CIRCA 1958-1982: Paul Bryant, head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team observes the play during a game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Alabama) (Photo by University of Alabama/Collegiate Images/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, AL - CIRCA 1958-1982: Paul Bryant, head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team observes the play during a game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Alabama) (Photo by University of Alabama/Collegiate Images/Getty Images) /
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ATHENS, GA – OCTOBER 2: Head coach Nick Saban of the Louisiana State University Tigers takes the field against the Georgia Bulldogs during the game at Sanford Stadium on October 2, 2004 in Athens, Georgia. The Bulldogs won 45-16. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
ATHENS, GA – OCTOBER 2: Head coach Nick Saban of the Louisiana State University Tigers takes the field against the Georgia Bulldogs during the game at Sanford Stadium on October 2, 2004 in Athens, Georgia. The Bulldogs won 45-16. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Louisiana: Nick Saban 

Saban doesn’t get totally shut out from the list, as his stint at LSU set up a sustained run of success to edge out Les Miles as the greatest coach in The Pelican State.

The West Virginia native played defensive back at Kent State under Don James, who convinced him to enter the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant in 1973. After stopping at five more schools plus the Houston Oilers, primarily as a defensive backs coach, Saban earned his first shot at a head coaching gig with Toledo in 1990.

That would last only one season, as Saban again jumped to the NFL as defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns from 1991-1994 before taking the job at Michigan State. A 9-2 season in 1999 helped Saban move to LSU, which struggled mightily in the final two years of the Gerry DiNardo era.

The Tigers improved by five wins to 8-4 in Saban’s first year and were ranked in the top 10 at some point in each of his final three seasons. LSU claimed its first national title since 1958 with a 13-1 campaign and championship game win over Oklahoma in 2003 and put together another nine-win effort the next season before Saban infamously bolted for the Miami Dolphins.

Saban’s presence paid off even after that, as Miles inherited a team that won at least 11 games in each of his first three seasons, including another title in 2007. The longevity of coaches like Miles and Charles McClendon deserves credit, but Saban’s hiring was truly a game-changer for the Tigers.

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