A chill ran through the air.
On Christmas Day 19 years ago, Miami Dolphins fans woke up to cheers and shiny new presents. Meanwhile, LSU fans woke up to a lump of coal.
On December 25, 2004, then-LSU head coach Nick Saban officially accepted the Miami Dolphins’ offer and named him their new head coach.
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LSU entered the 2004 season looking to win back-to-back national championships, but finished with three losses, including a narrow loss in the Capitol One Bowl. The Tigers lost 30-25 after the Iowa Hawkeyes scored a touchdown on the final play of the game.
A lackluster season caused some LSU fans to speculate as to why Saban left.
The truth is, he was offered more money because he wanted to coach pro football. Although fans were upset by his departure, they respected his decision. The fan base initially had no animosity toward Saban. It hurt, but many Tigers were ready to root for him at the next level.
How are LSU fans feeling right now?
There’s been some debate lately about whether LSU fans really hate Nick Saban or whether enough time has passed for him to be forgiven. The poll titled “Nick Saban, yes or no?” I posted it on Instagram and it got about 200 votes. Thirty-eight students voted for Saban and 174 voted against.
However, surveys alone are not enough. Students and fans have feelings, but the polls are missing something. Reveille interviewed her LSU students and they gave insight into how they feel about Saban.
The questions were simple: “Are you an LSU fan?” and “What do you think about Nick Saban?” Everyone answered “yes.” Most students agreed that Saban was a good coach, but they didn’t like that he left LSU to go to Alabama.
“He’s a coach I respect,” LSU student Billy Kisner said. He went on to say, “I don’t like him because we have to face him,” and that’s because he believes Saban is “a very capable, talented coach.” I reasoned.
It was a largely shared philosophy within the group of people interviewed.
“You’ve got to respect him. He’s the greatest college coach of all time,” LSU freshman Alex Pierce said. “I respect the coaching here at LSU, but I also have some negative feelings towards him because he said he was going to be here a long time.”
Of course, there was the usual cynicism and speculation about the University of Alabama’s success.
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Commenting on the strength of Alabama’s schedule, Joshua Coulthard said, “The schedules are made by Alabama alumni, so we always have easy schedules.” He prefaced that statement with a string of insults criticizing Saban.
Decades later, the animosity toward Alabama and, more importantly, Saban still exists.
The Tigers and Alabama have a long-standing rivalry. Other universities can try to replicate it, but no program can match the animosity that both programs have toward each other.
Crimson Tide and LSU fans will be discussing this throughout the week as both teams are scheduled to play each other this Saturday. This matchup has been in the works for decades, and Saban may have to wait several more decades before he is welcomed back to Baton Rouge.