Daughters are fathers’ biggest cheerleaders. And nobody knows it better than GOAT Nick Saban. The 7x national championship winner’s daughter, Kristen Saban, has been an ardent follower of sports. But when it comes to football, she has been the biggest fan. Courtesy goes to his legendary dad, ofcourse. Now, come on, winning national championships, that too seven times, over a period of 28 seasons, is no joke. Saban topped it up with a 292-71-1 (.804) record while making multiple stops at Bama, LSU, Michigan State, and Toledo in his full career as a head coach. But the 73-year-old has got that oomph factor. That’s because his power is not restricted to college football but felt in the pro league as well. So, it’s time for some flex for Kristen, being the GOAT’s daughter.
Well, Saban is called the most successful coach in modern college football history for a reason. The former college defensive back got his start coaching in the 1970s and got his first head-coaching job in 1990. Do you know, the GOAT had replaced Pete Carroll, who was Ohio State’s secondary coordinator in 1979? Saban worked under the head coach Earle Bruce when the Buckeyes finished with 18 wins in 24 games. He and the Buckeyes defense allowed 15.1 points per game in 1980 and 21.1 points per game in 1981. That’s when his college football career hit the pedal. Later on, Saban retired with a career record of 80.4% wins and became the NCAA’s active leader in wins and ranked sixth all-time among FBS coaches.
He also holds the distinction as the first coach in history to win national crowns at two different FBS schools since the AP Poll’s inception in 1936. So, it’s obvious that this man is going to spread his magic in the NFL, though not directly. The GOAT has been the head coach of the Miami Dolphins for two seasons, from 2005 to 2006. Before that, he had also been the defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns under Bill Belichick. However, Kristen takes more pride in the fact that his father modelled, NFL-top pick worthy players. On April 24, just before the 2025 NFL Draft pulled up the curtains, Kristen posted an IG story. Well, she remained tight-lipped about their alumnus Jalen Milroe flying off to the NFL; it was some ‘Flex Dad’ time. She reshared a post that read, “DRAFT DAY DOMINANCE,” where Saban came off as the ruler.
It had some stats to prove the GOAT’s hold over the big event. The post read, “Nick Saban had more 1st round draft picks (44) than losses (29) while at Alabama.” Offensive tackle Andre Smith was the first offensive player who went as No.6 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2009 NFL Draft. Linebacker Ronaldo McClain was the first defensive player to go to the Oakland Raiders in the 2010 NFL Draft as the No.8 overall pick. The same year, the Houston Texans landed defensive back Kareem Jackson as the No.20 overall pick. In 2011, when the Atlanta Falcons traded a significant package to move up to No. 6, Julio Jones became the first offensive skill position taken in the first round. Over the recent years, the tradition has been maintained. That 2017 signing class produced eight first-round picks.
Tua Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle were among the six first-round Alabama draft picks in 2021. In 2023, Bryce Young became the first Saban player to go No. 1 overall from Alabama. To bring other head coaches’ stats into the picture, Georgia has had 17 first-round picks during the Kirby Smart era. Since he became a head coach in 2017, Lincoln Riley has produced three first-round draft picks. Meanwhile, this is not the first time that Kristen boasted about her father’s legacy on social media.
Nick Saban, a legend among legends
Back in July last year, it was indeed an emotional moment for the GOAT’s daughter. Kristen re-shared a collage initially posted by the SEC network on her Instagram story. She flaunted the “Saban’s daughter” badge with pride. The IG post that caught her attention was a collage of different legends from different sports. Best to say, a celebrity constellation. However, Saban has been the lone wolf who howled loudest. The caption is what might have touched Kristen’s heart. It read, “There will never be another Nick Saban.”
And what was the proud daughter’s reaction? Just one word was enough to describe what she felt for her Daddy Cool. Kristen wrote, “Ever (holding back tears emoji).” Now that’s a fair statement. After all, Saban is the one who put Alabama on the elite shelf, ending their 15-year title drought. Just as her father has been a figure to boast about, he created pressure on Kristen in one of the most hilarious ways.
On The Pivot Podcast, host Ryan Clark dug through the past and spilled some hilarious secrets about Nick Saban, some inside scoops straight out of the Saban house. “There’s an old clip of you saying that when young guys would come to your house to date your daughter, you would ask them what they play because you wanted to see what sort of competitor they were.” Being a GOAT himself, the protective father wanted the best ‘man’ for his daughter Kristen Saban to spend her forever with. Luckily, Adam Setas got the green pass from his father-in-law, Saban, as he fell into his criteria of being a sportsman and hence a “competitor.”
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