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Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
It was announced this week that former LSU and current Alabama head coach Nick Saban has been inducted into The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Saban will be one of eight inductees, along with Ronnie Coleman, Lou Dunbar, Joe Horn, Kerry Kittles, Phil Robertson, Charles Tilman, and Angela Turner headed into the 2020 Hall class on Saturday, June 27, in Natchitoches, Louisianna.

Saban, who coached at LSU from 2000-04 and won the BCS National Championship with the Tigers in 2003, recently spoke about his time in Baton Rouge and said if he could do it over again, he would have never left LSU for the Miami Dolphins job. Per The Daily Advertiser:
quote:

"I remember Richard Gill and Skip and I meeting in Skip's office," Saban said. "And I was really torn about it. And Skip said, 'You've just got to decide what you want your legacy to be. You want it to be as a college coach? Or do you want to try to make a name for yourself as a NFL coach?'

"And I really wanted to be a college coach, but I had it in the back of my mind all the time that the ultimate thing that you could accomplish in the profession was to be a head coach in the NFL. Don't ask me why. But that was just kind of there. And I thought, probably because of Wayne Huizenga (the late Dolphins' owner) that was the right one. He was a pretty good recruiter."

Saban soon realized he should have listened to the other recruiter, Bertman, as he was going 9-7 and 6-10 with the Dolphins.

"As it turns out, what I learned from that experience in hindsight was, it was a huge mistake to leave college football," Saban said. "And I know a lot of LSU fans think I left for whatever reasons, but I left because I wanted to be a pro coach, or thought I wanted to be a pro coach. We loved LSU. We worked hard to build the program. If there was one thing professionally that I would do over again, it would've been not to leave LSU." Read more.
Saban also talked about his Hall of Fame induction during the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday:

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59 Comments
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JustinT3755 months
Please don’t vote Les in the HOF.
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jrctiger8455 months
I think its too late for that
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jbs78055 months
Wow! Petty. Les was inducted last year. Winningest coach in school history for the time he was here. Only Charlie McClendon won more games and he was here 18 full seasons compared to Les' 11-1/4 seasons.
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El Campo Tiger55 months
Now he gets to kick our arse every year. Was it worth it? Yeah.
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Eli Goldfinger55 months
God’s hands were on bringing Saban ti Bama. Devine guidance. Kiss them raingz!
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Spasweezy55 months
Divine.
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Mike da Tigah55 months
I fully understand Saban’s desires and ambition, as well as appreciate all he did for LSU. I just hate that Ala freaking Bama of all people were the beneficiaries of his mistake.
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BigPerm3055 months
Fun fact: his first game back at Tiger stadium was coaching the Dolphins against the Saints.
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biglego55 months
He’s deserving of the honor but it’s retarded to not wait until he’s no longer coaching against LSU
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RCDfan195055 months
Honest admission. Great recruiter and coach. Followed his heart (ambition to excel). Got my respect. Hope we kick his arse.
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RCDfan195055 months
Honest admission. Great recruiter and coach. Followed his heart (ambition to excel). Got my respect. Hope we kick his arse.
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BigPerm3055 months
I wish he was still here too. We would have about 7 NC by now. At least he gave us Drew Brees.
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tigerbutt55 months
So many butthurt LSU fans. I'm not one of them. He brought LSU to the next level.
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LSU-MNCBABY55 months
Agree, he didn’t leave LSU in a frick you blazing double middle finger way straight to bama. That was the best job open when he left the pros.
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BooBooMeister55 months
He not only brought the LSU football program back almost 20 years ago, he is forcing the Tigers to become even better now.
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Jabontik55 months
One of the best comments Ive ever seen on Tigerdroppings
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Ace Midnight55 months
With all due respect, frick that guy.
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tketaco55 months
He will never know what it's like to be a winner like Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer, and Pete Carrol. 3 legends.
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SkintBack55 months
"I will not be the next coach at Alabama, aight. I dont know how many times I have to say it."
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FloridaCrackhead55 months
Oh he loved LSU so much as to come back and accept a job at Alabama ALABAMA!! I don't believe a word that comes out o' that high minded self centered man's mouth.
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LSU-MNCBABY55 months
So he should have turned down the best college job open? Why didn’t Skip fire Leslie and hire him back?
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biglego55 months
Well the LSU job wasn’t open when he quit the Dolphins so
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Spasweezy55 months
What was he supposed to do, wait until the LSU job became available again?
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Thracken1355 months
of course he regretted it - he went to the pro's, tried his napoleon complex and the players told him to frick off.....not to mention he got his arse whipped all season in the NFL.
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LSU-MNCBABY55 months
Not really, and if they get Brees and not Culpepper he likely ends up staying there and being successful. The nfl is a league of inches, just takes a few small decisions or pivot points to completely change someone’s legacy.
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Black n Gold55 months
On a side note... Kerry Kittles was an absolute baller in HS. Played at the same time as Randy Livingston. NOLA HS basketball was amazing back then.
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oleheat55 months
On a serious note, one day he will come back to Tiger Stadium with his 2003 team to honor them. I would like to think the Tiger Faithful will treat the man well. Despite the fact that he is a current adversary, he did indeed bring the program back from some very hard times. For that, I am grateful.
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oleheat55 months
GumpMelt in 3....2....1.....
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the paradigm55 months
I never understood why LSU fans have so much animosity for what he did. He did what he felt was best for himself at the time. I moved to BR in 1989, and in the years leading up to Saban's arrival, LSU was certainly nothing special. He turned LSU into a powerhouse. Without him, LSU likely wouldn't be where it is today as a program. LSU's fans should be grateful, not resentful.
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GeauxLSUGeaux55 months
It’s not what he did while he was here, or that he left for the NFL. It’s that when he came back he went to a team that was in the same division. It really shouldn’t be that hard to understand.
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Shiftyplus155 months
He lied about leaving, then 2 years later, came back to college coaching not just in the same conference, but the same division. If he'd have gone to like Ohio State, or even somewhere like Florida, the animosity wouldn't be there. But to come back so soon and to Alabama was too much.
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ShlikStyck55 months
His legacy is understandable, but what people probably still resent most is he's the one that's also solely responsible for LSU's lack of success since his arrival back to the College/SEC West/Alabama. Had he not come back, LSU would arguably have at least 3 more national championships and 7 more had he never left. Making LSU the dynasty of the millennium (NOT BAMA!)
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