"Program has been outstanding ever since": $80,000,000 worth Nick Saban subtly flexes role in LSU's rise to national championship contenders

On Saturday, retired 7x national champion Nick Saban was inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame. He spent five seasons coaching the LSU Tigers from 2000 to 2004. During this stint, Saban put up a 48-16 record and led the program to one national championship.

WAFB-TV sports director Jacques Doucet shared a snippet of Nick Saban's induction ceremony speech on social media. In the clip, Saban spoke about winning titles with the LSU Tigers and how it paved the way for him to make the program a national championship threat in the SEC.

"Our first (SEC) championship was in 2001," Nick Saban said. "We won the SEC championship. Been a while since LSU won one. But that was the first championship I ever won. And I think we can apply this to our lives. You know, once you accomplish something, it sets a new horizon. It sets a new standard." "And then at 2003, when we won the national championship, that set a new horizon and a new standard. And to me, that contributed to the iconic brand that LSU has, and the state of Louisiana has. Because a lot of people in this country look at this state through the athletic programs at LSU." "And I think we raised the bar and raised the standard... I think that all of us, when we get rid of some of the self imposed limitations that we have, and we accomplish something of signifiance... it's a new horizon. I was always proud because I felt like we did something to raise the bar here. And the program has been outstanding ever since."

After his stint with the Tigers, the $80 million worth Nick Saban (as per Celebrity Net Worth) joined the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2007. That was when he solidified himself as one of the greatest college football coaches.

In 17 seasons, he led the Crimson Tide to six national championships before retiring in January 2024.

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Matt Mauck opens up about reunion with Nick Saban after baseball retirement

Former NFL star Matt Mauck had a connection with Nick Saban before he joined the LSU Tigers. He was a quarterback commit who was gearing up to play for Saban and Michigan State. However, Mauck ended up joining the MLB team, the Chicago Pubs, and played minor league baseball.

After three years, Matt Mauck retired from baseball and returned to college to pursue a football career. He joined the LSU Tigers after Nick Saban took over. In February, he opened up about his first meeting with the retired 7x natty champ after joining LSU.

"I decide to retire and call him and he says he has a spot on LSU..." Mauck said on Always College Football. "Once I get back to LSU, we have this big history, saying Matt's my guy. I remember my first day, I see him in the hallway and say, 'Hi coach, what's up?' He didn't even say hi to me. Like nothing. Like oh, alright. I think everybody has stories like that." (TS-4:10)

After retirement, Saban is pursuing a new chapter of his life in the world of broadcasting. Last season, he covered games as an analyst for ESPN College GameDay while Alabama finished with a 9-4 record under new head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Edited by Dipayan Moitra