Nick Saban’s coaching earned 17 years of greatness for the Alabama Crimson Tide and a legendary status for him. After his retirement, Saban has remained associated with football in various capacities, trying to make the industry better. Moreover, ex-players hold him in high regard, and we recently got to hear an anecdote from Saban’s time in Alabama from NFL superstar Derrick Henry.
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The 30-year running back nicknamed ‘King Henry’ was once just a young talent at Alabama Crimson Tide. Belonging to the class of 2013-2015, he had the honor of being tutored by the GOAT coach Nick Saban. While on ‘The Pivot Podcast‘, Henry reminisced about his time at Alabama, altering the glamorous picture of college football stars with a story about the team’s encounter with head coach Saban.
Being the old-school coach that he is, Nick Saban couldn’t stand any flashy celebrations after a touchdown. So at a boring team meeting after a game, he pulled up the film and started ranting about players celebrating touchdowns with prayer hands, thanking the heavens. However, the story got better as Saban went on to paint this picture of players getting all holy on the field, only to turn into crazy party animals at night. Fed up with the double standards, Saban exclaimed,
“Stop doing all that showboating. Doing all that prayer hands and act like you thanking God…and then later on that night 12:00, you down there got black and mouth got liquor,” exclaimed Saban adding, “First here you get on one knee, then 12:00 comes, you down there smoking black and Bs on the corner drinking liquor-smoke.”
Derrick’s hilarious anecdote left the Pivot hosts in stitches, as they realized that even one of the toughest coaches had his humorous moments. Despite claiming that he has hilarious stories from Alabama in plenty, Derrick’s relationship with Coach Saban has been nothing short of remarkable.
Derrick Henry Under Found Greatness Under Nick Saban
Derrick Henry entered the Alabama football program in 2013 under Nick Saban’s hood. His long stride and powerful gait instantly got a lot of attention. However, his performance in 2015, the year before the draft, was a tremendous hit with Alabama’s 45-40 victory over Clemson in the CFP Championship.
Derrick Henry rushed for 158 yards, with 36 carries and three touchdowns to stud Saban’s resume with his fifth national title at the time. Moreover, the talent who flourished under Saban’s patronage even went on to earn the Heisman Trophy beating massive stars like Christian McCaffrey and Deshaun Watson.
Derrick Henry cherishes his association with Alabama and how his time there turned him into a star. In fact, the running back claimed he earned ‘nothing but rings’ while under Alabama and Nick Saban’s epic guidance, as his list of achievements includes the Doak Walker Award, the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell and Walter Camp Awards, and SEC Offensive Player of the Year.
Derrick Henry when asked how much he got paid to go to Bama: “They paid me nothing, they paid me in rings.” pic.twitter.com/gKY1p3lY4A
— Matthew Travis (@MatthewJTravis_) February 18, 2021
While his college numbers remain under wraps, the Baltimore Ravens recently acquired Derrick Henry. He secured a two-year, $16 million deal that is capable of earning him $20 million after spending time in free agency. The association brings new hope for the RB as he moves to a better offense under Lamar Jackson, after spending eight years with the Tennessee Titans.
