Seven-time college football national champion head coach Nick Saban reportedly continued working on his game plan during the September 11 attacks, according to an upcoming book.
The Price: What It Takes to Win in College Football's Era of Chaos, written by Armen Keteyian and John Talty and set to be released on August 27, details Saban, then in his first season at LSU, preparing for his scheduled matchup against SEC rival Auburn. The coach, who hadn't yet won any of his seven national titles, was informed by a secretary that a plane had hit the World Trade Center's North Tower, which was met with some confusion, but didn't delay his game planning.
Saban was then notified of the second plane hitting South Tower but still didn't break his stride.
“Boys, there are some screwed-up people in the world,” Saban said, according to the book. “Now, what are we going to do when we’re in Cover Two against these routes?”
LSU held its practice as scheduled on September 11, 2001, and Saban didn't address the terrorist attack with his team, with some players claiming they had "no idea what was happening across the country." The legendary head coach later apologized for having his "head in the sand" while speaking to a newspaper as the attacks were unfolding.
Saban, 72, who spent the past 17 seasons at Alabama, announced his retirement on January 10 and addressed it in an exclusive interview with ESPN's Chris Low the following day.
"I want to be there for the players, for the coaches, anything I can do to support them during this transition," Saban said. "There are a lot of things to clean up, to help as we move forward. I'm still going to have a presence here at the university in some form and trying to figure out all that and how it works. This is a place that will never be too far away from [my wife] Miss Terry's and my hearts."