Lansing Sun

Nick Saban, who served as head coach at Michigan State University from 1995 to 1999, has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2025 class. The announcement took place on Friday night during ESPN College GameDay before the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl.

Saban is now the sixth former head coach from Michigan State to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He joins other notable coaches such as Charlie Bachman, Mark Dantonio, Duffy Daugherty, Clarence "Biggie" Munn, and Frank "Muddy" Waters.

During his tenure at Michigan State, Saban led his teams to bowl games in each of his first three seasons, including appearances in the Independence Bowl (1995), Sun Bowl (1996), and Aloha Bowl (1997). In 1999, he guided the Spartans to a 9-2 regular season record with significant victories over Oregon, Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State. This performance earned them a spot in the 2000 Florida Citrus Bowl.

Before becoming head coach at Michigan State on December 3, 1994, Saban was part of the coaching staff at MSU from 1983 to 1987. He served as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach during that period and contributed to winning the Big Ten Championship in 1987 and Rose Bowl in 1988.

Over his extensive career spanning 28 years as a head coach across various institutions—Toledo (1990), Michigan State (1995-99), LSU (2000-04), and Alabama (2007-23)—Saban achieved an overall record of 292 wins, 71 losses, and one tie (.804). His remarkable achievements include securing seven national championships: six with Alabama and one with LSU. Notably, he is recognized for being the first coach in history to win national titles at two different FBS schools since the inception of the AP Poll in 1936.

Complete National Football Foundation Release on Nick Saban