College football’s winningest modern coach now owns luxury car dealerships, part of a boutique hotel in downtown Tuscaloosa and an oceanfront home in Florida. The financial picture looked nothing like that when he first arrived in the state, according to one of the sport’s most recognizable broadcasters.
ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum, speaking on the “Dynastic” podcast with hosts Chuck Todd and J.A. Adande, said Nick Saban was still carrying losses from failed energy investments made during his five seasons at LSU when Alabama hired him in 2007.
Finebaum on Saban’s LSU losses
“Saban got in trouble in Louisiana,” Finebaum said. “You don’t see this reported very often. He got involved in some oil and gas deals that went bust. He didn’t have money.”
The West Virginia native coached LSU from 2000 to 2004 and went 48-16 in Baton Rouge, winning the 2003 BCS national championship with a 21-14 victory over Oklahoma in the Superdome. He left for the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 25, 2004, signing a five-year deal reported at roughly $5 million per year…