Last week, Nick Saban announced his retirement as head football coach of the University of Alabama, and the very next day, Bill Belichick announced he and the New England Patriots had mutually agreed to part ways. The two miraculous coaching tenures came to an end within hours of each other, and both have had unparalleled success in their coaching careers. All of those wins and championships though only begin to highlight the similarities between the two friends and icons of the football world.
In 2019 HBO did a documentary on the two men and Belichick went as far to say that he believed that somewhere along the line they were probably related. These two icons began their careers in similar fashion, with both actually working on the same staff for the Cleveland Browns in the early 1990's. They also both have had some head scratching departures from teams. Saban quit on the Dolphins after a 9-7 season because he knew to win in the NFL you needed an established QB. He eyed Drew Brees, but Miami decided to go in another direction, which led Saban to walk away, leaving every Miami fan forever scorned. Belichick famously walked to the podium with most believing he was taking the New York Jets job, only to mutter that he was not the man for that position. He also left a fan base upset at him leaving as much as he did when he beat them routinely for decades.
The media attention and the way they handled not only players, but the general public also put some light on both of their personalities. Saban was often preaching about how to conduct yourself as an athlete, as much as he spoke about the X's and O's, to the Alabama journalists that ate up his rhetoric and his famous "so, quit asking" quote still is used in meme's around sports circles. Bill Belichick was known to grumble and give the media as little as he possibly could, unless it was to go on and on about special teams and the importance of the history of the NFL. Like Saban, Bill's most famous quote was short and sweet "we're onto Cincinnati" will forever live in journalism lore as a new way to say 'next question'.
Their coaching styles and demeanor have always been similar, just like their old school style. But, their successes have linked them more than any other factor. Together they have 13 championships and are at the very top of the conversation about who the best coach of all time would be. Belichick is the only head coach in NFL history to win six Super Bowl championships. He is within 10 victories from the all time wins for a head coach and if you add his postseason wins he leads everyone. Saban restored Alabama into a perennial champion. Winning seven titles never having a year with a losing record.
These men will be remembered forever in the history books, and while they have some detractors they built dynasties that gave us football memories for a lifetime. It's only fitting that both men stole each others headlines, or as they would likely say shared the spotlight.