January 4, 2007 is a memorable day not only in the history of the Alabama Crimson Tide, but also in the history of college football.

University of Alabama Athletics coach Mal Moore made his most significant hire of all time, introducing Nick Saban as the 27th head coach in Alabama history.

Since then, Saban has won six National Championships, nine SEC Championships, coached four Heisman winners, 76 first-team players, and drafted 123 players, including 44 in the first round. was nominated by.

At the University of Alabama, Saban established a standard that every other program in the country seeks to emulate, leading to a string of success unlike anything college football has ever seen and will never see again. .

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He famously told Mal Moore at the time that Moore wanted to hire him, but he was far from the best X-and-O coach, but hiring someone better than me was a no-brainer. He said there would be no one. And he was spot on.

The amount of talent Saban brings in each year and the brand he has established around the University of Alabama is a golden standard model for how to build a championship program.

Often imitated, but never duplicated.