"What a great job he’s done." When Donald Trump repeatedly mistook Alabama HC Nick Saban for Lou Saban on the eve of Senate race

Thanks to the legacy of two geniuses, Nick Saban and Lou Saban, the name Saban has become synonymous with success in football. Nick is the renowned head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. But before his rise to prominence, there was Lou, who gave the Saban name its first run of fame in football.

Over the years, people have sought to know the connection between the two. Some, like former President Donald Trump, even mistook them for each other. Trump repeatedly mistook Lou Saban for Nick Saban in connection with Alabama. Whereas Lou never coached Alabama throughout his career.

But such is the strength of the name’s influence, even beyond the world of football.

Before exploring the relationship between the two, here’s a little refresher on who Lou Saban was.

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Who Was Lou Saban?

Lou Saban was born in Brookfield, Illinois, in 1921. He had a successful football coaching career, both at the professional and collegiate levels. His coaching career took him to prestigious schools such as the University of Miami, Northwestern University, and the United States Military Academy.

Lou's playing career began at Lyons Township High School before he proceeded to Indiana University, where he excelled as a quarterback. His college playing career was interrupted at a point by military service during World War II.

Lou Saban's professional career spanned four seasons from 1946 to 1949 with the Cleveland Browns in the then All-America Football Conference.

Lou started his coaching career the following year, taking a role at Case Tech. He remained a coach for the next 52 years until his retirement in 2002 at Chowan.

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Is Nick Saban related to Lou Saban?

The first suggestion of a relationship between the two Sabans was in a 2005 publication by the Sun Sentinel. The article featured comments by Lou on Nick’s success, and the publication suggested they were distant cousins.

Following Lou Saban’s death in 2009, his widow, Joyce, said that he might have been Nick Saban’s second cousin.

According to their Wikipedia pages, however, the two families have debunked the claim that the two coaches are related. However, no official data is available to prove any familial relationship between them. This is despite the fact that they both have Croatian ancestry.

Nick Saban’s grandfather migrated to the United States from an Eastern European country. Likewise, Lou Saban’s parents are migrants from Croatia. Interestingly, Nick’s middle name is Lou, the same as his father's.

The two may have shared ancestry down the line, but it is difficult to confirm. Lou Saban passed away in 2009 after a brief battle with a heart ailment. Nick Saban, however, is still very much with us and delighting fans in his role at Alabama.