When $80M-worth Nick Saban revealed how he became friends with Bill Belichick

Nick Saban and Bill Belichick are two successful football coaches. While Saban is seen as the greatest college football coach of all time with seven national championship titles, Belichick has won six Super Bowls.

It's fascinating that the two have been close friends from a young age and have maintained close ties since then. They met in Annapolis in 1982 while Saban was Navy’s defensive back coach, while Belichick's father, Steve, was an assistant in the program.

Saban, who's worth $80 million (according to CNW), explained how they met in an NFL Films documentary in 2022.

"Bill used to come home in the summertime to visit his parents, and same age, same young guys trying to come up in the business, we just sort of naturally became friends,” Nick Saban said (0:34).

The bond between the two has continued to grow over the years as they make waves in their respective careers. They also had the opportunity to work together with the Cleveland Browns for four years.

“Bill probably got my job for me at the Houston Oilers, which was my first job in the NFL,” Saban said. “And then I went to Toledo as the head coach. I was there for one year. Bill gets the Cleveland Browns head coaching job, and he started calling me about coming to Cleveland to be the defensive coordinator.”

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Bill Belichick commented on Nick Saban during his tenure with the Browns

Bill Belichick’s NFL head coaching journey started with the Cleveland Browns in 1991, with Nick Saban as his defensive coordinator.

In the aforementioned NFL Films documentary, Belichick talked about the impact Saban had in his success with the Browns.

“Nick was the first coach I hired and the best coach I hired,” Belichick said (1:52). “Nick was really my number one partner there, and I relied on him so heavily on every level. Yeah, I was the head coach at Cleveland, but whatever success we had, we wouldn't have achieved without him."

Saban also relished his experience under Belichick's leadership in Cleveland. It was a largely challenging job that prepared him for his coaching career.

“It was one of the best experiences of my coaching career,” Saban said (3:15). “It was one of the most difficult but I learned a tremendous amount and it's really helped me probably more, as much as anything in my career.”

Nick Saban and Bill Belichick parted ways after the 1994 NFL season, which was Belichick’s best with the Browns. Saban returned to college football and took the Michigan State job. Both coaches went on to become legendary in the sport.