Paul Aiken / Staff Photographer)
Mel Tucker Sr. was at work one day in 1997 when he received a phone call from his oldest son.
"He said, 'Dad, Nick Saban called. He said if I want to coach defensive backs, I need to come there and come there now,'" Tucker said.
With that, Tucker drove his son, Mel II, to East Lansing, Mich. Not long after their arrival, the assistant coaches at Michigan State cornered Mel II.
"They said, 'Why would you want to get in this business?,'" Mel Sr., said.
The veteran coaches on Saban's staff at Michigan State knew all about the nature of the business.