One of Bill Belichick’s closest coaching confidants, and one of the few who can stand close to him in terms of accomplishment, is Alabama’s Nick Saban.
Each hails from a Croatian family that settled in the steel and coal towns of Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Both are sons of coaches and of similar demeanor. Back in the early 1990s, Belichick, now 70, employed Saban, now 71, as his defensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns.
Where Belichick has dominated the NFL (six Super Bowl titles), Saban has done the same at the college level (seven national titles).