Nick Saban Recalls Alabama Gas Station Employee Unknowingly Talking Trash After First-Year Loss To ULM

There might have been thousands of people waiting for Nick Saban to arrive in Tuscaloosa when he first took the Alabama job in 2007. But following an early season loss to Louisiana-Monroe in his first year, one gas station employee did not think the legendary coach would find much success. 

I'm sure you are aware that things did not go according to plan in Saban's first season at Alabama. There were certainly doubters, especially with the way things had played out under the former regime before Saban left the Miami Dolphins to resurrect the Bama football program. 

Could the national championship winning coach at LSU do the same thing in Tuscaloosa? 

In 2007, Alabama was set to face Louisiana-Monroe in what should've been a cupcake game for the Tide. The Las Vegas books had Nick Saban's team as a 24-point favorite and fans were looking for a first-half cushion so they could head back to the tailgates to finish off the day. 

AUBURN, AL - NOVEMBER 24:  Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide argues with head linesman GA Gus Morris III while taking on the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 24, 2007 in Auburn, Alabama.  (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

I still remember it vividly, growing up in the state and working in local sports talk radio. All it took was one bad performance to have the fan base second-guessing if this hire was going to be successful in the long term. What should've been more like an exhibition game turned into a stunning 21-14 loss to the WarHawks from the Sun-Belt conference. 

What transpired following the game for Nick Saban made the loss even worse for the Alabama head coach. He recently retold the story at a speaking engagement.

"The first year we were at Alabama, we lost to ULM, you may not even know what that stands for, University of Louisiana-Monroe. It was the most humiliating defeat maybe of my entire coaching career, think we have five guys suspended by the NCAA, three more suspended for disciplinary reasons, we played horrible in the game. I was almost ashamed at how we represented the university and the program. 

"When you're the coach, you have to go into the locker room after the game and try to inspire your guys. Then you have to go to the press conference and try to explain to people why you played so poorly. Then you have to go to the recruiting room and explain to them that's it's not going to be this way in the future."

So, following the loss, explaining himself, hearing from recruits and the media, while the fans are demoralized, Nick Saban decided it was time to head on home. But there was just one problem, his gas tank was empty, which led to one of the funnier interactions in Alabama history. 

"I get in my car to drive home and i don't have any gas in the car," Nick Saban recalled to a laughing audience. "So now I gotta stop at a self-serve, put some gas in the car. I used to wear my LSU national championship ring, so i go to pay the guy and the guy says ‘what’s that ring'? I said, Well, it’s a national championship ring from LSU and we’re gonna do the same thing here at Alabama.

"The guy looks at me and said, ‘We’ll never do it as long as that Nick Saban is the coach.’"

I wonder how that gas station manager feels about the former Alabama coach now.