Saban has tidal wave of support

TUSCUMBIA - Nick Saban was surrounded by love on Thursday.- At a $100-a-plate dinner at the Deshler Dome -- to benefit Deshler's athletic programs -- more than 600 Alabama football fanatics showed their support for the Crimson Tide's new leader every chance they got.

And after he was introduced by Deshler football coach John Mothershed, it seemed only appropriate that the two enormous spotlights shining on the stage merged to form a heart.

It was a banquet fit for a king, or pope or president, or maybe Elvis or The Beatles. In a way, as was proven when 92,000 showed up for the A-Day game, and again Thursday night, Saban might be all of those things rolled into one.

Bear Bryant might have received this kind of reception, but not before coaching his first game. Saban has accomplished a great deal in his coaching career, but he hasn't done anything at Alabama yet -- other than restore the fans' faith in the program, which is no small feat.

In the seven months since he was hired to replace Mike Shula, Saban has become the first $4 million man in college football history. He is beloved by perhaps the most devoted and fanatical fan base in college sports. All that before winning his first game.

Thursday's dinner reminded me of the scene in "The Right Stuff" when Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper, one of the original seven, talked about how he had money, fame, a nice house and a free meal at any restaurant from one end of America to the other -- "and I ain't even been up there yet," Cooper said with a smile.

Saban is in the same boat, and he knows it.

Much of his 45-minute speech dealt with managing expectations. He knows that he wasn't hired to go 8-5 or 9-4. He knows that many Alabama fans believe that by his mere presence the Tide will suddenly become SEC and national title contenders.

He knows all this, and he does what he can to manage those expectations.

Saban talked about the process of developing a program and developing players, and how the two go hand in hand. Over and over, he talked about the process, which was another way of saying that change isn't going to happen overnight.

The speech was part Alabama pep rally and part motivational seminar. He quoted Socrates, Ali, Jordan, Woody Hayes and Martin Luther King Jr.

It was a near-flawless performance, one that he has given before. Some of his comments were quoted word for word in Thursday's Birmingham News after a speech in Montgomery.

Saban was on solid ground until he tried to equate the way he wants Alabama to dominate its opponents with the unstoppable killing power of the monster in "Friday the 13th."

Except Saban referenced Freddy Krueger -- the villain in "Nightmare on Elm Street" -- instead of the hockey mask-wearing Jason.

Well, nobody's perfect. Not even Nick Saban.

John C. Frierson can be reached at 740-5730 or john.frierson@timesdaily.com.