Nick Saban will become the fourth Rocket to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Mel long (1998), Chuck Ealey (2022) and Gary Pinkel (2022).
Former Rocket Coach Nick Saban Named to 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class
1/15/2025 3:00:00 PM | Football
Saban served as Toledo head football coach in 1990, leading Rockets to share of MAC Championship
TOLEDO, Ohio - Former Toledo head football coach Nick Saban was officially announced as a member of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class on Wednesday.
Saban will be inducted along with 18 players and three other head coaches in an official induction ceremony in Las Vegas on Dec. 9, 2025. Saban will also be recognized with a National Football Foundation (NFF) Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute next fall.
Saban served as the head coach at Toledo in 1990, leading the Rockets to a 9-2 record and a share of the MAC Championship title with a 7-1 league mark. Toledo's only losses that year were a 14-13 setback at Central Michigan and a 14-10 loss to Navy in the Glass Bowl.
Saban left Toledo in 1991 to become an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns under Bill Belichick. He went on to serve as the head coach at Michigan State, LSU and Alabama. He won a record seven national titles, six at Alabama and one at LSU, before retiring from coaching last year.
Saban is the second Toledo coach to be named to the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Gary Pinkel, who was inducted in 2022. Two former Rockets from the 35-0 teams from 1969-71, Mel Long (1998) and Chuck Ealey (2022), are also Hall of Famers.
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Saban will be inducted along with 18 players and three other head coaches in an official induction ceremony in Las Vegas on Dec. 9, 2025. Saban will also be recognized with a National Football Foundation (NFF) Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute next fall.
Saban served as the head coach at Toledo in 1990, leading the Rockets to a 9-2 record and a share of the MAC Championship title with a 7-1 league mark. Toledo's only losses that year were a 14-13 setback at Central Michigan and a 14-10 loss to Navy in the Glass Bowl.
Saban left Toledo in 1991 to become an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns under Bill Belichick. He went on to serve as the head coach at Michigan State, LSU and Alabama. He won a record seven national titles, six at Alabama and one at LSU, before retiring from coaching last year.
Saban is the second Toledo coach to be named to the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Gary Pinkel, who was inducted in 2022. Two former Rockets from the 35-0 teams from 1969-71, Mel Long (1998) and Chuck Ealey (2022), are also Hall of Famers.
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