Instead of talking about wins and championships, Saban speaks about the Process. In its most basic form, the Process is Saban's term for concentrating on the steps to success rather than worrying about the end result. Instead of thinking about the scoreboard, think about dominating the man on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage. Instead of thinking about a conference title, think about finishing a ninth rep in the weight room. Instead of thinking about graduating, think about writing a great paper for Intro to Psych.
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Though it may come as a shock to many, Saban is more comfortable than most of his colleagues in admitting what he doesn't know. In his quest to train the whole player, he realizes he can't address the mental aspect of the game as well as a sports psychiatrist. When he was head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Saban hired Trevor Moawad, the director of performance at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., to work with his players. He now uses Moawad as a consultant at 'Bama. While Moawad's efforts don't provide empirical data -- a change in attitude can't be quantified like an increase in bench press -- Saban and the players have noticed results.
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Saban borrowed another key piece of philosophy from James. When James became the head coach at Kent State midway through Saban's career as a defensive back, James beefed up the academic support system for his players. "He really was into the personal, motivational, moral development," Saban says of James. "There was a belief there that who you are mattered in terms of how successful you were going to be or how you played." Having tutors and an academic adviser made staying eligible easier for the players, and it made for fewer academic headaches for James. By the time Saban took over at LSU, many major athletic programs had an academic-assistance unit -- a group of advisers, counselors and tutors that support athletes -- but he considered LSU's inadequate. He soon hired more personnel and spearheaded the drive for a $15 million, 54,000-square-foot academic center, which opened in 2002. When he arrived at Alabama in '07, Saban also beefed up the academic unit. His most recent project is a $9.1 million weight-room renovation scheduled to open in January.
His key to success is having a booster program that pays recruits, and does it very well. It also doesn't hurt the NCAA looks the other way when it comes to the SEC.
