MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough apparently helped Nick Saban land at Alabama, according to Paul Finebaum
The story of how Nick Saban became coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team apparently involves a cable television host.
As ESPN’s Paul Finebaum described during a Thursday appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” hosted by Joe Scarborough, the former Republican congressman influenced University of Alabama brass to pluck the seven-time national champion from the pro game and return him to the college ranks.
“I really believe that all of your friends in Alabama owe you a debt of gratitude,” Finebaum said. “Because 13 years ago … Joe Scarborough did something that changed college football and changed the dynamics of where we are today.”
Scarborough, Finebaum said, wrote an op-ed for The Birmingham News, “excoriating the administration in Tuscaloosa for hiring a bunch of losers, and he demanded that they display excellence.
“And he gave them two choices: Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban.”
They heeded Scarborough’s advice and lured Saban away from the Miami Dolphins.
Finebaum proceeded to state the obvious: “And the college football world has never been the same.”
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
