In a week that will forever be remembered in sports history, two football titans stepped down from their respective programs: Bill Belichick and Nick Saban.
Another moment that will be remembered? A classic embrace between Belichick and Saban back when they shared the same sideline on the Cleveland Browns‘ staff from 1991 through ’94.
The former New England Patriots coach and former Alabama coach joined forces decades ago in Cleveland. Belichick was head coach while Saban worked under him as defensive coordinator.
Following the news of Belichick’s break-up with the Patriots and Saban’s stunning decision to retire in Tuscaloosa, a nostalgic video of Belichick celebrating with Saban as Browns coaches has resurfaced.
Take a look below:
How far they’ve come 😮💨
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) January 11, 2024
Bill Belichick and Nick Saban celebrating together as Cleveland Browns’ coaches ⤵️
pic.twitter.com/KMtgCuwzss
In the four seasons that Belichick and Saban spent together in Cleveland, the Browns went 31—33 and won just one playoff game—against none other than Bill Parcells’s Patriots in January 1995. The duo would go on to dominated the football world in the 21st century.
Saban had the utmost praise for Belichick in the 2019 HBO documentary Belichick and Saban: The Art of Coaching. Saban told Belichick at the time, “One of the things I really learned from you when we were in Cleveland is how to utilize your personnel that you have on your team … and try to adapt things so that the players you have have the best chance to excel.”
Belichick subsequently returned the favor, telling NFL Films, “There’s nobody I respect more in football than Nick Saban … ’cause Nick can—he does everything well.”
Both helmed legendary teams and reached the pinnacle of their professions. Both became known for their unbreakable resolve and general lack of enthusiasm during press conferences. And both will be dearly missed.
