Nick Saban's retirement brings down the curtain on the career of a modern legend of the sport of football, let alone the college game. The University of Alabama coach had huge shoes to fill in 2007, when he stepped into the job made famous by Paul "Bear" Bryant, and all Saban did was reel off a collection of national championships and undefeated seasons with no precedent in modern history.
Already a champion as coach of Michigan State, his Alabama sides won six more, including back-to-back victories in 2011 and 2012. That year, Fortune Executive Editor Brian O'Keefe sat down with Saban to learn the secrets of the process that made him such a modern titan of the game—and an example to leaders of any organization.
