Remembering Nick Saban's 1990 Toledo Rockets Team

This week, legendary head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement after nearly fifty years in the coaching profession. Most football fans will likely

© William Archie/Detroit Free Press via Imagn Content Services, LLC

This week, legendary head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement after nearly fifty years in the coaching profession. 

Most football fans will likely remember Saban's accomplishments at his higher profile stops. That includes a resurrection of Michigan State, a national championship with LSU, notable stops in the NFL with Cleveland and Miami, and, of course, six national championships with Alabama. However, Saban's first head coaching job was also impressive - short lived, but impressive nonetheless.

Happy retirement to former Toledo head coach Nick Saban! pic.twitter.com/4jKQ1Zgsbk

— Will Truman (@trumwill) January 11, 2024

After two mediocre seasons in 1988 and 1989, Saban replaced Dan Simrell at the head of the program. The improvement was instantaneous. The Rockets started the 1990 season 6-0, including a 19-13 win over arch-rivals Bowling Green. If not for an one-point loss to Central Michigan the following week, Toledo would have won the MAC outright. Instead, the Rockets and the Chippewas were named co-champs at the end of the season. 

Toledo had one other loss in 1990 - a 14-10 loss to Navy in the Glass Bowl. 

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Under Saban, running back Troy Parker led the MAC in rushing touchdowns in 1990 with 13. He had 879 rushing yards as a freshman that season.

Quarterback Anthony Thonrton had the strongest season of his college career, completing 59.2 percent of his passes. Kicker Rusty Hanna also had a strong season, leading the MAC in points with 82, including a league-best 18 field goals. Defensive end Dan Williams, who went on to be of the best Toledo defender of the 20th century, had ten of his 28 career sacks on the season.

After the nine-win season, Saban resigned as Toledo's head coach the following February to take the position as the Cleveland Browns' defensive coordinator. The rest, as they say, is history.

Saban also played in the Mid-American Conference, suiting up as a defensive back for Kent State from 1970 to 1972. He was a member of Kent State's only MAC title team to date in 1971.

The 1990 Toledo team would be far from the last championship team that Rocket fans would see, and, obviously, far from the lsat championship team that Saban would coach. However, Saban's time in the Glass Bowl could be considered a major catalyst to a coaching career that will be remembered forever.