MSU's Mark Dantonio Reacts To Former Boss Nick Saban's Retirement

Ton of respect between these two Hall of Famers...

Author:
Matthew Lounsberry
Publish date:
Jan 12, 2024 1:08 PM EST

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Earlier this week, the entirety of the college football world was hit with a bombshell as Alabama's Nick Saban, widely considered the greatest head coach in the history of college football, announced his retirement.

Saban's coaching tree is vast and has had nearly the same level of impact across the sport as Saban himself had on the Crimson Tide. Included in that coaching tree is former Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio, who coached defensive backs under Saban at MSU from 1995-99.

Like many in the college football community, Dantonio had a message for Saban after the legendary head coach entered retirement.

"Congrats to Alabama Football's Nick Saban on his recent retirement," Dantonio wrote in a social media post. "Five years learning from the best. Thankful for everything he taught me. #TheGOAT"

During his five-year tenure as the head coach at Michigan State, Saban led the Spartans to a 34-24 record, culminating in a 9-2 regular season and a berth in the Capital One bowl in 1999. Saban then left East Lansing to become the head coach at LSU, where he would win the first of his seven career national championships. Under interim head coach Bobby Williams, Michigan State defeated Florida in the Capital One bowl and would finish the 1999 season ranked No. 7 in the country by both the Associated Press and Coaches polls.

Saban and Dantonio would go on to become the winningest head coaches at the program's their careers are most associated with.

At Michigan State, Dantonio finished with a record of 114-57 across 13 seasons. He led the Spartans to heights not reached since the Duffy Daugherty era, with MSU winning three Big Ten championships and finishing in the AP Top 10 four times. Dantonio's tenure in East Lansing peaked from 2013-15, when he led the Spartans to a No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6 finish in the national rankings. Under Dantonio, Michigan State went 6-6 in bowl games, including their first Rose Bowl (2013) appearance and victory since 1988, and another BCS bowl victory — the Cotton Bowl — in 2014.

At Alabama, Saban led the Crimson Tide to an unfathomable record of 201-29 across 17 seasons, and matched the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant with six national championships in Tuscaloosa. During Saban's tenure, Alabama won more conference championships (9) than the rest of the SEC combined (8). Saban's seven career national championships are the most by any head coach in the history of college football, and his 11 total SEC championships are second only to Bryant (14).

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