Nick Saban Says Woody Hayes' Message Before Michigan Game Still Sits with Him

Nick Saban recalled Woody Hayes' pregame speech ahead of a game against the Michigan Wolverines in 1981, which he refers to as "the greatest victory I was ever associated with."

Long-time Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban got his start with the Ohio State Buckeyes, believe it or not.

The future Hall of Fame helmsman served as the Buckeyes' secondary coordinator in the early 1980s, under then-head coach Earl Bruce.

Saban may have gone on to defeat Ohio State in three of his five games against them as head coach of both Alabama and the Michigan State Spartans, but Columbus still holds a special place in his memory. Thinking back to his time with the Buckeyes, Saban recalled a locker room speech from then-coach Woody Hayes.

"We were playing Michigan the last game of the year and we were 17-point underdogs, and Michigan was undefeated, No. 1 in the country," Saban said. "Everybody on the team was very negative. We had no energy, and Coach Hayes came and talked to the team. He said 'There can be no great victories in life without tremendous adversity.'"

Saban said Hayes then compared their upcoming battle against the Wolverines to the United State's island-hopping campaign against the Japanese during the Second World War.

"He talked about the war in the Pacific being the greatest military victory of all time, because of Pearl Harbor," Saban said. "And he took all the negative things, that we had lost games, we're 17-point underdogs. But, because we had all these things against us, that it was a tremendous opportunity for us to have a great victory."

Hayes' message completely flipped the morale of the locker room, according to Saban. When Hayes finished, every member of the Buckeyes was ready to defy expectations and prove they were better than the Wolverines.

"The whole attitude of everybody on the team, the whole organization, completely changed, turned around," Saban said. "We won the game 14-9. They had a great time, but it was a great lesson. And you know what? I played a lot of games, I've been doing this for 37 years, and I always remember that game. I always remember that story, and that's still one of the greatest wins that I was ever associated with."