Nick Saban has coached in the SEC. He’s coached in the Big Ten. He even coached in the NFL.
On Friday, during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” he revealed the loudest boos he’s ever witnessed.
The date was Oct. 24, 2014. The venue was Neyland Stadium, but the nastiness raining down on the Alabama Crimson Tide that day wasn’t directed at Saban, he said.
“It’s a little better coming here to do this than it has been on my previous trips to Knoxville,” Saban joked with McAfee. “Big rivalry game for us. We got the all-time record for boos when Lane (Kiffin) came out of the tunnel when he came here with us after he left after one year and went to USC.
“I’ve never heard boos like that in my life.”
Did the legendary coach say anything to Kiffin, who was the offensive coordinator for Saban?
“I patted him on the back and he smiled, and we went about our business,” Saban said.
Final: Alabama 34, Tennessee 20.
Amari Cooper caught nine passes, scored two touchdowns and set an Alabama school game record with 224 yards receiving to help the then-No. 4 Crimson Tide beat Tennessee for its eighth consecutive victory in the series.
Cooper’s big performance produced a triumphant return for Kiffin, who coached Tennessee in 2009 and angered Volunteers fans by leaving for Southern California after only one season.
In the game, Cooper broke the receiving yardage record set by Julio Jones, who had 221 yards receiving in a 41-10 victory over Tennessee in 2010. By the end of the first quarter, Cooper already had five catches for 185 yards and two touchdowns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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