ESPN's “College GameDay” is set to broadcast from Pittsburgh on Saturday, previewing the highly anticipated Top 25 matchup between the No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the No. 22 Pittsburgh Panthers.
The trip is a bit of a homecoming-not just for Pat McAfee-but also for Nick Saban, who was born and raised in nearby Fairmont, West Virginia. Growing up, Saban often traveled to Pittsburgh with his father for sporting events, helping to shape his lifelong fandom.
During a Friday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Saban revealed that he has been a Pittsburgh Steelers fan his entire life, though he said he had to temper that fandom when he was hired by the Cleveland Browns.
“I love being here because, A, about 125 miles down I-79 is where I grew up,” Saban said. “Ironically, where I grew up, everyone was a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. I’ve been a Pittsburgh Steeler fan all my life. And then I go to the Cleveland Browns.”
“Come coach the Steelers, Coach! We need a real one!” A fan said.
Someone else added, “Nick wanna be the head coach of the @steelers?? Please i beg you!! Please!!”
“Ironically the Steelers desperately need a coach like Saban. Disciplined, high level of preparation, no nonsense. Everything Tomlin isn't,” a fan wrote.
“Yo I’m ride or die with coach T, but I would be happy as hell if coach Saban came after Tomlin,” a fan shared.
One more fan commented, “Can you come coach the Steelers, dawg?”
Most of Nick Saban's coaching career has been at the collegiate level, where he is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time. He has won seven national championships, six of them with Alabama.
Saban also spent time in the NFL, serving as defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns under Bill Belichick and briefly as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. His stint in Miami lasted just two seasons before he returned to the college ranks, eventually taking the Alabama job.
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