Nick Saban's mansion to be auctioned

photo The lake home owed by Alabama head football coach Nick Saban on Lake Burton in Clayton, Ga.., originally listed at $10.95 million, is scheduled to be sold at auction June 6.
photo Alabama's head coach Nick Saban walks the sideline.

ATLANTA - University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban is selling his lake-front estate in the North Georgia mountains with its three-story lighthouse and custom boat house.

A real estate firm confirmed Wednesday that the 9,600-square-foot home northeast of Atlanta on Lake Burton will be sold privately in a June 6 auction.

Concierge Auctions said the home, on the shores of the mountain lake, originally was listed at $10.95 million. A brochure says it has "jaw-dropping 270-degree cascading mountain, lake and sunset views."

Saban said he developed the Rabun County property with builder Jim Suddes. It features a grand room with a 24-foot vaulted ceiling, a wine cellar with antique gate from Barcelona, a European-style pub/billiards room, formal and professional kitchens and staff quarters, according to the auction firm.

"My family and I own another home on the lake, which we have enjoyed for 12 years, so I was excited when this very special lot came available to develop with Jim [Suddes]," Saban said in a statement. "Lake Burton is our favorite getaway. It's a beautiful, hidden gem, where we find great peace and seclusion."

Rabun County is popular with celebrities, not only as a retreat but as a filming location. John Travolta filmed scenes for an upcoming movie in the Clayton area last year. The Chattooga River and the surrounding wilderness not far from Saban's estate were the setting for the 1972 film "Deliverance" starring Burt Reynolds.

Details of the Saban auction were reported this week by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

"We're just starting to spread the word," Concierge Auctions President Laura Brady said.

"Certainly we've had a good deal of attention already because the property is owned by Mr. Saban, so that definitely grabs people's interest."

Saban is one of the nation's most successful college football coaches. His teams at Alabama have won three out of the last four national championships, including back-to-back titles the past two years.

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