FOUR-YEAR PHENOMSThe greatest four-year runs in SEC football history under one coach in chronological order, including the records, coaches and number of league titles:YEARS – SCHOOL – RECORD – COACH – TITLES1934-37 – Alabama – 33-3-2 – Frank Thomas – 21937-40 – Tennessee – 37-5-1 – Robert Neyland – 31949-52 – Tennessee – 36-6-2 – Robert Neyland – 11957-60 – Auburn – 34-5-1 – Shug Jordan – 11958-61 – LSU – 35-7-1 – Paul Dietzel – 11959-62 – Ole Miss – 39-3-1 – Johnny Vaught – 21961-64 – Alabama – 40-4-0 – Bear Bryant – 21971-74 – Alabama – 43-5-0 – Bear Bryant – 41977-80 – Alabama – 44-4-0 – Bear Bryant – 31980-83 – Georgia – 43-4-1 – Vince Dooley – 31986-89 – Auburn – 39-7-2 – Pat Dye – 31993-96 – Florida – 45-6-1 – Steve Spurrier – 41995-98 – Tennessee – 45-5-0 – Phillip Fulmer – 22002-05 – Georgia – 44-9-0 – Mark Richt – 22006-09 – Florida – 48-7-0 – Urban Meyer – 22008- – Alabama – 43-5-0 – Nick Saban – 1
The Mount Rushmore of Southeastern Conference football coaches may have its fourth face.
After Tennessee’s Robert Neyland, Alabama’s Paul “Bear” Bryant and Florida’s Steve Spurrier dominated their respective eras in the SEC, former LSU and current Alabama coach Nick Saban continues to stake his claim as an all-time great. Saban is the first coach in league history to guide two programs to national championships, and if his 7-0 Crimson Tide can finish 14-0 for a second time in three years, he would win a record 50 games in a four-year stretch.
His latest victim, Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt, has no reservations placing Saban among the league’s elite historically.
“They’ve already got a statue down there, don’t they?” Nutt said. “I think you can go ahead and do that. Whenever you hold up that crystal ball, I think you’ve done something very special, and he’s done it at two schools.”