Growing up in West Virginia, Nick Saban would peek through the rails at the old WVU Fieldhouse as Jerry West played basketball far below.
Watching West Virginia play football, meanwhile, “was like the highlight of my year,” Saban said.
When Saban leads No. 2 Alabama against the Mountaineers in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, his priority as always on fall Saturdays will be to win a football game – even against his home state program.
He seemed to enjoy waxing nostalgic this week about his favorite boyhood team in memories that include the heartache of listening to his transistor radio when West and the Mountaineers fell 71-70 – yes, Saban remembers the score – to California in the 1959 national championship game.
“You don’t forget stuff like that,” Saban said, “but now I’m Alabama’s coach. I’m an Alabama fan. We don’t really have to be concerned about any of that. We want to do what’s best for our team and the relationships that we have here.