MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – He was called a liar when he left, but Nick Saban said Thursday he has "a lot of great memories" during his lackluster two-year stint as coach of the Miami Dolphins.
"I guess I have to say it," Saban said in December 2006. "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach."
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The rest, of course, is history. Saban left the Dolphins weeks later, putting an end to a dismal 15-17 career record in the NFL, and returned to the college ranks, leading Alabama to five national championships since 2009 and spearheading one of the most dominant runs in college football history.
He'll be vying for the Crimson Tide's sixth title Saturday in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl. In doing so, he'll be back at the stadium where he led the Dolphins out of the tunnel during the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
"We really enjoyed, you know, being here," Saban told reporters during the Orange Bowl's media day at Hard Rock Stadium. "(Former Dolphins owner) Wayne and Marti Huizenga were, you know, great people to be associated with, to work for. I think I told somebody just last night at dinner that I probably have never been around more gracious people in all my life in terms of what they did for this community and what they did for a lot of people, and really the opportunity that they gave us and how they supported us in the opportunity."
Huizenga, who died earlier this year, lured Saban away from LSU in December 2004, one year removed from winning a national championship with the Tigers.
Wayne Huizenga, part owner of the Miami Dolphins and Joe Robbie Stadium, congratulates Keith Jackson after Miami's 31-0 win over the San Diego Chargers, Jan. 10, 1993.
Under Saban, the Dolphins finished 9-7 in 2005, winning their final six games and providing optimism for the future. But it was perhaps a single offseason move that sealed the fate of not just Saban's tenure, but also the franchise for years to come.
The Dolphins had been courting free agent quarterback Drew Brees, but concerns about an injury to his shoulder prompted the team to sign Daunte Culpepper instead. Culpepper never fully recovered from a nagging knee injury and eventually wound up on injured reserve.
While the Dolphins turned to Joey Harrington and later Cleo Lemon, Brees found new life in New Orleans, leading the Saints to a Super Bowl victory -- played at Miami's stadium -- during the 2009 season.
The Saban era for the Dolphins ended with a 6-10 record -- his first and only losing season as a head coach.
Still, Saban said he made lots of friends in South Florida and always enjoys coming back to the area. Several of his star players, including Biletnikoff Award winner Jerry Jeudy, hail from the region.
"We wish things would have worked out a little better for us in terms of winning a few more games, but we enjoyed the experience, and the experience helped me become a better person and a better coach," Saban said.