nick saban

Nick Saban might be the most staid man in sports, at least this side of Bill Belichick. The Alabama football coach and five-time national champion is famous for mumbling through press conferences, refusing to enjoy even his greatest triumphs and ignoring presidential elections because he’s too focused on football. It is literally news when he smiles.

But on Wednesday, the world learned one thing that makes Saban lighten up a little: worn-out jeans.

Saban opened his weekly press conference with the following riff, accompanied by uncontrollable giggles:

“I just wanted to know how we got here. Not to offend anybody out there, but I just walked by some jeans, wore-out jeans, holes in them, all cut up. I just remember when I was a kid in West Virginia, I was ashamed to go to school because my jeans were worn-out, only because we didn’t have any better. Now they buy ’em that way. I just can’t figure out how did we get here.”

He really thought that was the funniest thing he’d ever heard! It’s kind of precious. As he starts talking about jeans, it looks like maybe he’s actually disturbed by the phenomenon of worn-out jeans, and then he smiles, and then he cracks up, and you realize that Saban does, in fact, have a sense of humor.

Oh and by the way, ripped jeans are not a recent phenomenon. Apparently Wednesday just happened to be the first time Saban had looked up from his playbook long enough to notice them.

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.