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Nick Saban Celebrates his 75th Birthday on the College GameDay Set

From a cannon blast to an Oatmeal Cream Pie birthday cake, ESPN's College GameDay pulled out all the stops for the Hall-of-Famer's milestone birthday.
Sam Prestipino|
Former head coach Nick Saban waves to fan during ESPN's College GameDay in Coleman Coliseum before the game against Georgia on Oct 10, 2026.
Former head coach Nick Saban waves to fan during ESPN's College GameDay in Coleman Coliseum before the game against Georgia on Oct 10, 2026. | Sarah Munzenmaier/Alabama Crimson Tide on SI

Nick Saban celebrated his 75th birthday on the set of ESPN’s College GameDay in Bloomington, Indiana, on Saturday where fans, co-hosts, and staff turned the broadcast into a birthday extravaganza for the legendary coach.

It was a much different scene compared to the last time Saban had to work on Oct. 31. On Halloween Day in 2020, he led No. 1 Alabama to a commanding 41-0 victory over Mississippi State in Tuscaloosa en route to his final national championship. Six years later, instead of preparing a game plan, Saban was the center of attention as his ESPN coworkers made sure the occasion didn’t go unnoticed.

The show’s host, Rece Davis, reminded viewers of the remarkable success that Saban has enjoyed when coaching on his birthday, and it led to discovering a crazy coincidence. 

“It's a most important day because it's Nick Saban’s 75th birthday,” Davis said. “Did you know he’s played two games on his birthday and outscored the opponents 70-5…gave up a safety to Northwestern.”

Before the show got fully underway, co-host and designated hype man, Pat McAfee, surprised Saban by leading the IU faithful in a rendition of “Happy Birthday.”

“There was something we wanted to do before this thing got started,” McAfee said right before breaking into song.

“So much gratitude for that, thank you so much,” Saban said in response. 

McAfee then asked the seven-time champ to give one piece of advice to the crowd that he’s learned in his 75 years of life. 

“I think the one thing I learned growing up is nothing spectacular, but it’s to treat other people the way you would like to be treated,” he said. “My mother always told me, ‘God loves everyone, even the people you don’t like.’ So be nice and kind to everyone.”

The birthday tributes didn’t end there. In keeping with the Halloween theme, the show aired a segment titled ‘The 75 Scariest Seconds of Nick Saban,’ a montage featuring some of the former Alabama coach’s most memorable fiery moments. 

Saban laughed along with the compilation before jokingly telling his fellow analysts, “Match my intensity, and you guys need to do the same thing.”

The celebration continued with a birthday cake dressed with Oatmeal Cream Pies, a favorite treat of the Hall-of-Famer, and an opportunity to fire Indiana’s ceremonial cannon. 

Before the show moved on, Saban took the time to thank the crowd and those who helped celebrate his special day.

“I appreciate everybody contributing to my 75th birthday,” he said. “Just got a lot of gratitude for the life that we’ve been able to live and the relationships that we have, and all the support that we have here today. God bless you all, thank you so much.”

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Sam Prestipino
SAM PRESTIPINO

Sam Prestipino is a sports media major and has covered some of the biggest events at Alabama over the last three years. He previously worked for The Crimson White, where he was a football/men’s basketball beat reporter and sports editor. He recently worked as an editorial intern for Yea Alabama and writes about Duke athletics for Duke Wire, part of the USA Today network. He is a member of several student organizations on campus including Alabama Hockey and the UA Athletics grounds crew. Sam is originally from Raleigh, N.C., where he was raised as a huge fan of the 2026 Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.

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