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Football books: from the Seattle Seahawks to Nick Saban

Here are some of the best titles to check out as the season begins.

5. 'Nick Saban vs. College Football,' by Christopher Walsh

  • By Ross Atkin

The author explores the approach the University of Alabama coach has used to lead teams to four consensus national titles while also comparing his record to that of many other coaching greats, from Knute Rockne to Bobby Bowden.

“To say that Nick Saban is a creature of habit is like suggesting that the ocean can be a little damp. He wakes up at the same time every day. He has Little Debbie cookies with his coffee. He eats lunch in his office, usually with a salad with turkey in it.

“You know the car ads boasting about precision engineering? That company has nothing on the Alabama coach. Even when he does his weekly radio show, Saban almost always walks in just after the announcer has just started (skipping the ads preceding the show), and he doesn’t eat while there. He’s already had meatloaf that an aide picked up from a local diner and on the way makes notes about the points he wants to discuss on the show, regardless of the questions that might be asked.”

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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