University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban sold his home to Alabama boosters for $3.1 million in 2013, even though he and his wife continue to live there, according to a recent report from Kent Faulk of al.com.
Shortly after Alabama won the BCS National Championship in January 2013 over Notre Dame, a private foundation called Crimson Tide Foundation, created to help fund university athletics, bought the Tuscaloosa home.
"It's not all that unusual in the world for universities to provide the housing," said Scott Phelps, assistant secretary of the foundation. "We want to keep him happy. We think he is the best coach in America."
Saban and his wife, Terry, originally bought the 8,759-square-foot home when Saban took over as Alabama's football coach. They now live there entirely free - the foundation also pays the property taxes on the home.
"Phelps said he didn't know how the conversation started that led to the home sale, but it did not originate from within the foundation," Faulk noted. "But when the idea came to it, the foundation said 'sure,' he said."
Phelps also noted that the University of Alabama, at one time, owned both of the homes of former head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Saban's home is the only piece of residential property that the foundation currently owns.
Adding a layer of possible intrigue to the story is the fact that Texas reportedly reached out to Saban in the days following the BCS National Championship game win and attempted to lure him away.
"Texas was ready to pay Saban more than $100 million over the life of a contract to lure him away," ESPN sports talk show host Paul Finebaum wrote in his book "My Conference Can Beat Your Conference: Why the SEC Still Rules College Football," Faulk explained.
"Phelps, however, said buying the house was something the foundation could do for the coach and wasn't tied to any specific win or attempt by another school to attract him away from the university."
A spokeswoman for the NCAA said that a coach's compensation is entirely determined by the university and varies from school to school, and university foundations are allowed to be a source for that compensation.
