Nick Saban's most memorable quote came 10 years ago today

Published Dec. 21, 2016 7:28 p.m. ET

Aaron Torres

Alabama will take the field ten days from now, in search of their fifth national championship under Nick Saban. Fifth! And if you're looking for the day that the Alabama dynasty began, it sort of inadvertently happened 10 years ago today.

The date was December 21st 2006, and it was a completely different time in the college football landscape. Jim Harbaugh wasn't some milk-guzzling coaching star, but instead the new head man at Stanford, still without his first FBS win. Urban Meyer was preparing for his first national championship game at Florida. Nick Saban was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, preparing for a Christmas Day game against the New York Jets, in the midst of a miserable 6-10 second season in the NFL.

As for the Crimson Tide? Well, they weren't the juggernaut they are today. Alabama was a miserable program coming off the forgettable Mike Shula era and looking for a new head coach. Early reports had the Tide targeting West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez, but after he turned the school down, they turned their attention to Nick Saban.

The Crimson Tide reportedly made several overtures at Saban, overtures which Saban repeatedly denied.

Saban was asked about the reports for the umpteenth time on December 21st, 2006, leading to the quote that sticks with him like teflon to this day.

"I guess I have to say it," Saban said. "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach."