TRAPPSTR

5 lessons from Bama’s championship run

Posted on 02. Feb, 2010 by Brett in Leadership

The college football season ended about a month ago officially. Unofficially, it ends tomorrow. Tomorrow is National Signing Day which is the deadline for high school recruits to make their college choice. This post is in honor of CFB’s sad ending and the eight month slumber til it cranks up again.

I don’t consider myself an expert in anything. But if there’s one thing I’m a semi-expert in, it’s the current state of Alabama football. I grew up an Alabama fan and remember fall Saturday’s with my dad, posted up in front of the Magnavox–jumping around and high-fiving and yelling so loud the dog would pee on the floor.

Since then, I’ve logged way too many hours on Bama message boards, bustling communities of thousands of super-fans with handles like CrimsonReign, TideWinder44, and SabanToothTider. These guys know everything– on-the-field schematics, recruits’ stats, insider information. If Sportscenter, TMZ, and Married with Children had an Internet lovechild, this would be it. The drama is palpable. And as a loyal superfan, you get to put yourself right in the middle of it.

And that’s where I’ve been. I’ve seen the highs and lows. Bama’s last decade has been one of unending drama–ridiculous losses to pathetic teams, NCAA sanctions, sex scandals, six consecutive losses to a bitter rival, and outrageous coaching changes. But somehow, through all the insanity, Bama fought back to the top of the heap in 2010. I was right there in Pasadena when it all went down, just like I was as a 12 year old kid in the SuperDome when Bama won it all in 1993.

How’d we go from worst to first? Success doesn’t happen accidentally. It’s a recipe. And when you’ve been peering into the Bama pot for so many years–like I have–a few key things bubble to the top. Here’s the championship formula as I see it. (High profile coaches scanning fan blogs for tips, take note…that means you Lane Kiffin)

1. The Success Tri-fecta: Leadership, Talent, Coaching (in that order)

When Nick Saban came to Alabama in January of 2007, it was nothing short of a spectacular hire. Saban was a proven winner, having won two SEC titles and a national title at LSU. He was just the right leader Bama’s jacked-up program needed. A relentless general that demanded excellence in everything.

But leadership alone wouldn’t cut it. After leadership, came a flood of talent. By the Rivals.com recruiting rankings, Saban signed the number one ranked class in 2008 AND 2009. While previous coaches had scratched around in the dirt for some talent, Nick Saban packed a crimson caulk gun full of miracle gro and jabbed it right into the heart of Alabama’s program. The talent level soared as was seen in this year’s 14-0 run where Bama beat ten teams with a winning record–something that had never been done in the history of NCAA football.

Leadership and Talent gets you 2/3 of the way there, but you must have solid coaching to complete the trifecta. The excellence, dicipline, and execution that Saban requires of his players is legendary. Equally well-known are his complex defensive schemes that keep quarterbacks on their toes or on their backs (see Ryan Mallett, Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, et al). Fans naively think that signing top classes makes you an automatic national title contender. Nothing could be further from the truth (see Phil Fulmer). Success–in the sports or business sector–never happens outside of good coaching. Leadership. Talent. Coaching.

2. Change isn’t a catalyst for success. The RIGHT change is

While sometimes random change is the catalyst an organization needs, that wasn’t the case with Alabama. Athletic Director Mal Moore struggled for over a decade to find the right coach. There was Mike Dubose, then Dennis Franchione, then Mike Price, then Mike Shula. It was a coaching carousel that made the turnstiles at Magic Mountain feel innocent and new. But the Crimson Tide needed a Winston Churchill. It needed the right change. That change was named Nick Saban, and he did in three years what the previous four guys couldn’t do in 17 years.

3. Catalytic events create momentum…

When asked about his quick success at Alabama, Nick Saban has consistently pointed back to one catalytic event. In April of 2007, Alabama played its annual A-Day practice game. Bama fans, all juiced up to see their new leader, showed up en masse. 93,000 fans streamed into the stadium…for a practice (It was actually more than that. Estimates said that another 10,000 couldn’t get in. I would know, because I was one of the ones locked out.). A listless fanbase was suddenly electrified with a new surge of momentum.

4. …But unleveraged momentum is worthless

Many times, Coach Saban has referenced this one event as the spark of momentum that caught recruits’ attention. Essentially, this became another weapon in his recruiting arsenal. Coaches look for every conceivable competitive advantage in the recruiting process. After all, would you rather go to a program that can’t fill its stands on gameday or Alabama where fans fill the stadium even for fake games? Passion is a powerful thing and Nick Saban knew to leverage it to tip those recruits sitting on the fence. Catalytic events are rare opportunities. When one appears, it must be leveraged like crazy.

5. The process is more fun than the final product

I’ll never forget a post I saw on one of the Alabama forums just a day or so after the national championship. Keep in mind, these forums are places where guys have been dreaming, for years, of the day when Bama would once again hoist the crystal ball. Only a few years earlier, our team had lost to Louisiana-Monroe in an embarrassing defeat that had the whole SEC laughing at us. We were at rock bottom. A national championship seemed so far off. Yet here we were, with the entire college athletic world under our feet. After years of staggering around in the desert, this was the ultimate satisfaction, right? To paraphrase the poster…

“Is it possible the process was sweeter than having arrived?…This doesn’t feel like I thought it would.” A few others chimed in to agree.

Wow.

That sentiment was reflected a few weeks later at Alabama’s national championship celebration in Bryant-Denny Stadium. About 20,000-30,000 showed up to revel in Bama’s big win.

Hmmm… 93,000 hopeful fans show up to watch a troubled team practice, but only 25,000 show up to celebrate the Tide’s ascension to pigskin glory. Could it be that the “process is sweeter than having arrived?” I think so. What a shame to experience the letdown of arriving, having missed the beauty of the journey.

And with those five lessons, I will officially step off the ledge and close the door on this tremendous college football season. See you in August. Roll Tide.