Former head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, turned college football commentator, Nick Saban, has purchased a minority stake in the NHL’s Nashville Predators. Predators chairman Bill Haslam announced the sale on Tuesday to Saban and his business partner Joe Agresti.
“Although I am now retired as a coach, I still possess a competitive nature and a great passion for sports,” Saban said in a statement released by the Predators. “Being involved in a sports team in Nashville has always been a goal and the opportunity to partner in the Predators with a class act like Bill Haslam created the perfect scenario for us. The Preds are a great organization with a fantastic brand, and we are excited to be part of the future success of the franchise.”
“I am really looking forward to having Coach Nick Saban and Joe Agresti as a part of our ownership group,” Haslam said. “Coach is one of the all-time greats in college football history and one of the winningest coaches in all of sports. We are excited to have him join us in our pursuit of championships on the ice in Nashville.”
The Predators joined the NHL ranks in 1998, and celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2023-24. The club has reached the postseason in 9 of the past 11 seasons, with a President’s Trophy win back in 2017-2018.
The 74 year old former coach has 7 national championships to his name (6 with Alabama, 1 with LSU) and will hope to bring that winning culture to Nashville moving forward. Saban had previously been spotted in attendance at several Predators games, and recently attended the team’s training camp as well.
Financial terms of the purchase have not been made immediately public.
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith. This work is from the Carol M. Highsmith Archive collection at the Library of Congress. According to the library, there are no known copyright restrictions on the use of this work.