Tide football team takes short break for Christmas

TUSCALOOSA | Nick Saban is no Ebenezer Scrooge, but the University of Alabama’s head football coach isn’t exactly Saint Nick when it comes to the holidays.

Saban held practice early Saturday so Crimson Tide players could have a few more hours for their holiday getaway before the team reassembles in Shreveport, La., on Christmas Day to begin final preparations for the Dec. 30 Independence Bowl. Alabama’s next practice will be on Christmas night.

“Our players are basically going to have 2½ days at home for Christmas,” Saban said. “It’s also a very positive thing to have the opportunity to play in a bowl game. We’re excited about the opportunity we have to play in a bowl game — very, very happy to do it. There’s a lot of positives.

“It would be a lot worse, in my opinion, if we had Christmas off. ... When we’re not playing and have to practice over Christmas holidays, we’ve got problems. We need to improve so that we always are. It’s a sacrifice that you make.”

Saban wants his players to enjoy their brief holiday break, but he also wants them to keep their priorities in order.

“I want them to relax,” he said. “I want them to make good choices and decisions about what they do. I want them to enjoy the holiday in the spirit of the holiday season with their family.

“When it’s time to come back and go to work, I want them to be able to refocus on the things that we need to do to be able to play successfully as a team. That’s pretty much the message.”

As for the Tide’s head coach, Saban realizes that his profession creates holiday hardships for his family.

“I think everybody kind of understands,” he said. “Everybody adapts to it and adjusts to it. It’s actually better in college sometimes than it is in pro. Last year [when Saban was coaching the Miami Dolphins of the NFL] we played on Thanksgiving, we played on Christmas Eve night, we played on New Year’s Eve, night, two of the three away.

“You’ve just got to juggle your holidays around and have Christmas at a different time. It’s the same for the players. As a coach, you’ve just got to get used to some holidays are never quite the same.”

For Saban, the holiday season also means shopping for his wife, Terry. Her birthday falls on Dec. 15 and their wedding anniversary is on Dec. 18, a week before Christmas.

“I’ve been 36 years trying to roll all three of those into one present and have yet to succeed,” Saban said.

Reach Tommy Deas at tommy.deas@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0224.