For years, Gus Malzahn was the thorn in Nick Saban’s side. But before their legendary rivalry began, Saban made a phone call that could have changed the landscape of their trajectories forever. The former Florida State offensive coordinator reflected on the moment as he discussed his long coaching career.

Let’s set the scene. This was when Malzahn was the offensive coordinator at Tulsa under Todd Graham. He was there for two seasons, and in both years, the offense was the nation’s best. During the first season in 2007, the unit averaged 543.9 yards per game. The 2007 Tulsa team became the first team in NCAA history to have a 5,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher, and three 1,000-yard receivers in the same season.

The situation at Tuscaloosa, on the other hand, was pretty average. The offense ranked 65th nationally in scoring with 27.1 points per game. So naturally, Saban wanted the best. Another reason was OC Major Applewhite taking a job at Texas. Malzahn revealed that, along with a proven resume, Saban also wanted someone to look after WR Julio Jones.

“We had the best offense in the country (averaging 543.9 yards per game), and I remember Julio Jones was waiting to see who the offensive coordinator was going to be,” Malzahn told On3.

Malzahn rejected the offer to work under Saban. When asked about the reason, the 60-year-old was pretty candid.

“I don’t know. That’s a great question,” Malzahn said. “I’d just come from Arkansas, which was my first year in college coaching, and had only been at Tulsa for a year. I guess I wanted to do my own thing.”

Life proved its unpredictability when Gene Chizik hired Gus Malzahn as Auburn’s offensive coordinator in 2009. Yes. Auburn. Alabama’s biggest rival in CFB had the most lethal offensive tutor that Nick Saban failed to land. Malzahn spent 11 years there, running the offense for three seasons before spending the next eight as one of the few head coaches who managed to beat Nick Saban.

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During his stint as the offensive coordinator, Malzahn’s team went 5-7 against Alabama. And that ‘5’ was the most number of times an SEC team defeated Saban. When Malzahn became the head coach, the Tigers faced Alabama 8 times, with a 3-5 record. Other than former LSU HC Les Miles, Malzahn was the only head coach to beat Saban three times during that period.

“That was one of the things that made my time at Auburn so special,” Malzahn said, remembering Nick Saban’s call to him. “Being there when Nick was and going against the best to ever do it as your rival. It was a pretty unique situation, and I loved it. There is no rivalry like that one, and it helped motivate all of us.”

Lately, Auburn hasn’t had the best of times against Alabama. But Malzahn was involved in all the top moments for the program in the 2010s. With Cam Newton as the quarterback, Auburn became the national champions. The same season included ‘the Camback’ game, in which Auburn came from trailing 0-24 to win 28-27. As the head coach, Malzahn was also part of the famous ‘kick six’ game.

The Saban-Malzahn team sounds like a blockbuster movie, if it’s ever made. But sadly, both these coaches have now retired. It’s been three years since Nick Saban hung up that headset, and now Gus Malzahn.

Fare thee well, Gus Malzahn

It’s really hard to see Gus Malzahn gone from the gridiron. 35 years of service, with all-stars and across being a head coach for three programs, he finished with an overall record of 105-62.

During his last stint as Florida State’s offensive coordinator, Malzahn produced average results. Though it was way better than what FSU was having with Mike Norvell playing the calls. The FSU offense ranked 6th nationally and averaged 472.1 yards per game. The most notable win was the Seminoles’ season opener against Alabama, which they won 31-17.

This stood as the sixth win of Gus Malzahn against Nick Saban’s former team. So, did he already make the retirement decision at that time?

In his official statement, Malzahn said he made the decision entirely because of his family.

“After 35 years, it’s time for me to step away from coaching,” Malzahn said in a statement. “I am excited to spend more time with my family and focus on the next chapter of my life. Want to thank Coach Norvell for giving me the opportunity to coach at such a prestigious program. I will continue to follow Florida State. And I believe great things are ahead for the program under Coach Norvell’s leadership and for the offense under Tim Harris.”