Nick Saban walked into College GameDay on Halloween weekend expecting a normal Saturday, but Pat McAfee had other plans. Saban turned 75 that day, and McAfee used the opening minutes of the show to get the crowd to sing happy birthday. Then came an on-air apology for wearing the same color as the coach.
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“We have so much gratitude for you, and I apologize for wearing the same color as you,” Pat McAfee said on College GameDay. “That was certainly offensive. I did not know that. We did not plan this.”
Even after wishing him a happy birthday, the former Colts punter slid in a quick “old a–” to Coach Saban. Offensive or not, Saban didn’t say anything about it on camera, but it did get a chuckle out of Kirk Herbstreit.
Wearing the same colors is far from the only instance McAfee might have had Saban regretting their friendship. Since Saban became a mainstay on College GameDay, the duo, who are 36 years apart in age, have become much appreciated. Their exchanges are often hilarious.
Recently, McAfee tried to feed Saban a pretzel on the show, pulling the airplane move. And when the show was in Tuscaloosa for the Alabama-Georgia game, McAfee, with Saban right next to him, goaded up the Crimson Tide only to choose the Bulldogs for his pick. Saban then jokingly grabbed him by the neck and landed a punch on him.
“Sorry ’bout it, Coach Saban!” McAfee said.
However, McAfee and Saban otherwise have a great friendship. He also asked the veteran coach for some life advice after wishing him a happy birthday. Saban kept his answer simple.
“I think the one thing that I learned growing up, which is nothing spectacular, is to treat other people like you would like to be treated,” Saban answered. “You know, my mother always told me, ‘God loves everyone, even the people you don’t like.” “So be nice and kind to everyone.”
Keeping with the Halloween spirit, College GameDay aired a montage titled “The 75 Scariest Seconds of Nick Saban,” pulling together some of his most heated moments on the sideline. It is uncanny that his birthday falls on October 31, a day meant for the scares.
Saban enjoyed watching it, and he turned to the rest of the panel with a playful challenge.
“Match my intensity, and you guys need to do the same thing,” Saban said.
Before moving on, he thanked the crowd.
“I appreciate everybody contributing to my 75th birthday. Just got a lot of gratitude for the life that we’ve been able to live and the relationships that we have, and all the support that we have here today. God bless you all, thank you so much.”
GameDay was at Bloomington for the Indiana Hoosiers vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers game. Thankfully, this time, McAfee sided with Saban and the whole panel, picking the Hoosiers.
And as has become tradition for the pair this season, McAfee also gave Saban a bite out of a chunky piece of rib.
In the end, an apology that began as a joke gave Saban a chance to share the advice he has lived by, and he went right back to work.