New Saban statue could debut at A-Day game

Work for a statue of University of Alabama coach Nick Saban commemorating the Crimson Tide's fifth national championship coach has already begun, and the manufacturer is working toward a completion goal of April 17, the date of the annual A-Day spring game, The Tuscaloosa News has learned. When the Walk of Champions was built in 2006, five semicircles lined the entrance, with statues of UA's four national championship winning coaches: Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Paul W. “Bear” Bryant and Gene Stallings. The fifth semicircle was left open for the Tide's next national championship winning coach. UA Director of Photography Kent Gidley chose photos of each coach, which were used to create pencil drawings that eventually became the statues. Athletics Director Mal Moore oversaw the process. Coach Saban: The new statue will reflect Saban's role as an encourager and teacher. He will not be wearing a suit and tie. Saban's wife, Terry, will be involved in decisions about the appearance.
MTM Recognition, the company that produced the four statues of previous UA national title coaches beside the Walk of Champions plaza outside the north end zone of Bryant-Denny Stadium, is also handling the planned bronze replica of Saban. The project manager for those statues, Corey Beltz, is also working closely with the latest project.
According to Beltz, Saban's wife, Terry, is among several people who will have input on the statue's appearance.
“We are sculpting clay right now and we have pretty good direction on what they want for the look of it,” Beltz said. “Coach Saban's love of student-athletes, his love of being a teacher, that is what we have been asked to emphasize. He won't be in a suit and tie — that's not his style. It will reflect more of his role as an encourager, a director, that's the general direction. They're sculpting the face right now.”
Beltz declined to divulge the cost of the statue, but UA Director of Athletic Facilities Thad Turnipseed estimated the price tag around $50,000, noting that the original four statues came at a combined cost of $196,000.
“We don't know the final cost, but it's around $50,000,” Turnipseed said.
Whether or not the statue will be completed by A-Day remains to be seen. Beltz is encouraged by the progress, but said it is too early to declare the project “on pace.”

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