University of Alabama football coach compared himself to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in a recent interview, suggesting that he will not stay longer than he should as head of one of the nation’s leading college programs. 

“And I don’t want to stay here beyond my years and ride the program down,” Saban said during a wide-ranging question-and-answer session with The New York Times published on Monday. “So as long as I feel like I can make a contribution in a positive way, to continue to have a great program for the players and that that’s helping them be successful and we have an opportunity to be successful because of that, I don’t think of age as an issue. I mean, how old’s Nancy Pelosi?” 

The Times journalist interviewing Saban replied: “She’s older.” 

“Yeah. Way older,” Saban joked. “Older than me, and probably has a more important job than me.” 

Pelosi is 81. Saban is 69. 

Alabama’s longtime head coach has made the program a national powerhouse and top destination for recruits every year. The Crimson Tide has won six national championships under Saban.

Like many big-time college football coaches, he is the highest-paid public employee in the state. 

Last offseason, following the police killing of George Floyd, Saban led dozens of Alabama football players and students during a Black Lives Matter march on campus. 

As part of a push to get more people in Alabama vaccinated, the Alabama Department of Public Health featured him in a video along with other sports coaches in the state to talk about reopening stadiums as a motivation for people to get the shot. 

In 2017, a Democratic group made an advertisement demonstrating to voters how to write-in a candidate and used Saban as an example.