US President Donald Trump poses for photos with Nick Saban and Alabama football players at a 2018 White House ceremony honoring the 2017 national champions.AFP via Getty Images
The eve of Alabama’s Republican runoff for a US Senate seat saw President Donald Trump talking up frontrunner Tommy Tuberville while invoking the Iron Bowl rivalry.
Trump, speaking on a conference call in support of the former Auburn coach, took a football angle in his remarks.
“Really successful coach,” Trump said of Tuberville, who went 85-40 in 10 years with Auburn. “Beat Alabama, like six in a row, but we won’t even mention that.”
Then he turned to Alabama’s head coach, Nick Saban.
“As he said … because of that, maybe we got ‘em Lou Saban,” Trump said. “… And he’s great, Lou Saban, what a great job he’s done.”
Lou Saban was a longtime college and NFL head coach who died in 2009. He may have been distant cousins with the Alabama head coach, his widow Joyce said in his Associated Press obituary, but the families couldn’t make the connection with full certainty.
Nick Saban’s middle name is also Lou.
Lou Saban was actually 0-1 coaching against Alabama, with his Miami Hurricanes losing 36-0 to Bear Bryant in 1977. A year later, Miami beat Auburn 17-15.
Tuberville is running against former senator and US attorney general Jeff Sessions.
RELATED: President Trump talks up Tommy Tuberville on election eve conference call
Trump has a history with Alabama football during his presidency, regularly mentioning the Crimson Tide while attending two games in recent years. Just last week when UA system chancellor Finis St. John was at the White House, Trump asked about the Alabama football season while
“Say hello to the coach,” Trump said to St. John without saying his name. “Great coach.”
RELATED: President Trump wants to know if Alabama will play football this fall
Trump also attended the 2018 national title game Alabama won over Georgia before coming to Tuscaloosa for last year’s game with LSU. Saban met Trump at the White House in 2018 after beating Georgia in the title game.
Michael Casagrande is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.
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