Nick Saban, Miss Terry help present charity check at national championship game
Nick Saban, Miss Terry help present charity check at national championship game
Rich Clark, the CFP’s executive director, was among those who were with the Sabans to present the giant check, without much detail but earmarked for helping Pre-K through 12th grade coaches. Extra Yard for Teachers raises money and awareness for teachers around the country, and is the CFP’s community engagement arm.
The Sabans have supported teachers throughout Nick’s coaching career. The woman best known as “Miss Terry” hosted a luncheon for local teachers in Tuscaloosa, after working as a teacher herself.
“I’m a teacher, so I can relate to how hard their job is,” Terry Saban said at the 2023 edition of the lunch. “And it’s not just the hours in the classroom. You have lesson plans and bulletin boards and papers to grade.
“And sometimes our students don’t show their appreciation until years later, and they realize how important their education was and how good their teachers were. So it is important and it makes me feel good to be able to say ‘Thank you’ to them.”
The check presentation wasn’t the only donation to Extra Yard for Teachers. ESPN’s Marty Smith threw three footballs through a small target during an earlier TV timeout, resulting in a $600,000 donation to the organization.
As for the game itself, Nick Saban appeared on the College Gameday broadcast before kickoff, and made his selection. The man who won seven national championships himself picked Ohio State.
Former Alabama players reflect on Ohio State national championship
Even with a foot in a boot due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, Ohio State’s Seth McLaughlin stood on a chair in celebration. A cigar in his mouth, the former Alabama football center took the moment in, enjoying the national title the Buckeyes had won.
“Feels good,” McLaughlin shouted through the giddy yells and rap music. “Feels great.”
McLaughlin didn’t play in the 34-23 win over Notre Dame due to the injury he suffered late in the Buckeye season. Still, he used the season in Columbus to rebuild his confidence, and the night in Atlanta was a perfect ending.
Fitting for him and his Ohio State teammates, whose season was in question when they fell in in the regular season finale against Michigan.
“There isn’t a single person in here that hasn’t been doubted by everybody in the country,” McLaughlin said. “It’s just a testament to these guys’ resiliency and just, even to hang on in those final moments, find a way to win.”
Near the entrance to the locker room, McLaughlin’s fellow Alabama transfer, quarterback Julian Sayin, had a black commemorative t-shirt stretched over his shoulder pads. The freshman, who signed with Alabama and participated in Rose Bowl practices after the 2023 season, then transferred to OSU after Saban retired, posed for pictures with his teammates.
Sayin didn’t play in the game, sitting behind Ohio State starter Will Howard. Still, he was thrilled by reaching the college football mountaintop, the first Buckeye title since the 2014 season.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Sayin told AL.com. “Proud of the guys. Will Howard had an amazing game. I was able to learn a lot from him this season, and was really excited to see him do so well.”
