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Shortly after Alabama defeated Ohio State to win the national championship, director of athletics Greg Byrne shared his thoughts on the Crimson Tide’s 2020 team with his father, Bill.
“I said, ‘You know, dad, I’ve been around this my entire life. From a team concept, this is as good a team as I’ve ever been around.’” Byrne recently told BamaOnLine. “And I’ve been fortunate to be around some really good groups of young men and young women.”
Bill Byrne took over as Oregon’s athletic director when his son was a teenager and was at Nebraska when the Cornhuskers were crowned champions in 1994-95 and 1997. Greg Byrne’s first championship as an AD was in 2012 when Arizona won the College World Series.
The 2020 team became only the second Alabama team to go undefeated during Nick Saban’s tenure as head coach. But this Crimson Tide squad did so by facing only Power 5 competition, including a 10-game, SEC-only regular season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Winning that many conference games in a single year is something no other SEC has ever done.
In addition to being Alabama’s 18th national football championship, it was Saban’s seventh as a head coach, giving him the most in college football history, surpassing Paul “Bear” Bryant. Byrne has worked with Saban the last four years and hasn’t seen anything like what the head coach, who is entering his 15th season leading the Crimson Tide, has accomplished.
“It’s historic,” Byrne said. “I think all of us need to appreciate that. I think we do, but it’s not something we can take for granted. You look at some of the best coaching jobs of any time in sports in our country, you think immediately of John Wooden at UCLA and obviously here with Coach Bryant with the job he did over his career here and then what Bill Belichick has done with the Patriots. But the list is incredibly short, and it’s historic what he’s been able to do.”
Saban’s 2020 team made football history during a historic year worldwide. The season was in question and pushed back, games were rescheduled and canceled. The 69-year old even had to miss the Iron Bowl due to contracting COVID-19 himself. But Alabama played the maximum number of games it could and won all of them, scoring at least 31 points in every contest.
Byrne praised Saban’s leadership and the way managed the pandemic.
“One of the first things he said in our conversations, and then he would also say to the team, is whoever manages the disruptions the best has the best opportunity for success,” Byrne said. “His ability to stay focused on the things that he could control and to make the best decision that he could leading our football program paid off with great success for us this year.
“He talks about the process, and it was as strong a leadership role as I’ve seen any leader ever take during this time and the results speak for themselves.”
The Crimson Tide accomplished the ultimate team goal of winning a championship, but several players were also recognized for their individual efforts. In 2020, UA produced five unanimous All-Americans, the nation’s top offensive line, quarterback, running back and wide receiver. That receiver, DeVonta Smith, also won the storied program’s third Heisman Trophy.
However, it was the team’s overall unselfish approach that stood out to its athletic director.
“The thing that’s so remarkable was how highly they were recruited, but at the same time, they all bought into the team,” Byrne said. “That’s a credit to Coach Saban for creating that culture, but it’s also a credit to the team and making that be the priority in what we did.”
247sports.com
“I said, ‘You know, dad, I’ve been around this my entire life. From a team concept, this is as good a team as I’ve ever been around.’” Byrne recently told BamaOnLine. “And I’ve been fortunate to be around some really good groups of young men and young women.”
Bill Byrne took over as Oregon’s athletic director when his son was a teenager and was at Nebraska when the Cornhuskers were crowned champions in 1994-95 and 1997. Greg Byrne’s first championship as an AD was in 2012 when Arizona won the College World Series.
The 2020 team became only the second Alabama team to go undefeated during Nick Saban’s tenure as head coach. But this Crimson Tide squad did so by facing only Power 5 competition, including a 10-game, SEC-only regular season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Winning that many conference games in a single year is something no other SEC has ever done.
In addition to being Alabama’s 18th national football championship, it was Saban’s seventh as a head coach, giving him the most in college football history, surpassing Paul “Bear” Bryant. Byrne has worked with Saban the last four years and hasn’t seen anything like what the head coach, who is entering his 15th season leading the Crimson Tide, has accomplished.
“It’s historic,” Byrne said. “I think all of us need to appreciate that. I think we do, but it’s not something we can take for granted. You look at some of the best coaching jobs of any time in sports in our country, you think immediately of John Wooden at UCLA and obviously here with Coach Bryant with the job he did over his career here and then what Bill Belichick has done with the Patriots. But the list is incredibly short, and it’s historic what he’s been able to do.”
Saban’s 2020 team made football history during a historic year worldwide. The season was in question and pushed back, games were rescheduled and canceled. The 69-year old even had to miss the Iron Bowl due to contracting COVID-19 himself. But Alabama played the maximum number of games it could and won all of them, scoring at least 31 points in every contest.
Byrne praised Saban’s leadership and the way managed the pandemic.
“One of the first things he said in our conversations, and then he would also say to the team, is whoever manages the disruptions the best has the best opportunity for success,” Byrne said. “His ability to stay focused on the things that he could control and to make the best decision that he could leading our football program paid off with great success for us this year.
“He talks about the process, and it was as strong a leadership role as I’ve seen any leader ever take during this time and the results speak for themselves.”
The Crimson Tide accomplished the ultimate team goal of winning a championship, but several players were also recognized for their individual efforts. In 2020, UA produced five unanimous All-Americans, the nation’s top offensive line, quarterback, running back and wide receiver. That receiver, DeVonta Smith, also won the storied program’s third Heisman Trophy.
However, it was the team’s overall unselfish approach that stood out to its athletic director.
“The thing that’s so remarkable was how highly they were recruited, but at the same time, they all bought into the team,” Byrne said. “That’s a credit to Coach Saban for creating that culture, but it’s also a credit to the team and making that be the priority in what we did.”
Greg Byrne: 2020 Alabama 'as good a team as I've ever been around'
“The thing that’s so remarkable was how highly they were recruited, but at the same time, they all bought into the team.”
247sports.com
