Saban signs contract extension through 2017

Nick Saban has signed a three-year contract extension that will keep him coaching the Alabama football program through the 2017 season.

Director of Athletics Mal Moore announced the extension Saturday through a press release from the university’s athletic media relations department. Details were not disclosed. The extension must be approved by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Trustees.

Saban’s third season at Alabama will begin next Saturday in Atlanta when the fifth-ranked Crimson Tide plays No. 7 Virginia Tech. He signed an eight-year contract that paid him $4 million annually when he came to Tuscaloosa from the Miami Dolphins in 2007.

“Terry and I are pleased and happy that the University of Alabama has offered us an extension to our original contract,” Saban said in the release. “Our acceptance of the extension expresses our commitment to the University of Alabama for the rest of our coaching career.

“Dr. Witt and the University community have been tremendous in terms of their cooperation in rebuilding the football program. The outstanding support from Mal (Moore) and the athletic department have set the table for us to be successful. We greatly appreciate the time, effort and dedication of everyone involved with our football program, as well as all of the positive energy our fans have demonstrated since we’ve been in Tuscaloosa.”

Saban is 19-8 in two seasons at Alabama. Last year’s team went 12-0 in the regular season and finished 12-2 after losses in the SEC Championship Game to eventual national champion Florida and in the Sugar Bowl to undefeated Utah. It was the largest single-season wins turnaround in school history.

Alabama also earned its first No. 1 national ranking since the 1992 national championship team and its first top ranking in the regular season since 1980.

Saban earned national coach of the year awards from ESPN, the Football Writers Association of America, the Associated Press, Sporting News, the Walter Camp Football Foundation and Liberty Mutual.

Saban has a career record as a college head coach of 110-50-1. He ranks fifth in winning percentage (.686) among active coaches with at least 10 years experience at the Division 1-A level.

“Coach Saban has impressively led the Alabama football program back to national prominence in a short period of time,” Moore said in the release. “That success has been evident in all facets — on-field results, his embrace of Alabama’s athletics and academic culture, recruiting, and community service. In every way, Coach Saban has positioned our program among college football’s elite. This contract extension is a clear statement of our mutual commitment to building on the foundation he has established.”