Nick Saban, legendary head coach of Alabama, came out and announced Thursday the tragic loss of a close family member. Crimson Tide fans have been coming out of the woodwork to show their support for their longtime head honcho. It’s never easy to lose someone that is close to you. I lost my mother this year, so I speak from experience.
Which is exactly what happened to Saban. His mother, Mary Saban Pasko, died at the age of 92, according to AL.com which published her obituary. It goes on to describe Mary as being a big fan of sports who, along with her husband Nick, had two boys they raised, Dene Thompson and Nick. She is survived by four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Her former husband Nick and her second husband Bobby Pasko proceeded her in death.
Here’s more from Trending Politics News:
members of the Saban clan began leaving their tributes online as the news spread. Kristen Saban, in a post on Instagram, shared a photo of her grandmother along with a clip of her favorite song, “Heaven by Noon.” Born in 1932, Mary was born to Jane and Harry Conaway and grew up in Michigan but spent most of her formative years in the small town of Farmington, West Virginia. She married her first husband Nick after the two struck up a relationship while classmates at Farmington High School. The baseball standout went on to form the town’s first Pop Warner football league and would later coach his namesake son into the annals of football greats.
Mary encouraged her son Nick to play with Dene, who he always admitted was the better athlete, on the Pop Warner Black Diamond Football team. Their mother manned the concession stand, decorated the team bus, and stayed close by while both boys lived their love of the game that would come to define Nick Saban’s legacy. The family asked supporters to “consider donating to Nick’s Kids Foundation at nickskidsfoundation.org or by mail at 1130 University Blvd. Ste. B9-201, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401.”
Saban used his upbringing to launch a collegiate football career at Kent State where he played football and baseball for the Golden Flashes from 1970 to 1972. He played in the safety position during the team’s 1972 MAC Championship appearance where they lost to the University of Tampa in the Tangerine Bowl. After his playing career ended, Saban coached eight years in the NFL, including under future Patriots coach Bill Belichek at the Cleveland Browns, before making his way back to college athletics. He led the Crimson Tide from 2007 until this season and attained an almost mythological status while coaching Alabama to the BCS and AP national championships in 2009, 2011, 2012, and to College Football Playoff championships in 2015, 2017 and 2020. Among head coaches, he is peerless with a record of 292–71–1.
Remember to keep the Saban family in your thoughts and prayers. While Mary Pasko clearly lived a full life, making it all the way to 92, the time we have with our loved ones is never really enough. And their loss is a wound that might seal up over time, but it leaves a scar on the soul that never goes away.