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Movie Review: College Road Trip (2008)

• General Disdain
• Movie Reviews
• 11 responses
• --> March 23, 2008

How high can one set their expectations when all the trailers for a movie are about a domesticated pig doing backflips? I suppose you can set them high if the movie was Charlotte’s Web , but surely not about a movie like College Road Trip which is about a girl and her father bonding as they travel across the country to attend university open tours. So to answer my own question – I didn’t have high hopes for Martin Lawrence’s latest foray due to that and because I didn’t particularly like his last outing: Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins .

After about 15 minutes, it became painfully evident that the best parts of the movie were going to be those in which the “Houdini” pig – which plays chess, spies on James Porter (Lawrence) and pisses in the toilet – was featured. That’s right, the pig, which I couldn’t figure out why the fuck it was even in the movie, has a more captivating presence than the stars – Lawrence as the overprotective father and Raven-Symoné as his disenchanted and semi-rebellious daughter Melanie. It was also apparent, that very little effort went into putting this movie together because it literally appears to be a hodgepodge of stupidly setup gags linked poorly together with the asinine road trip.

To drive home the point of how dumb College Road Trip is, allow me to point it out a few scenes that absolutely drove me crazy. In one instance while driving his police car (are you allowed to use them for personal use?), Porter veers off course through a forest thanks to a faulty GPS. After getting a flat tire and trying to jack it up the truck flips over into a ravine. There is no purpose to the scene other than to have Lawrence jump up and down and act like an imbecile. In another, Porter follows his daughter to a sorority house she is sleeping over at. It’s bad enough that he feels he has to spy on her – let’s not forget that he is supposedly a cop – so the fact that he breaks in (thanks to a conveniently placed ladder) and hides under a bed only to be caught makes it all the more pathetic. I’m not going to bother to mention the skydiving or the bus trip or the hotel stay or the . . . I think you get the idea now. Each scene “one ups” the preceding one in the scientific “WTF” factor.

What I did find amazing, however, was how the teenagers in the crowd simply laughed their asses off at all these scenes – how poorly they were set up or delivered didn’t phase them one iota. This tells me either I’ve lost touch with the adolescent in me or that kids these days have become mindless zombies who don’t have a clue about what is or isn’t good entertainment. Yes, both hypotheses are hard to imagine, but since nearly everyone I know says I act like a big, retarded child, I tend to think the former isn’t the problem. That means the future of our fine country may be in a lot of trouble.

Anyways, with the psychology lesson now over, I’ll conclude the review by saying that while College Road Trip is mind-numbingly idiotic it could have actually been worse. Donny Osmond, who plays the sickenly chipper Doug Greenhut and Molly Ephraim who plays his daughter Wendy, could have had much larger parts. Thankfully, director Roger Kumble left a great deal of their scenes on the cutting room floor. If they had been showcased more, this would have caused me to burn down the cineplex in its entirety. My thanks to Mr. Kumble for his kindness.

I'm an old, miserable fart set in his ways. Some of the things that bring a smile to my face are (in no particular order): Teenage back acne, the rain on my face, long walks on the beach and redneck women named Francis. Oh yeah, I like to watch and criticize movies.

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'Movie Review: College Road Trip (2008)' have 11 comments

March 24, 2008 @ 10:49 am Tracy

I am sorry but this movie looks really lame. The only saving grace is Donnie Osmond’s character.

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March 24, 2008 @ 12:01 pm General Disdain

The only saving grace is Donnie Osmond’s character.

Saving grace? His role may be the most annoying character ever created in the history of cinema . . .

March 24, 2008 @ 11:06 pm Corey

I think you’ve missed a possibility-being a critic forces you to lose the inner child… No one said ranking movies on their merits was fun.

April 4, 2008 @ 3:43 am Ojay

Yes, this movie was idiotic but as you put it, it could have been worse. I walked in the theatre expecting to be annoyed as heck (only went because the kids wanted to see it), but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Donnie Osmond was hillarious btw :)

April 4, 2008 @ 4:01 am Ojay

I thought the Houdini pig was annoying. Donnie Osmond was annoying but very funny. This movie reminds me of RV (starring Robin Williams and JoJo). They were both a little dumb, but not as dumb as I expected.

April 6, 2008 @ 4:04 am Ojay

Well, I agree somewhat with Corey. Being a critic entails critiquing and viewing through an array of perspectives, among many other things. My kids loved this movie because it made them laugh with simple and idiotic humor. Sometimes it’s nice to view the world (or maybe just a movie or two)through your ‘inner child’. College Road Trip was idiotic, I agree, but they throw in a thing or two that will make you laugh just for the heck of it.

April 6, 2008 @ 2:19 pm Phntmbanana

But on that same point Kids don’t read reviews and aren’t the toughest audiences to please on a whole. Just look at Alvin and the Chipmunks which made butt-loads of cash but was consistently trashed by almost everyone who saw it. Just because a movie is made for kids does not mean you have to lower your standards there have been plenty of great kids movies(see Pixar if you don’t know) this by far was not one of them.

April 9, 2008 @ 3:12 am Ojay

You are right about lowering standards. College Road Trip certainly could have been made a lot better. I feel it certainly had a foundation for being good for both hard-to-please parents and easy-to-please children, but College Road Trip wasn’t very well thought out.

October 23, 2008 @ 10:25 am big men swear

It amazes me that films like this even get made. Surely there must be one, of the presumably many, people who put money into it must read the script and realise it’s a load of rubbish?

Why does it get made?

April 15, 2009 @ 7:27 am baby girl

Hey there everyone.

I think people are being a bit harsh. There is a place in the world for these types of films. They aren’t boasting that they are going to be top quality films but they are designed to pass a bit of time. You don’t have to watch it if you don’t want to anyway. Doesn’t harm anyone

December 13, 2009 @ 12:48 pm brainload

i dont really like this movie, too many overact..

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College Road Trip

When an overachieving high school student decides to travel around the country to choose the perfect college, her overprotective cop father decides to accompany her to keep her on the straig... Read all When an overachieving high school student decides to travel around the country to choose the perfect college, her overprotective cop father decides to accompany her to keep her on the straight and narrow. When an overachieving high school student decides to travel around the country to choose the perfect college, her overprotective cop father decides to accompany her to keep her on the straight and narrow.

• Roger Kumble
• Emi Mochizuki
• Carrie Lee Wilson
• Raven-Symoné
• Martin Lawrence
• Kym Whitley
• 73 User reviews
• 60 Critic reviews
• 36 Metascore
• 1 nomination

• (as Kym E. Whitley)

• (as a different name)

• Jury Foreman

• Deputy O'Mally

• Mrs. O'Mally
• Young Melanie

• Student Guide

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• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia Eleven pigs played Albert.
• Goofs Georgetown University is 2.8 miles from the White House, well within the restricted airspace zone. It's very unlikely that a plane would be allowed that close without being shot down.

Trey Porter : You know, Sigmund Freud said the best way to understand women is by listening to them.

Chief James Porter : Did he say anything about understanding ten-year-olds?

• Crazy credits We Hear Albert The Pig Snorting After The Credits.
• Connections Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Semi-Pro/Penelope/The Bank Job/The Other Boleyn Girl/The Chicago 10 (2008)
• Soundtracks Shut Up and Drive Written by Gillian Gilbert (as Gillian Lesley Gilbert), Peter Hook , Stephen Morris (as Stephen Paul David Morris), Evan Rogers , Carl Sturken and Bernard Sumner Performed by Rihanna Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User reviews 73

• joecantongamingguru
• Mar 5, 2008
• How long is College Road Trip? Powered by Alexa
• A NOTE REGARDING SPOILERS
• Did Raven go to college?
• March 7, 2008 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• National Lampoon's College Road Trip
• Fairfield, Connecticut, USA
• Walt Disney Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $45,610,425
• $13,601,419
• Mar 9, 2008
• $51,549,674

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 23 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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• DVD & Streaming

College Road Trip

Content caution.

In Theaters

• Martin Lawrence as Chief James Porter; Raven-Symoné as Melanie Porter; Kym Whitley as Michelle Porter; Brenda Song as Nancy; Margo Harshman as Katie; Donny Osmond as Doug

Home Release Date

• Roger Kumble

Distributor

• Walt Disney

Movie Review

As a Chicago suburbs police chief, James Porter has seen danger. As a rather overprotective dad, he’s determined to keep his precious daughter, Melanie, from meeting it. So it makes perfect sense to him that she should attend Northwestern University when she graduates from high school. Why? It’s only 40 miles away, and he can be there in 28 minutes in case of emergencies. (He knows. He’s tested the route.)

Melanie, however, has other plans. She wants to be an attorney and has her sights set on Georgetown University. But that’s in Washington, D.C., over 700 miles away. James won’t hear of it. No! Never! Nada!

Well … maybe.

Circumstances and a steely-eyed wife convince James that Georgetown might be worth considering. So the controlling cop packs up a police SUV and takes his daughter on a cross-country college trip. Maybe they can bond on the way. And maybe, if he’s wily enough, he’ll have time to convince her to stay closer to home.

But being alone with her father for several days isn’t Melanie’s idea of a good time. Then, to make matters worse, her kid brother, Trey, and his pet pig turn up as backseat stowaways. And when they all end up traveling with another daddy-daughter duo—who constantly break into singing show tunes at the slightest provocation—Melanie is afraid she’ll lose her mind. If only they can make it to Georgetown, it just might be all worth it.

Positive Elements

James is an overprotective and controlling individual. But he is also a very loving dad who wants only the best for his daughter. He does everything he can to keep her safe. And he doesn’t hold grudges, either. When young Trey breaks the rules, he apologizes and Dad readily forgives him with an embrace.

James’ mom relates to her son how hard it was for her to let him make his own choices when he was a young man. She encourages him to trust Melanie. James’ wife, Michelle, does the same, saying, “You taught her how to think for herself and be strong.” And Dad and Daughter eventually come to an understanding of their mutual trust and love. “Go in there with all confidence,” James tells Melanie when she’s face-to-face with her big entrance interview. “Keep you head up and do your best.”

More than just one of life’s important milestones, a college education is deemed here to be all but inevitable. Even a dad who can’t bear to see his little girl go off on her own and wrangles endlessly over where she’s to attend school, never questions that she should go to school.

Spiritual Elements

Only one sarcastically muttered “thank you” sent heavenward by James when his talkative daughter’s cell phone battery starts to die.

Sexual Content

Melanie shows a scant amount of cleavage. Sly innuendo revolves around a handsome young man at Northwestern who offers to give Melanie a tour. Dad asks, “A tour of what?” Dad also thinks that because a deep-voiced girl answers the phone at a sorority house, Melanie must be sleeping over with girls and boys. Sneaking into the house, James hides under a bed while the girls sleep—and is found out and “exposed” as a Peeping Tom the next morning.

Violent Content

Goofy pratfalls occasionally ratchet up to the level of wrecked police cruisers and taser jolts. James zaps his deputy and, later, receives the same treatment. (Both men shudder and collapse to the ground.) James’ vehicle rolls down an embankment. (No one’s in it.)

A bride punches her groom in the face seconds before Trey’s over-caffeinated pig wreaks havoc at a wedding reception. A number of people are thrown to the floor and hit by falling objects. James takes a number of tumbles and is left hanging from a second-story window. James and Melanie skydive and land on top of a golfer, knocking him into a pond. James and another man “battle” with golf clubs while racing side-by-side in two golf carts. A dad tackles a young man when he learns that he’s engaged to his daughter.

A reference is made to a cheetah ripping the head off a gazelle. And shadows of girls dancing make James think they’re being attacked and choked. A man shatters a drinking glass in his clenched fist. Another yells, “I’m gonna kill you and your little pig.”

Crude or Profane Language

“Oh my god!” is exclaimed a couple of times.

Drug and Alcohol Content

People have glasses of champagne at a wedding reception. After James lectures Melanie about coffee being a drug, their pig eats the beans and starts hyperactively jumping, doing somersaults and generally going berserk.

Other Negative Elements

Melanie and her mom keep Melanie’s plans for college a secret from Dad. Melanie lies to him about going to the library with friends when she’s actually going to a party. James smuggles the pig into a hotel. And he steals a golf cart. A fat joke is tossed out at a girl’s expense. After she confusedly puts a blanket over her head, an elderly woman is left standing on a rooftop.

The House of Mouse crew tried really, really, really hard to make College Road Trip all about that special bond between fathers and their growing up daughters. And I readily applaud the effort to create a clean, family film that they hope will appeal to all the tough-on-the-outside-but-butter-underneath dads and their High School Musical- lovin’ little girls.

But do the rubber-faced jester Martin Lawrence and That’s So Raven star Raven-Symoné nudge all the right funny bones and pluck all the proper tween notes? Well, um, I think I’ll defer the answer to Chicago Sun-Times ‘ Darel Jevens. He dryly notes, “ College Road Trip is the best Martin Lawrence/Raven-Symoné/Donny Osmond vehicle ever made.” Sans humor, Sue Pierman, writing for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , reports, “When the cutest and most amusing thing in a movie is a pet pig on caffeine, you know you’re in trouble.”

In a sentence—with emphasis: Scenery is chewed . So if you have an ingrained aversion to celluloid saccharine, a deep suspicion of scene-stealing pigs or a childhood fear of outlandish facial expressions, you’ve been forewarned. But while a whiplash-inducing turn into its heartfelt conclusion parking spot feels awkward and cloyingly sentimental, College Road Trip does show parents and kids talking, learning how to love a little better and ultimately finding small patches of common ground. All very good things, right?

“Dads don’t know everything,” James finally confesses to his beloved daughter. “We just try to do the best that we can.” I guess the same can be said about some movies.

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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College Road Trip

Where to watch.

Watch College Road Trip with a subscription on Disney+, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

What to Know

Filled with shrill gags and middling slapstick, College Road Trip is woefully short on comic imagination.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Roger Kumble

Martin Lawrence

Chief James Porter

Raven-Symoné

Melanie Porter

Donny Osmond

Brenda Song

Eshaya Draper

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College Road Trip

March 7, 2008

Comedy, Family, Live Action

Ambitious and confident Melanie Porter is eagerly looking forward to her first big step towards independence – a girls-only road trip to check out colleges. But this rite of passage takes a wrong turn when her overprotective father insists on escorting her instead, and Melanie's dream trip quickly turns into a nightmare of wild and wacky curves.

Rated: G Release Date: March 7, 2008

Directed By

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College Road Trip Trailer

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College road trip, common sense media reviewers.

Even young kids will like father-daughter comedy.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Melanie says she's going to spend the night at her

Slapsticky scenes of the chief nearly falling from

Brief goodbye/hello kisses and hugs between parent

Very mild: "stupid" and "dumb."

Northwestern University, University of Pittsburgh,

Parents need to know that this comedy stars Raven-Symone and features Lucas Grabeel and Brenda Song, all of whom lots of kids know and love from their popular Disney Channel shows and movies. Given that immediate Disney tie-in, expect even young elementary schoolers to show an interest in the movie. The good news is…

Positive Messages

Melanie says she's going to spend the night at her best friend's house, but they're really going to a dance party. The chief has his deputies pose as college students during a tour of Northwestern. He also sneaks into a sorority house to check on Melanie. Asians on a tour bus are depicted stereotypically -- they're all karaoke obsessed.

Violence & Scariness

Slapsticky scenes of the chief nearly falling from a second-story window and a pig going wild at a fancy wedding. Two people are buzzed with a taser.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Brief goodbye/hello kisses and hugs between parents, and mild flirting between Melanie and a couple of college guys.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Northwestern University, University of Pittsburgh, and Georgetown University receive a lot of free publicity; products include a Dell laptop and a Mitsubishi flat-screen TV.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this comedy stars Raven-Symone and features Lucas Grabeel and Brenda Song, all of whom lots of kids know and love from their popular Disney Channel shows and movies. Given that immediate Disney tie-in, expect even young elementary schoolers to show an interest in the movie. The good news is that despite Martin Lawrence's history as a foulmouthed stand-up comic, this is one family-friendly flick. There are a couple of scenes of slapsticky mayhem (like when a pet pig runs amok at a wedding reception), and a few moments of teens badmouthing parents who just don't understand; otherwise, there's nothing here to worry about. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (5)
• Kids say (12)

Based on 5 parent reviews

Hysterical!

Oh snap road trip, what's the story.

James Porter ( Martin Lawrence ) is the chief of police for a Chicago suburb. Incredibly security obsessed, he wants his daughter Melanie ( Raven-Symone ) to attend nearby Northwestern University, where she's already been accepted. But Mel really wants to go to Georgetown in Washington, D.C., where she's been wait-listed. When she gets an unexpected interview, she decides to take a road trip with her best friends ... until James reconsiders and takes her himself -- so he can convince her to go to Northwestern. Along the way, they encounter several obstacles and near-disasters but also finally get the chance to really talk to each other.

Is It Any Good?

Lawrence seems to be following the well-worn path of other formerly risque stand-up comics, making his living in watered-down, family-friendly comedies. This latest piece of Disney fluff is at least pleasant and better than expected. All parents (whether they have college students or not) can relate to the bittersweet realization that their kids are growing up. The discrepancy between how close James thinks he is to Melanie and how little he actually knows of her plans will probably strike close to home for many viewers, particularly teens and parents. For that reason, it's clear that director Roger Kumble wanted movie-going parents to relate to -- not just tolerate -- the plot.

In addition to Raven, who's so successful that she's one of the movie's executive producers, COLLEGE ROAD TRIP is filled with other recognizable stars from Disney franchises, like Lucas Grabeel from High School Musical and Brenda Song from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (all of which just makes the movie feel even more like a Disney Channel special than a big-screen event). Younger fans will also get a kick out of Melanie's genius younger brother, Trey (Eshaya Draper), who stows away with his faithful pet pig, Albert. Between Lawrence's slapstick, the presence of Raven and her fellow Disney-anointed stars, and the funny kid and his pig, there are bound to be laughs (and perhaps a couple of tears) in store for everyone in the family.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how the movie portrays parent-child relationships. Which father-daughter dynamic seems more realistic -- Melanie and the chief's or Wendy and Doug's? Why? Why do you think Disney cast so many familiar TV faces in this movie? Kids: Did you want to see the movie more because you know the actors from their shows? What else made you want to see it?

Movie Details

• In theaters : March 6, 2008
• On DVD or streaming : July 14, 2008
• Cast : Donny Osmond , Martin Lawrence , Raven Symone
• Director : Roger Kumble
• Inclusion Information : Black actors
• Studio : Walt Disney Pictures
• Genre : Family and Kids
• Topics : Adventures
• Run time : 83 minutes
• MPAA rating : G
• Last updated : August 19, 2023

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College Road Trip (2008)

• Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
• Release: March 7, 2008
• Director: Roger Kumble
• Writer: Ken Daurio , Carrie Evans , Emi Mochizuki , Cinco Paul
• Cast: Raven-Symoné , Martin Lawrence , Rachel Barker , Effrem J. Adams , Vincent Pastore Margo Harshman , Michael Landes , Geneva Carr , Donny Osmond , Kym Whitley , Brenda Song , Eshaya Draper

Video archive for the film College Road Trip , which has a domestic theatrical release in the year of 2008. There are currently five videos available for the film, of which one and only one is a trailer, as listed below. Happy viewing!

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College Road Trip

Dove review.

This is one of the best family films I have seen in some time. It is uproariously funny, with Martin Lawrence, a police chief, playing Chief James Porter, an overprotective father to Melanie (Raven-Symone). The plot is rather simple-Melanie wants to attend Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. while her father wants to keep her close and tries to persuade her to go to a local university in Chicago, Northwestern. He goes to great lengths to make this happen and therein lies some of the humor. He uses some great facial expressions which elevates the humor, and Raven Symone does a fantastic job as a high school senior, emoting “I know! I know!” while talking on the phone with her girlfriends.

Donny Osmond plays goofy very well. His character is a bit off-the-wall as he portrays a father letting go of his daughter to college as well. When he and his daughter, who is equally goofy, do a scene from “The Sound of Music”, I dare you not to laugh. Another hilarious scene takes place when the GPS on Chief Porter’s police van acts up and begins saying “Thank you” over and over. It has to be seen (and heard) to be believed. The film is pretty wholesome as well, with no language whatsoever and just a few minor issues of content which are listed below. It was nice to see Chief Porter grow closer to his daughter and at the same time learn to let go as the story evolved. We happily award our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal to this movie. We wish more were made like this one. This film is a testimony to what good family films can accomplish! It entertains and touches the heart. See this one for sure!

Dove Rating Details

Some campy struggles between the chief and other characters at a wedding and also at a golf course; a bride punches her new husband when she misunderstands something he says; one character attacks his daughter's boyfriend in a totally funny scene; in another funny scene a character is tasered.

Kissing between husband and wife.

Drinking at a wedding reception.

A character lies to the hotel clerk about bringing a baby with him when it is actually a small pig but there are consequences; a character swipes a golf cart to get away from another character.

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The movie also stars Brenda Song , Margo Harshman , Donny Osmond , Kym Whitley , Molly Ephraim , Vincent Pastore , Lucas Grabeel , and Will Sasso .

It was released on March 7, 2008.

Tropes for the film:

• All Animals Are Dogs : Averted with Albert, the family's pet pig, except for when he whines like a dog when trying to convince James to bring him to the hotel.
• Amplified Animal Aptitude : Albert, Trey's pet pig can play chess, solve a Rubik's cube, turn on the bathtub, beg, and even knows how to use a toilet.
• Giving a nice greeting to male study partner of Chief James Porter's daughter seems to cause him physical pain.
• Doug, who is like two peas in a pod with his daughter, tackles Wendy’s fiancé at the end of the film.
• Housepet Pig : Albert the pig even comes along on the family roadtrip.
• Ivy League for Everyone : Averted to a realistic degree. Georgetown and Northwestern are both high profile colleges, but not Ivy. Melanie is shown to be extremely intelligent, but still gets waitlisted from Georgetown at the beginning of the film and needs a recommendation from an alum to get an interview to be fully accepted.
• Toilet Paper Trail : Albert has toilet paper stuck to one of his hooves after using a bathroom.
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Scenes of Nick Saban: A road trip through the career of college football’s top coach

By Justin Williams, Bruce Feldman, Brody Miller,  Manny Navarro, Mitch Sherman and Chris Vannini

Nick Saban, widely regarded as the greatest college football coach of all time, announced his retirement last week .

The impact of a 50-year coaching career that featured seven national championships and numerous head coaching gigs ranges from the Mid-American Conference to the NFL . As college football reckons with Saban hanging it up, we took a trip through his back pages, including lessons learned and legacies left, from small-town West Virginia to the pinnacle of college football.

pic.twitter.com/b7zVVHM2ic — Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) January 13, 2024

Marion County, W.Va.

Saban’s grease-stained fingerprints are all over the 300 square miles of Marion County. He was born in Fairmont — the county seat and “the city,” as he refers to it. But he grew up in the country, a nearby census-designated place dubbed Carolina, which was a no-stoplight mining town of about 500 people. The area football field is named for Saban’s father, Big Nick, who started the youth football league in the early 1960s. Big Nick also owned a service station down the hill in Worthington, along Route 19, where his son would pump gas, check oil and change tires.

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Saban went to Monongah High a couple of miles east, a small Class A school where his under-the-hood work ethic translated to the football field. He played quarterback and led the undefeated Lions to the 1968 state championship . He returned a decade later as an assistant coach at West Virginia University, about a half-hour northeast.

But those Marion County roots run deep. Saban’s wife, known as “Miss Terry,” was from the same area and became an indelible off-field partner.

She grew up Terry Constable from Fairmont — Queen Bee of the East Fairmont High Busy Bee Band and, as her now-husband claims, wouldn’t give a young Nick Saban the time of day.

A couple of years back, Saban told a story about Miss Terry dating a guy named Mickey Shaffer. Once Shaffer was out of the picture, Saban was finally able to land a date. A few decades and national championships later, their small enclave of West Virginia held a homecoming celebration for Saban. And as fate (legend?) would have it, Shaffer was still living in town and now had a service station of his own.

(Indeed, a Michael “Mick” Shaffer born in 1950, a year earlier than Saban, graduated from East Fairmont High and co-owned a hydraulics shop. He died in Dec. 2020.)

As Saban tells it , he used this visit to drive by Shaffer’s service station and remind Miss Terry that she made the right choice. See honey, if you would have stayed with him …

To which Miss Terry replied, “Bulls—. If I married him, he’d be the head coach at Alabama.” — Justin Williams

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Saban had plans to attend the Naval Academy until Kent State coach Don James offered a scholarship. Saban arrived as a quarterback in the fall of 1969; that spring, he was on campus for the tragic shootings on May 4, 1970. During a rally opposing the Vietnam War expanding into Cambodia, the Ohio National Guard shot and killed four students and wounded nine others. Saban wrote in his autobiography that he had lunch with a friend on campus when the shootings occurred. They made their way toward the quad where the rally was held.

“I could see people lying on the ground, all covered in blood,” Saban wrote. “My heart sank into my chest.”

Saban was classmates with one of the students who was killed. He finished out the rest of his freshman year from home.

In December 1971, he married Miss Terry, also a student at Kent State. On the field, Saban moved to defensive back for three seasons, including the 1972 Golden Flashes’ MAC championship team. After his graduation the following spring, with Miss Terry still a year from graduating, James convinced Saban to stay on as a graduate assistant.

On Sept. 22, 1973, during the second game of the season, Saban’s father, Big Nick, died suddenly of a heart attack at age 46. The last time Saban spoke to his father, just before the season, he told him he wanted to pursue coaching. Saban later wrote about the last piece of advice his father gave him : “The expectation, no matter what you choose to do, must always be to do your best and to be the best.” — Williams

Toledo, Ohio

Saban got his first head coaching job at Toledo before the 1990 season, leaving his role as defensive backs coach for the NFL’s Houston Oilers. The Rockets opened 6-0 before a 13-12 road loss to Central Michigan.

“Saban wasn’t famous for being a defensive mastermind just yet, but I remember they ran that stunt 4-6 defense. His goal was to stop the run, and we beat them on two long touchdown passes,” said Jeff Bender, the starting quarterback for CMU. “Toledo had four field goals in that game if I recall, and with the wind, their kicker missed one in the final seconds.”

Bender, now a doctor in Bryan, Ohio, was inducted into the CMU athletics Hall of Fame in 2002. He didn’t realize he was the talisman for Saban’s first loss as a head coach — “First loss? Geesh.” Bender has followed Saban’s career and recently watched the NFL Films’ “A Football Life” documentary on Saban with his high-school-aged son, which featured a clip of Saban coaching at Toledo against CMU.

Bender, who also grew up and remains a Michigan fan, was begrudgingly pulling against Saban in what turned out to be his last game in the national semifinals.

“The Rose Bowl, I was still rooting for Michigan , but I’ve always rooted for coach Saban because I played against him and he came out of the MAC,” he said.

That first loss for Saban back in 1990 proved to be significant. The Rockets finished 9-2 and shared the MAC championship with CMU, but because the Chippewas won the head-to-head, they received the invite to the California Raisin Bowl.

That was Saban’s lone year at Toledo. He resigned in February 1991 and took a job as defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns under head coach Bill Belichick. — Williams

East Lansing, Mich.

George Darlington remembers the Italian dressing that Terry Saban served.

Early in 1996, Nick Saban had recently completed his first season as the head coach at Michigan State , his first major college job. Nebraska stomped the Spartans 50-10 in the 1995 opener. After the season, Darlington, a longtime defensive assistant with the Huskers, traveled back to East Lansing to conduct a private clinic for the Michigan State defensive staff.

When he finished his presentation, Darlington accepted Saban’s invitation to eat dinner at the coach’s home.

Saban, 44 at the time, and Darlington, 56, discussed their shared roots in West Virginia. They talked about Nebraska ’s practice regimen.

“To my understanding,” Darlington said, “he adopted the way we used to practice.”

But it was the salad dressing that got him.

“It was really tremendous,” he said.

Miss Terry concocted the mix. Darlington asked her for the recipe.

He and the Sabans have not crossed paths since. But Darlington, now 84 and retired in Lincoln, always has that night — and the Italian dressing — to stoke his memory of Saban’s two games against Nebraska. The Huskers also defeated Michigan State 55-14 in the 1996 season, making them the only team Saban has coached against more than once and never defeated.

The Huskers gained 666 yards, including 552 rushing, against MSU in that first game in 1995. Afterward, Nebraska coach Tom Osborne famously told Saban, “You’re not as bad as you think.”

“Tom was nice to him,” Darlington said. “Basically, he said, ‘Hang in there. You have a good team,’ which he did. And then Tom said, ‘We are awfully good.’”

The 1995 Huskers finished 12-0 and beat four top-10 teams by an average of 31 points during a second consecutive national championship season. — Mitch Sherman

Saban took over a Michigan State program that hadn’t had a winning season since 1990 and was dealing with NCAA sanctions. But he knew what it took to win there, serving as defensive coordinator from 1983 to ’87, winning the Rose Bowl in that final season.

Michigan State is where Saban developed his media skills, both for himself and to send a message to his team, fans or bosses. Saginaw Valley State athletic director John Lewandowski was a longtime Michigan State sports information director.

“Early on, media was almost a necessary evil for him,” Lewandowski said. “Over time, he grew an appreciation for what it could mean for exposure for the program, how he could use media to portray aspects of his program.”

Saban was always adamant about creating the complete infrastructure for a program. The coach played an integral role in the construction of the Clara Bell Smith athletics academic center, which opened in 1998 and still sits next to the MSU football operations building.

“The environment he created, you walk into certain organizations and you feel the excellence,” Lewandowski said. “He pushed the right buttons. Different coaches and players respond in different ways. It was a gift for him to find a way to connect with a very diverse group.”

Saban produced a winning regular season in each of his first three seasons. In year five, MSU went 9-2 in the regular season with wins against Notre Dame , Michigan and Ohio State for the first time since 1965. Despite MSU’s head-to-head win, Michigan finished one spot ahead in the BCS standings and was selected by the Orange Bowl. Saban was frustrated with being No. 2 in the state and also clashed with MSU administration over money. He often bypassed athletic director Merritt Norvell and dealt directly with president M. Peter McPherson.

Saban met with LSU about its coaching vacancy late in 1999, and Saban and MSU couldn’t mend the relationship.

“It was obvious Dr. McPherson didn’t have an appetite to get in a bidding war with (agent) Jimmy Sexton,” Lewandowski said. “Sure enough, he goes to LSU and wins a national championship.”

Famously, Saban sent a plane to East Lansing for any assistant coaches who wanted to join him. None got on. That staff included coaches like defensive backs coach Mark Dantonio and graduate assistants Brian Daboll and Josh McDaniels. Student assistant Adam Gase eventually joined him in Baton Rouge. Lewandowski downplayed that, noting that Bobby Williams was promoted to head coach and retained most of the staff.

Could Saban have won a national championship at MSU? Dantonio would prove 14 years later that the Spartans could get near the top of the sport with university alignment. Saban never quite found that in East Lansing.

“I think he could have won a national championship with the right personnel at Michigan State,” Lewandowski said. “He was going to be successful wherever he went, as long as the institutional commitment was there.” — Chris Vannini

Recounting the final hours of Nick Saban as Alabama's coach

Baton Rouge, La.

In 2000, Saban’s first season at LSU, the Tigers had gone 7-4 and earned their first bowl appearance in three years. A few weeks before the Peach Bowl, Saban was discussing the Tigers bowl schedule with LSU trainer Jack Marucci. The coach told Marucci that he wanted to practice around the team’s finals week.

Marucci told his boss he didn’t love that idea, saying the players needed some time off to clear their minds. “To decompress,” he said. Marucci pointed out that before coming to LSU, he’d spent eight years at Florida State. Bobby Bowden did it that way, and they had won eight bowl games in a row.

“I said, ‘Coach, with all due respect, you haven’t won a bowl game,’” Marucci said.

Saban had lost his three bowl games at Michigan State, all blowout losses.

“Yeah, Nick wasn’t crazy about that,” Marucci said.

The next day, Saban called Marucci and was much calmer. They reworked the bowl schedule.

“The thing with Nick was, he might get mad at you, but if you had the data and the reasons why to back something up, he’d listen. But I was thinking, if we lose this bowl game, I’m done.’”

Fortunately for Marucci, LSU defeated Georgia Tech 28-14. — Bruce Feldman

Saban arrived at LSU with something of a shrug from Baton Rouge. Most hadn’t heard of him. The big claim to fame was a nine-win season at Michigan State after going 34-24 in five years. Shoot. The Tigers had just fired a coach for going 32-24.

LSU hadn’t won a title in 40 years. It had just two conference titles in 30 years. But what Saban understood was how to unlock the power of an uber-talented state with no other major schools to compete with. By year two, Saban led the Tigers to a surprise SEC title. By year four, they were national champs.

Yet to many within and around the program, like longtime LSU video coordinator Doug Aucoin, it’s Saban’s dry sense of humor they look back at most fondly. Aucoin and Saban would pass each other just about every morning in the LSU football ops hallways. Every time, without fail, Aucoin would say, “Good morning.” And every time, for months, Saban didn’t say a word back.

That rubbed the ever-polite Aucoin the wrong way. He would often tell co-workers, “Tomorrow, I’m not gonna say good morning!” But he couldn’t help himself and said it anyway.

Finally, there came the day, whether from courage or shedding himself the responsibility, Aucoin walked by Saban without saying a word.

Saban took about three steps past Aucoin, turned around and said: “What’s the matter, Doug? You can’t tell people good morning?” — Brody Miller

Miami, Fla.

Channing Crowder was the third player the Miami Dolphins drafted after Nick Saban took over as coach on Christmas Day 2004. Crowder, an All-American linebacker at Florida, started 13 games as a rookie and saw firsthand why Saban, then 53, was a better fit for the college game.

“He’s undeniably the best college football coach of all time. But the NFL? I would say it was kind of an ego check,” said Crowder, who spent six seasons starting for the Dolphins. “He wasn’t ready to be called Nick because he still wanted to be coach Saban.”

Crowder, now a radio and podcast host in Miami, said Saban was a great defensive mind, but there were many instances when he clashed with veteran players.

There’s the time Saban tried to force three-time Super Bowl champion Keith Traylor, a 35-year-old defensive tackle with bad knees, to run sprints in practice despite the fact he had a non-conditioning clause in his contract.

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As Crowder tells it, Traylor followed his teammates to the line expecting Saban to wave him off. Saban just ignored him despite the fact Traylor shouted, “Hey Nick!” repeatedly. The coach finally yelled back, “Just run!” It sent Traylor off on a tirade.

Another time, Crowder said, linebacker Zach Thomas and Saban got into it in the middle of practice because Thomas kept changing the defense Saban called pre-snap. Saban wanted his offense to practice against a two-high safety look, but Thomas kept putting the defense in eight-man fronts to stop the run out of pride.

“What Saban needed to do was pull these guys to the side and talk to them,” Crowder said. “But he didn’t want to be friends with those guys. He wanted to be a dictator that just tells his little peons what to do. It works at Alabama, LSU. He wins national championships. But in the league, his approach could not work with these established all-pro, hundred-million-dollar contract guys.”

Crowder is convinced Saban would have been a Super Bowl winner had he been able to adjust.

“Now, in his older age it seems like he’s trying to relate more with other human beings,” Crowder said. “But, I really believe, in his younger years of coaching, you weren’t Channing Crowder. You were weakside linebacker 1. You weren’t Daunte Culpepper. You were QB 1. He looked at you as a cog in the system.”

Things might’ve been different, too, had the Dolphins opted to sign free agent quarterback Drew Brees instead of trading for Daunte Culpepper prior to the 2006 season. Whose call was it?

“Knowing Saban and the dictator he is, I think it was Saban,” Crowder said. “I see the thought process. Revisionist history makes it the wrong decision. But if you think about it at the time, I can have an All-Pro quarterback with a knee injury (Culpepper) or a little bitty quarterback who was released coming off a shoulder injury (Brees). I’d have gone with Culpepper, too.”

Saban went 15-17 in two seasons in Miami before taking the Alabama job. The Dolphins have had eight different head coaches since Saban’s departure for a 128-148 overall record and 0-4 playoff mark. — Manny Navarro

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

There is no scene or story from Saban’s 17 years at Alabama that could do justice to the enduring impact he’s had on the university, community, state and sport.

Tuscaloosa is where he became a folk hero, and the details and day-to-day movements of his life and profession gradually transformed into the trimmings of that mythology.

Saban established a reputation for being superstitious and a creature of habit, a lovingly cantankerous perfectionist. The more titles he won, the more exaggerated those traits became. He’s talked about the lucky penny he receives from his daughter before every game. Former staffers claim that he would keep some of those coins in his pocket during the week and jingle them loudly as he walked the halls of the football offices, a helpful warning that the boss was making the rounds.

It was always about the details for Saban, and by extension, those who worked for him. Visitor parking on campus is always a challenge, particularly on football or basketball game days. So when football recruits and their families would take unofficial visits on game day, maybe there would be a recruiting staffer in a golf cart who just so happened to be pulling out of a convenient parking spot as a family arrived. And maybe that family would find their way into that golf cart as it made its way to the stadium or the arena.

Alabama had plenty to sell recruits on under Saban’s leadership. The wins. The championships. The NFL Draft picks. Those undoubtedly mattered most. But it probably didn’t hurt when that sales pitch came with a parking spot right out front. — Williams

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 (Photo of Nick Saban in 2004: Brian Bahr / Getty Images)

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