Legendary coach Nick Saban trades Tuscaloosa for Music City, acquiring a stake in the Nashville Predators hockey franchise.
The Nashville Predators have a new minority owner in one of the greatest college football coaches of all time.
Tuesday, the Predators announced that former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban and business partner Joe Agresti purchased a minority stake in the franchise via Dream Sports Ventures LLC, an entity controlled by the duo.
“Although I am now retired as a coach, I still possess a competitive nature and a great passion for sports,” Saban said in a press release. “Being involved in a sports team in Nashville has always been a goal, and the opportunity to partner with the Predators, with a class act like Bill Haslam, created the perfect scenario for us.
"The Preds are a great organization with a fantastic brand, and we are excited to be part of the future success of the franchise.”
Both Saban and Agresti have ventures in the Nashville arena, owning Mercedes-Benz of Music City and Prancing Horse of Nashville as part of Dream Motor Group, which owns 10 dealerships.
“I am really looking forward to having Coach Nick Saban and Joe Agresti as a part of our ownership group,” Predators chainman Bill Haslam said in a press release. “Coach is one of the all-time greats in college football history and one of the winningest coaches in all of sports. We are excited to have him join us in our pursuit of championships on the ice in Nashville.”
Although he is new to hockey, Saban is a legend in the world of college football. He won a record seven NCAA college football national championships, six at Alabama and one at LSU, and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
His 297 wins as head coach are the sixth most in college football history. Local college football fans may not be so fond of Saban, as he has a 16-1 record against Tennessee and has never lost to Vanderbilt.
In the offseason, Saban attended Nashville Predators rookie camp sessions in late June.
Up next: Carolina Hurricanes (21-9-2, 1st in Metropolitan) at Nashville Predators (13-15-4, 8th in Central) on Wed. Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. CST at Bridgestone Arena