Alabama head coach Nick Saban found himself in enemy territory on Jan. 10, 2011 as the Auburn Tigers prepared to take on the Oregon Ducks in the 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship in Arizona.

ESPN, which was airing the championship matchup, asked Saban and former Florida Gators football coach Urban Meyer to appear on the broadcast as guest analysts.

And despite his apprehensions, Saban obliged.

“I happened to be at the hotel and felt uncomfortable, you know, being an Alabama coach around a bunch of Auburn people,” Saban recalled in an interview for the documentary “Mighty: The Life and Legacy of Pat Dye”, which premiered Monday night.

Fortunately for the Alabama football coach, he was able to find a familiar and welcoming face.

It was former Auburn head coach Pat Dye.

“I just happened to see Coach Dye and he came up to me and talked to me and made me feel so at home,” Saban said. “You know, he had a presence about him that a lot of the great coaches, a lot of the great coaches from the past had that you really can’t explain, but you know when you see it.”

Though Dye and Saban never coached against each other, there’s no doubt the two ball coaches had a tremendous amount of respect for one another, despite rivalry lines.

When Dye died at the age of 80 on first day of June in 2020, Saban offered a touching tribute.

“I’ve known and respected Pat Dye for many years, and he always represented college football with with tremendous class and integrity,” Saban said in a written statement. “He was an outstanding teacher and coach who affected our game in many significant ways.”