Terry Saban, the first lady of Alabama football, looms large in the minds of folks who follow the Crimson Tide.

Bama fans know her as “Miss Terry,” the beloved wife of head coach Nick Saban. But as her husband will be the first to tell you, Miss Terry is much more than SEC arm candy.

She’s Nick Saban’s best friend, ace recruiter and occasional armchair coach, as AL.com’s Bob Carlton noted in 2022. She’a also a mother, grandmother, cheerleader and team mom. She’s a powerful force behind the throne, and we mean that in the nicest way possible.

Now, as we’re in the thick of football season in Alabama, it’s a perfect time to pay tribute to Miss Terry — yes, again! —and showcase some of the things her famous hubby has said about her. Nick Saban isn’t a gushy guy, but his frequent comments about his spouse show how important she is to his life and work. Let’s take a look.

COACHING ADVICE

“Miss Terry told me if they’re not playing good, to get on their butt. So I just did what I was told.”

Saban jokingly placed blame on his wife this weekend, when asked why he looked excited and annoyed during Alabama’s Sept. 30 game with Mississippi State. Bama won, 40-17, but as AL.com’s Matt Stahl said, Saban “chewed out several players throughout the game, and was livid over what appeared to be mental lapses by the Crimson Tide.” Instead of getting angry when faced with a reporter’s question about his sidelines demeanor, Saban deflected with a comment about his spouse. “Miss Terry told me if they’re not playing good, to get on their butt. So I just did what I was told,” Saban said. Good strategy, because any mention of her name makes listeners smile.

“I got coached up quite a bit when I got home.”

Miss Terry wasn’t in Starkville for the road game, but Saban said she had plenty of feedback when he returned to Tuscaloosa. “She waited up for me to get home, so that was a good thing,” Saban said on Oct. 2. “But it was one of the first games she’s missed and didn’t go to since we’ve been here — I think it is the first game, actually. So she said she can see what’s happening a lot better on TV, so I got coached up quite a bit when I got home.”

“Miss Terry always wants to blitz more.”

If Miss Terry had her way, the Tide’s style of play might be quite different. In fact, Saban said, she often advocates for sending out a bunch of defenders on a specific mission: To rush or pummel the opposing quarterback. “Miss Terry always wants to blitz more,” Saban said on his “Hey Coach” radio show in September 2021. “I’ve never said this to Miss Terry, but I’m a secondary coach, and secondary coaches who work for coaches who blitz a lot, they end up sleeping under the bridge and twitching. Because you’re always putting the backend in a tough situation.”

RECRUITING SKILLS

“The players love her, the parents love her. She does a great job, great people skills, so everybody feels at home.”

Miss Terry creates good vibes for the Alabama football team, and generates a positive atmosphere for Tide families. That’s what Saban said in September 2022 on the “Hey Coach” radio show, praising his wife’s personality and pointing to her as a wonderful recruiter. “First of all, she’s one of the best recruiters that I mean, the players love her, the parents love her,” Saban said. “She does a great job, great people skills, so everybody feels at home. It sort of gives everybody the feeling of family, which is what you’re always trying to create. You need a village of people to support these guys, whether it’s personally academically, or athletically, and Miss Terry is great.”

CAREER COUNSELING

“My wife always made me better. I’m just going to be honest with you.”

Saban left the Miami Dolphins for Tuscaloosa in early 2007, after repeatedly denying that he was going to exit the NFL. According to “Saban,” an unauthorized biography published in 2015, Miss Terry had a great deal of influence over his decision. The coach didn’t exactly confirm that during a 2015 interview on ESPN’s “The Herd,” but Saban made it clear that Miss Terry’s opinion matters. And she’s proactive on his behalf.

“My wife always made me better,” Saban said. “I’m just going to be honest with you. She loves college football and I’m going to say that. I think she wanted to go back to college football. … I can tell this story that I never really told publicly before, but I was actually driving home after my meeting with the players after their exit physicals in Miami. I can remember the red light was at on US-1 going to my old Rio Vista house in Fort Lauderdale. I called her to say I’m really not going to talk to these guys (Alabama). And she said ‘Well, they’re here.’ She was already talking to them.’”

Saban is not a fan of unauthorized biographies, by the way, and he made that clear when the book came out. See his comments on that topic in this video.

FASHION TIPS

“Hey, Miss Terry does that. I just do what she tells me.”

OK, so faded and ripped jeans aren’t part of Saban’s playbook, but how does he choose his gameday clothes? As you might expect, Saban points to Miss Terry as his style expert. When the coach was asked about a salmon pink jacket and tie he wore for an A-Day game in 2015, Saban declined to take responsibility for his striking attire. “Hey, Miss Terry does that,” Saban said with a smile. “I just do what she tells me.” From what we hear, it’s traditional for Saban to look a little flashy for A-Day, wearing colors such as baby blue, pink, salmon (again in 2018) and gray with pink plaid. Fans know orange is out of the question, Miss Terry, but how about lemon yellow or lime green?

SPEECH LESSONS

“This is quite an honor for me, in spite of Miss Terry correcting me thousands of times for saying ‘aight.’”

Does Saban say “aight” too much? And if he does, who cares? Miss Terry, evidently. When presented with a mock “Aight Award” on a November 2022 segment of the SEC Network’s “Marty & McGee,” Saban accepted the commemorative plaque with good humor. “I must say, I’m going to receive this award,” Saban said. “This is quite an honor for me, in spite of Miss Terry correcting me thousands of times for saying ‘aight.’” Maybe the coach should switch to “Alright, alright alright,” a la Matthew McConaughey?

MEDIA RELATIONS

“Miss Terry used to kill me when I first became a head coach about I did a terrible job with the media.”

Saban can get testy with the press, but Miss Terry isn’t afraid to call him on that. And when she does, the coach takes her comments to heart. At least, that’s what Saban said in 2022, on an SEC Network broadcast at SEC Media Days. After Miss Terry admonished her hubby for doing “a terrible job” when answering questions from reporters, Saban dismissed her at first, then relented. “I said, ‘You’re crazy. I’m OK.,’” Saban recalled. “She said, ‘You’re anxious. You’re nervous. You’re curt.’ She said, ‘That’s why they kill you.’ … I looked at it. She was right. I tried to change. And hopefully, I do a little better now than I used to.”

TOUGH LOVE

“Miss Terry made me run on the treadmill for 20 minutes.”

Miss Terry took her hubby to task in 2019, after Saban got zapped for unsportsmanlike conduct during a 42-3 blowout against the Duke Blue Devils. Basically, the Tide received a 15-yard penalty when Saban screamed at officials who were trying to curtail an on-field celebration by players in the third quarter. Saban later admitted that the penalty was deserved, but he paid some extra penance at home.

“Miss Terry made me run on the treadmill for 20 minutes,” Saban said during a press conference in September 2019. “The leadership group had a meeting, and they wanted to implement some disciplinary action but it kind of got overruled. But I’m not proud of it. I really am not. In all honesty, there was somebody in the white. It wasn’t a player. It was a coach. I thought they were upset because the players were celebrating a good play, and that sort of fueled my reaction. So … but anyway, it is what it is. I’ll learn from it just like the players learn from their mistakes.”

LIFE PARTNERS

“I don’t know why she puts up with me, but I’m very fortunate.”

Relationship goals? Yep. The Sabans, who’ve been known to kiss on the field, are role models for Tide fans. Facing reporters in 2017 after a game with Mississippi State, Saban tossed verbal bouquets to Miss Terry, talking about their longtime partnership, on and off the field.

“Well, I think that’s the thing that you’ve got to have appreciation for,” Saban said. “I think about sometimes when we had, you probably don’t even know what an old, rusted-out Volkswagen is, the old fastback type, you know, like whatever that model would have been, ‘60s of some sort, and go through the struggles that you go through, personally and professionally. And to have a partner that has been supportive and an asset to the organization in every way is something that is really appreciated. And, you know, she’s been a great partner. And I don’t know why she puts up with me, but I’m very fortunate.”