Chris Stewart has a unique perspective on Nick Saban.

Stewart, a member of the Crimson Tide Sports Network, called Alabama games this season. He has interviewed and worked with Saban on a number of broadcasts.

A day after Saban announced he was retiring after 17 years as the coach at Alabama, Stewart joined me on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5. Perhaps no one in the hours of the announcement conveyed what the 72-year-old coach’s impact more than the broadcaster.

“The professionalism, the focus, the drive,” Stewart said. “The fact that I got to see that every single time I was around him is something. I’ll never be able to replicate it, but, in some way, I hope I can emulate it in my life.”

It’s hard to add to that, but Stewart also talked about the coach’s compassion for others.

“The thing I’ve been able to witness in terms of caring about players, concerns about people, desire to do things the right way, desire to be whatever he does in the most first-class manner that he can,” Stewart added. “The willingness to be the best all the time at everything he did. He accomplished that all the way to the end of his career. It is part of what makes him who he is.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.