U.S. Sen. Katie Britt added her voice to the chorus of others across Alabama celebrating the career of Nick Saban and lamenting news of his retirement.

“In a place Where Legends are Made, one legend now towers above the rest,” Britt, a graduate of the University of Alabama and wife of a former Crimson Tide football player, said Wednesday.

“Saban has redefined not only the Alabama football program, but the entire college football landscape,” the state’s Republican junior Senator said.

Two other of Alabama’s highest ranking elected officials also weighed in. Gov. Kay Ivey, an Auburn graduate, and Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the former Auburn football coach:

Here is the rest of Britt’s statement:

“I believe that what he accomplished on the field was the greatest coaching job in the history of athletics. But his incredible impact on the University of Alabama, the Tuscaloosa community, and the state of Alabama extends well beyond the boundaries of Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“Throughout his unmatched career, he has coached with inspiration, intelligence, and integrity, all while holding his players and coaching staff to that same standard of unrelenting, unassuming excellence.

“Coach Saban is also the first to say that his success is not his alone. I have no doubt that without his wife, the one-and-only ‘Miss Terry,’ Coach Saban would not have reached the pinnacle of achievement.

“The Sabans’ legacy will be defined by the countless number of lives they changed for the better. Always generous of their time, talent, and resources, consistently conducting themselves with class, character, and grace, Miss Terry and Coach Saban modeled the way for generations to follow—while bonding generations of Alabamians and Crimson Tide fans together across the daunting divides that define much of our day and age.

“We truly owe the Sabans an immeasurable amount of gratitude. My family and I extend our warmest wishes to the entire Saban family on this next season of life and congratulate Coach Saban on his remarkable career.”