Leaders Break Ground On Saban Center; Poarch Creek Indians Donate $5M

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Local and state leaders gathered Wednesday morning at the Tuscaloosa River Market for an off-site groundbreaking ceremony for the Saban Center.

Click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.

Nick and Terry Saban were also in attendance for the event, which saw the center's announced newest partner — The Poarch Creek Indians — donate $5 million to the construction of the educational hub that will promote science, technology, art, engineering and math.

As Patch previously reported, this is one of the largest donations made to the Saban Center to date.

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox also praised the Sabans for their efforts on the project and cited the Louis Armstrong song "What a Wonderful World" to drive home his point.

"Miss Terry has aligned some of the most powerful forces in the state of Alabama," he said. "The governor, the State Board of Education, the City Council, the Poarch Creek Indians, Alabama Power, Mercedes, and all of you in this room, all of us, we're here because of Terry Saban's vision and passion for children. Because Terry Saban lent her gravity to this project, and her deep-held conviction of believing that children should inherit a better tomorrow than what we have today, we are going to break ground on creating a more wonderful world right here in Tuscaloosa."

Located on the site of the former Tuscaloosa News building, the project is expected to be complete in 2027. As Patch previously reported, the Saban Center’s campus will also house the State of Alabama STEM Hub, the Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre and IGNITE — formerly the Children’s Hands-On Museum

The Saban family initially gifted $1.25 million toward the project when it was first announced in 2019, before the Nick's Kids Foundation pledged $1 million in 2022.

The Saban family's contribution to the project most recently was totaled at $5 million.

"When Nick and I first dreamed of Saban Center, it wasn't about dreaming about putting our name on a building," Terry Saban said. "Rather, it was about putting our hearts into a cause that was very important to us. We imagined a place where curiosity could be sparked, creativity nurtured, like the Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre, and that every child, no matter their background, would have an opportunity to go there and to learn and to have fun and to socialize and have a chance to look into their future and decide how their interests could emerge into a vocation. Today, that dream is actually breaking ground, and we'd like to thank the City of Tuscaloosa first for starting that vision with us from the very beginning."

Former Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban rounded out a long list of speakers and stressed that the Saban Center is the legacy he and his wife want to leave in Tuscaloosa.

"Because 25 years from now, they're going to forget about the score of the games, they're going to forget about how many games we won, how many championships we won, but they will always remember that the kids will have an opportunity to be able to use this center for years to come," he said. "Terry and I have always said, 'giving is not about what you have, but it's really about what you do with what you have.' And this is something that her and I both are very committed to, that we wanted to do something meaningful for our community together, and we're very happy and proud that everybody has come together to make this something of a reality for all of us."

Coach Saban has been a generous benefactor and advocate for children's programs, even during his coaching career when he founded the Nick's Kids Foundation — a nonprofit that has donated nearly $15 million to organizations and causes throughout the state of Alabama and Southeast since the Saban's arrived in Tuscaloosa.

"Education has always been a passion for both of us," Coach Saban said. "I think you know it was always a part of the process for our players when I was a coach in Alabama. We wanted players to create value for their future by getting an education, and I'm very proud of the fact that we had 668 degrees in 17 years for our players to have a better opportunity to be successful in life. So I always said as a coach, coaching is teaching. Teaching is the ability to inspire learning and this is going to be an inspiration for young people to be able to learn, to grow, to create opportunities to improve the quality of life in the future."

To underscore the community's support, Coach Saban also shared a humorous story about a recent phone call with Tuscaloosa's mayor to round out his short speech.

"I called [Maddox] Monday morning, and I said, 'well, we're a little short,' and I said, 'I'll contribute this much. You can contribute that much,'" Saban said. "And he said, 'I have to talk to the City Council.' And I said, 'Bullshit, Walt, it's fourth down and one. The shot clock is running. Are you going for it, or are you going to punt?' There was a little pause in there and he said, 'we're going for it.'

Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you're interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com