Saban previously made stops in the NFL as a defensive assistant under Bill Belichick in Cleveland and Jerry Glanville in Houston, as well as Syracuse University, West Virginia University, Ohio State, Navy, and his alma mater of Kent State University. His first head coaching job was at the University of Toledo.

From 1995 to 1999, Saban was the head coach at Michigan State University. He took over the program while it was under investigation by the NCAA for infractions committed under previous coach George Perles. Penalties assessed in 1996 for four seasons included scholarhip reductions, official visit reductions for recruits, and forfeiting all five wins from the 1994 season.

During Saban's first four years at Michigan State, his teams finished at or within one game of the .500 mark. One of the highlights of his tenure in East Lansing was that he was the first Michigan State head coach to defeat the Michigan Wolverines in his first attempt, a 28-25 victory at Spartan Stadium on November 4, 1995. Another high point was on November 7, 1998, when his unranked Spartans defeated the #1 ranked and undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. However, there were also some terrible lows. Among those were a 50-10 loss at home to Nebraska in 1995 and a 38-0 shut out by Stanford in the 1996 Sun Bowl.

Coming into the 1999 season, Saban had a team laden with seniors and future NFL players. Those included seniors Bill Burke, Gari Scott, Paul Edinger, and Julian Peterson; junior Plaxico Burress; sophomore Chris Baker; and freshman T.J. Duckett. This team won the most games of any MSU football team since 1966, finishing the season with a 9-2 record. Michigan State had wins over Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State, the first time any team had beaten those four programs in any single season. Finishing second in the Big Ten, Michigan State earned a bid to the 2000 Florida Citrus Bowl.

However, Saban did not remain for the bowl game. Frustrated by MSU's permanent status as the number two university in the state (behind the University of Michigan), Saban accepted the head coaching job at Louisiana State University on November 30, 1999. This caused quite a stir among Michigan State fans, many of whom came to believe Saban placed money over loyalty to his employer. Spartan fans were also irked by what seemed like Saban's constant flirtations with leaving MSU for an NFL head coaching position. Assistant Head Coach Bobby Williams succeeded Saban on an interim basis for the bowl game, in which Michigan State defeated the Florida Gators 37-34, then was made the head coach full-time.

Saban arrived at LSU as the school was in the midst of a two year long slide from contention in the Southeastern Conference. In 1999, LSU went 3-8, the school's eighth losing season in the previous eleven years. Once a dominant power in college football, LSU had become a coach's nightmare. Saban's four immediate predecessors were all dismissed after failing to live up to expectations.

In his inaugural season, Saban's team went 8-4, including a come from behind win in the Peach Bowl against heavily favored Georgia Tech. Although LSU did not win the SEC West, the quick turnaround gave rise to a wave of optimism, which only continued to build the following season.

As LSU fans became familiar with Saban, they observed a coach who presided over his squad with great intensity. Saban rarely seemed satisfied, and routinely berated officials and players on the sideline. His behavior approached the boundary of acceptable conduct without ever crossing it, however, and served to motivate his team to new heights. Saban is known as a complete football coach: he is as good an administrator as he is a teacher.

In 2001, LSU went 10-3 and won the SEC West and represented the division in the conference championship game for the first time. After a 31-20 upset of favored Tennessee, LSU played in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana, and defeated yet another favorite, the University of Illinois, 47-34. Saban's popularity in the state grew immensely as a result of LSU's magical season. In the offseason, Saban published a memoir called Tiger Turnaround, which flew off bookstore shelves across Louisiana.

The 2002 squad started 6-1, but an injury to starting QB Matt Mauck late in the Florida game hurt LSU's chances to defend their SEC title. LSU finished the season, 8-5 with a loss in the Cotton Bowl to the Texas Longhorns.

However, the following year, LSU fans were treated to a national championship after a 45 year wait. The 2003 LSU Tigers suffered only one loss, an uninspired 19-7 loss to the Florida Gators. Led by QB Matt Mauck, WR Michael Clayton, and freshmen RB Justin Vincent, the Tigers mauled Georgia 34-13 in the SEC Championship Game and secured an invitation to play for the national championship.

LSU faced the University of Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl, a controversial matchup because the USC Trojans, possessors of the # 1 ranking in the AP poll, were excluded by the formula which determined the matchup for the BCS National Championship Game. Few disputed that LSU belonged in the game. Many observers of college football, however, were outraged that Oklahoma was invited to play for the national championship just weeks after being humiliated by Kansas State in the Big 12 Conference Championship Game. A USC defeat of Michigan in the Rose Bowl virtually ensured a split national title regardless of who won the Sugar Bowl.

In the Sugar Bowl, Saban matched up with Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, also one of the game's most highly respected coaches. In this game, however, LSU led from the start, and threatened to break open the game several times. Although Oklahoma succeeded in narrowing the gap somewhat, LSU defeated the Sooners 21-14. As the scoreboard clock struck 0:00, Saban streaked to midfield amidst his players. Perhaps the single most vivid image of that day was Saban holding aloft the ADT National Championship Trophy as the vast LSU contingent at the Louisiana Superdome went wild.

Shortly after the conclusion of the season, Saban was approached by the Chicago Bears about their head coaching position. The Bears offer was not Saban's first opportunity to return to the NFL. In the past, several teams, including the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Indianapolis Colts, had all gauged Saban's interest. LSU fans had to come to revere Nick Saban in almost divine terms, which comes as little surprise when you consider that LSU Football is almost its own religion in south Louisiana. The perhaps overzealous fans breathed a sigh of relief when Saban called a press conference in January of 2004 to announce that he was staying at LSU.

The Tigers posted a 9-3 record in 2004, including an appearance in the Capital One Bowl. Saban began to feel during this season that there were few remaining challenges for him in the college game.

Nick Saban accepted the job of head coach for the Miami Dolphins on Christmas Day, 2004 after previous head coach Dave Wannstedt resigned after three straight seasons without a playoff appearance.

Coming into the job, the Miami Dolphins held the second overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft in which Saban selected Auburn University standout, running back Ronnie Brown. Saban made news during his first offseason by bringing back troubled star running back Ricky Williams after Williams had retired the previous season in face of NFL drug infractions. The Miami Dolphins did well during the 2005 season, finishing with a 9-7 and closing out the season with a six-game winning streak.

During the 2006 offseason, Saban made several changes to the Dolphins roster. He traded a 2nd round pick to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for former star quarterback Daunte Culpepper. The deal was considered somewhat controversial because Culpepper had suffered from a season-ending knee injury, which sometimes takes up to 14 months to fully recover from. Despite this, the move was widely considered a good one. In addition, he also traded a 2007 sixth round pick to the Detroit Lions for troubled quarterback Joey Harrington. Saban decided to release future Hall of Famer Junior Seau and long time Dolphin's cornerback Sam Madison, but in return, signed Will Allen, previously of the New York Giants, and Keith Newman, of the Minnesota Vikings. He also signed several other players including offensive linemen L.J. Shelton and Bennie Anderson, fullback Fred Beasley, wide reciever Kelly Campbell and defensive backs Deke Cooper and Renaldo Hill.