AP: Saban talking with Dolphins

[China]

Saban talking with Dolphins

December 15, 2004

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- LSU coach Nick Saban has talked to the Miami Dolphins about their vacant head coaching position.

In a statement issued by LSU on Wednesday, Saban described the talks as ``a preliminary conversation with the Dolphins to exchange ideas about their head coaching position.''

``No decisions were made in this meeting and they will continue their search for a coach,'' Saban said. ``I will continue to be committed to LSU, our football program and totally focused on our bowl game versus Iowa.''

LSU (9-2) meets Iowa (9-2) on Jan. 1 in the Capital One Bowl.

Dolphins president Eddie Jones said he and owner Wayne Huizenga met with Saban, but did not divulge any other specific details on the meeting and, like Saban, stressed that no choices have been made.

``In keeping with our policy to conduct this search with integrity, prior to speaking with Coach Saban we did contact LSU interim chancellor William L. Jenkins to inform him of our meeting,'' Jones said in a statement released by the team.

Dolphins interim coach Jim Bates said he hasn't yet discussed the prospects of leading the team in 2005 with Huizenga, but added that conversation will take place later this week.

Saban notified LSU in writing about the meeting with the Dolphins, said athletics director Skip Bertman. Bertman said Saban ``has been forthright in his communication with the university about this and I support him in any direction that he may take.''

``We are all aware that other NFL teams have made overtures to him in the past and he hasn't expressed any interest,'' Bertman said. ``But this is one of the premier jobs in the NFL and he owes it to his family and their future to hear what the Dolphins have to say.''

Dave Wannstedt resigned as Miami coach in November after the Dolphins' 1-8 start and was replaced on an interim basis by defensive coordinator Jim Bates -- who speaks weekly with Huizenga, but said earlier this week that the subject of him taking over on a permanent basis hasn't been broached.

Saban met last season with the Chicago Bears and released a statement hours after Wannstedt's resignation insisting that he was interested in no other jobs.

He is 48-15 in five seasons at LSU, taking the Tigers to bowl games in each of those years. Saban took over a team that had gone 3-8 in 1999 and in his first season went 8-4 with a Peach Bowl victory, then led last season's team to a share of the school's first national title since the 1958 season.

LSU beat Oklahoma 21-14 in last year's Bowl Championship Series title game, triggering a clause in Saban's contract that guaranteed him becoming the highest-paid coach in college football. He received a $18.45-million, seven-year contract after last season.