Nick Saban once called a fourth-down decision the “dumbest” mistake of his coaching career—even though his team went on to win the game. In this short solo episode of My Favorite Mistake, Mark Graban explores why mistakes don’t always undermine leadership—and how trust, confidence, and transparency can actually grow when decisions don’t go as planned.
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This week’s Mistake of the Week comes from college football legend Nick Saban. During bowl season reflections, Saban revisits a fourth-and-one decision from the 2001 SEC Championship game that he later called “the dumbest decision I ever made.” But what looked like a mistake to him was interpreted very differently by his players—and ultimately helped fuel a comeback win. In this episode, Mark Graban explores what leaders can learn from that moment about trust, confidence, and why mistakes don’t always undermine credibility. Sometimes, they strengthen it.
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Transcript
Here is the cleaned-up transcript. I’ve corrected the spelling (e.g., “ball” to “bowl”), standardized the punctuation for better flow, and formatted the sports references and titles for clarity.
Hi, it’s Mark Graban. We’re well into college football bowl season—that time of year when the games pile up, the marching bands get louder, and the sponsorship names get, well, let’s say increasingly creative. From the bowl formerly known as the Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl to the now-legendary Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl, we’re reminded annually that corporate naming decisions are their own kind of high-risk play-calling.
But bowl season also brings back memories of big games with big names and big decisions that still get replayed and sometimes second-guessed years later, which brings us to this week’s Mistake of the Week from someone who’s been part of more big games than almost anyone alive.
Nick Saban has seven national championships, nearly 300 career wins, and a sideline stare so sharp it could cut through a defensive line. But even Saban has a moment he still thinks about. Recently on ESPN’s College GameDay show, Saban looked back on the 2001 SEC Championship Game, back when he coached LSU.
His Tigers were trailing Tennessee 17–3. Facing 4th-and-1 on their own 29-yard line, Saban went for it. They were stopped immediately. Now, Saban calls it, quote, “the dumbest decision I ever made.” But in my book, The Mistakes That Make Us, I write that those mistakes aren't actually “dumb.” They are decisions that simply didn’t turn out as we expected.
Even the smartest, most accomplished leaders can misread a situation, and even future Hall of Famers are human. But here’s the twist: LSU and Coach Saban won the game 31–20. After the final whistle, players came up to Saban and said something he didn’t expect to hear: “Coach, when you went for it, we thought you believed in us, and we played our asses off.”
What Saban saw as a blunder—maybe even reckless to some—came across to the team as confidence, commitment, and trust. I’ve seen this pattern in workplaces as well. Leaders often fear that a mistake will undermine their credibility, but when they’re transparent about it and when they reflect on it, the impact can be the exact opposite. It builds trust.
The takeaway is simple: In the biggest moments, don’t overwhelm your team with new plays or complicated ideas. Lean on what they already know, what they trust, and what they can execute well. It aligns with the principles I share in continuous improvement work. When pressure rises, people don’t need novelty; they need clarity and confidence.
Even Hall of Famers make mistakes. What separates them isn’t perfection—it’s humility, reflection, and a willingness to learn. I’m Mark Graban with this week’s reminder that mistakes don’t have to define us, but what we learn from them absolutely can.