Report from Chris Lowe at ESPN.com.

http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/10031/saban-its-never-been-just-a-job

While Saban has a long history of being cantankerous with anybody who poses as a distraction for his team, he says it again gets down to the fact that it’s more than just a job with him.

And that goes for all the requests he gets. He’s never going to bail on his team.

“I have people invite me to some art show or something and can’t understand why I can’t go to it,” said Saban, who’s been pulled in a million different ways since the national title. “It’s like they think I should cancel spring practice and go to the art show.”

Reminded that he once blew off the President of the United States because he was too busy coaching his team with the Miami Dolphins, Saban initially broke into a sheepish grin.

But then he quickly turned serious, his voice sharpening, and provided a little more insight into what makes him tick.

“Well, we had practice that day. Everybody got onto me about that deal with the President. Even the players did,” Saban recounted. “But if you were a coach, would you miss practice to go to something like that?

“I’ve never missed practice. People ask me to go to Augusta, and I say, ‘I can’t go. We’ve got practice.’ They say, ‘You mean, you won’t miss practice to go to Augusta?’ and I’m like, ‘Hell, no,’ and I’d love to go to The Masters as much as anybody. But I’d never do that.”

God, I love our coach.

(Emphasis mine)