Years later, Terry Saban's involvement in and importance to Alabama football still stood out to Thad Turnipseed.

He had spent no shortage of time around Nick and Terry Saban when Turnipseed was Alabama's director of athletic facilities, major gifts and special events and associate athletics director for special projects until 2013. Then he went to Clemson for nine years and Oklahoma for two seasons.

When speaking with The Tuscaloosa News in 2021, Turnipseed still raved about what he had seen Miss Terry do to help the program.

"It's a team effort," Turnipseed said. "Terry is as good of a recruiter as Saban, if not better. At their house, she kind of creates the atmosphere. I saw the partnership I've never seen before with a wife involved to that level."

Fast forward to 2023, and it doesn't seem like much has changed. Just this past Saturday after No. 8 Alabama beat Kentucky 49-21, cornerback Terrion Arnold gave props to the program's matriarch.

"She always sends me texts on Sundays about motivating the guys and staying focused," Arnold said. "To share a secret with y'all: I feel like she’s that secret that we’ve got. Everybody needs a Miss Terry."

But only Alabama has her, and she in her own way has been a key in the Crimson Tide winning the SEC West this season. Seriously.

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Remember the Mississippi State game in late September? The one where Nick Saban showed plenty of fire on the sideline to get after his players? His willingness to get after players, including Arnold, helped spark the Crimson Tide to a 40-17 victory that night in Starkville, Mississippi.

Thank Miss Terry.

"Miss Terry told me if we’re not playing good, get on their butt," Saban said in Starkville. "So I was just doing what I was told.”

Arnold's text exchange with Miss Terry is another example of how she's helped out. Her message to Arnold about staying focused was needed ahead of a week against Kentucky when Alabama could have fallen into the trap of overlooking the Wildcats after two big wins over rivals in Tennessee and LSU.

The effectiveness of her encouragement seems to stem from her ability to build relationships first. Her friendship with Arnold is a prime example. Arnold said she's like a second mom to him, and their relationship is "second to none."

"She really cares about all of us," Arnold said. "She does a really, really good job at it."

That care and her encouragement showed through perhaps most after the win over Texas A&M on the road. After the game, Arnold ran up to her.

"You!" she said as she pointed at him.

"That's you," Arnold said back.

They gave each other a big hug. Arnold walked away, then Miss Terry hugged receiver Emmanuel Henderson. Soon she embraced safety Caleb Downs.

"It's just kind of like raising your children," Nick Saban said Monday. "I'm the guy that's always trying to get them to do right, and she's the momma who's always trying to make them happy."

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Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Miss Terry a key part of Alabama football's 2023 success