Bryant-Denny Stadium, a 95-year-old Tuscaloosa icon, is gaining a legendary new name.

Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium will officially be dedicated at halftime during the University of Alabama's Sept. 7 game against South Florida.

More: 'A remarkable man': Nick Saban's success on field benefits city, region of Tuscaloosa

Naming the field honors Nick Saban ― who retired as Alabama's coach in January after 17 highly successful seasons as the coach of the Crimson Tide ― and his wife Terry.

"Dedicating the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium as Saban Field is a fitting way to honor coach Saban's extraordinary contributions to the University of Alabama," said UA President Stuart R. Bell on July 19, when the board of trustees approved the field naming. "Coach Saban and Miss Terry have significantly enriched our community, and this recognition celebrates their lasting legacy."

More: By the numbers: Seven amazing stats from Nick Saban's coaching career

Built in 1929 on the southwest side of the UA campus, the venue was initially named Denny Stadium in honor of George H. Denny who served as UA's president for nearly a quarter-century. Denny was also a driving force in raising the profile of UA's football program.

In the mid-70s, the name of Paul W. "Bear" Bryant was added to the stadium through an act by the Alabama Legislature. Bryant played for the Crimson Tide from 1933-35 and returned to the Capstone as head football coach in 1958, famously declaring "Mama called."

Bryant won 323 games, including six national championships and 13 SEC titles at UA, retiring after the 1982 season. He also launched the careers of future NFL legends Joe Namath, Lee Roy Jordan and Ken Stabler.

Measuring Saban's success

Saban coached for 28 years at the collegiate level, with stints at Toledo, LSU and Alabama. He won six of his seven national championships at Alabama: 2009, 2011-12, 2015, 2017 and 2020.

He compiled a 297-71-1 collegiate coaching record overall. Saban's teams won a combined 11 SEC titles, nine of which came with the Crimson Tide.

His record as Alabama's coach was 206 wins and 29 losses. At Bryant-Denny Stadium, Saban won 108 games and lost just nine times in his 17 seasons at the Capstone.

Saban coached four Heisman Trophy winners, joining Notre Dame's Frank Leahy for the most in college football history. He is the only coach to ever have Heisman Trophy winners at three different positions (running backs Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry, wide receiver DeVonta Smith and quarterback Bryce Young).

Crimson Tide players earned 60 national individual awards under Saban's tutelage.  A total of 66 All-America honors were won by 58 different players from 2008-2023 under Saban.

Eight UA players were named two-time All-Americans along with 46 consensus honors and 25 unanimous selections. Will Anderson Jr. became the first two-time unanimous All-American in Alabama history.

Saban also built a pipeline of players to the NFL. A record 49 of his players were chosen in the first round of the draft, which includes 44 from Alabama. His Alabama players have been paid over $2 billion over the last 16 NFL seasons.

In the classroom, Alabama football players earned a total of 656 degrees, including 103 master's degrees.

Through the Nick's Kids Foundation over $13 million has been distributed to students, teachers and children's causes at over 150 charities since the Sabans' 2007 arrival in Tuscaloosa. Also, the Saban family's charity has spearheaded the construction of 21 homes through Habitat for Humanity.

Reach Ken Roberts at ken.roberts@tuscaloosanews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: University of Alabama to dedicate Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium