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He does joke around in practice, especially at the start of practice before things get heated up. He really has a different side to him that you dont really see.

A win Monday against No. 1-ranked LSU would give Alabama and Saban his second BCS national title in three seasons. Despite Sabans public persona, Alabama running back Trent Richardson said Saban is very down to earth.

He jokes with us all the time, Richardson said. He keeps us happy, man. We love for playing for Coach Saban. He says crazy stuff. He tells us were being soft. Tells us funny jokes.

Saban also has a generous side. When he was an assistant with the Cleveland Browns in the early 1990s, he used his first playoff check to purchase his father-in-law a Cleveland Browns jacket. Inside one of the pockets, Saban placed the deed to his in-laws house, which he had paid off.

At Michigan State, Saban and his wife, Terry, started the Nicks Kids Fund, which they have continued at Alabama. It has raised millions of dollars for disadvantaged children. Saban made it a priority to help in the recovery efforts after the deadly tornados hit Tuscaloosa.

Saban also can let his hair down — well, kind of. Theres the YouTube clip of him dancing even if he isnt as limber as Oklahoma States Mike Gundy.

And when Saban was at Kent State, where he was a quarterback, he would write his future wife these wonderful letters quoting poetry and music.

Nick Saban: a jokester, dancer and poet? Whats the biggest misconception about Sabans personality and coaching style?

Well, I think that, first of all, theres certain things that we think are important to being a champion, Saban said. And hard work is one of those things, a tremendous commitment to the goals and things that are important to you.

But I also think its important that people learn how to be responsible for their own self-determination, which is accountability. And to have that in an organization, any organization, you have to define what the expectation is of the people in the organization.

And I find that players and people in our organization really feel good about the fact that they know what the expectation is.

Saban said he learned its about doing your job and the responsibility and the accountability that goes with that when he was Bill Belichicks defensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns from 1991-94.

But as a leader, make sure you define what that is. And we believe that its important to be very positive in your approach to doing that, which I think is where the misconception probably starts. You know, you dont have to be negative to do that. And I think thats probably what our players think. And that we are positive in our approach to what we do. But its also defined, and the expectation is defined for them, and we expect them to be responsible to it. And its really the only way you can have a team, because for people to trust and respect each other, which is important to togetherness on a team, they have to all buy into the same things and you cant have one guy saying, well, he did this but Im not allowed to do that, because that creates divisiveness, which is never going to allow you to have the togetherness that you need to be successful in difficult circumstances.

So those things we believe in, and I think that its the way we do it that theres a misconception on because its done in a very positive way.

Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart says he appreciates the demands Saban puts on his coaches and players.

When you say demanding, to me: the definition of demanding is they require you to do what youre supposed to do, when youre supposed to do it and how youre supposed to do it, Smart said. Thats what he does. So is he demanding, yeah, he requires you to do your job.

And I appreciate that. That gives me job security knowing that everyone in the organization is held accountable. And he holds everybody accountable. When hes demanding, hes usually right.

When Saban became LSUs coach before the 2000 season after five seasons at Michigan State, Saban admitted it was his fault for the way he was portrayed.

I dont blame anybody for it, Saban said in a 2000 interview. Im amused by it. But I also take responsibility for it. Maybe I missed the boat. I think my role as a head coach trying to have a class program is to represent the program with professionalism and class. In doing that, maybe I havent been as amusing as I should be. Maybe I havent tried to make everyone think Im a happy-go-lucky, easy-going, dont-care-about-anything guy.

I dont think theres very many guys who coach like that who have much success. Maybe I represented, not as a person, but more how I feel a coach should be. Maybe that hasnt been a true reflection of my personality. Therefore, I do shake my head and laugh about it. My wife does too.

So do his players.

Coach is a wonderful guy on and off the field, Alabama wide receiver Marquis Maze said. A lot of people just see him hollering. The media catches him hollering and intense. At practice, hes more laid back, he talks to us. We can talk to him anytime.

He approaches everything as a business approach. Thats how you know. Thats what the NFL is a business. Thats how we practice and we go about doing things.

Saban said he gets satisfaction and enjoyment out of getting his team ready to play each week.

Its very challenging, Saban said. So thats my enjoyment. Now, maybe your perception of enjoyment is you go out and have a party. Well, thats not my enjoyment of this experience. We have been to the Sugar Bowl four times, and I really do enjoy the relationships that we have with the people here at the Sugar Bowl. So in my own way, as the coach, I enjoy this. Putting the team together, putting the plan together, to have an opportunity to play against a great team and see if you can be successful, thats my enjoyment.

So thats my fun. It may not be other peoples fun. So I enjoy it. In my own way I enjoy it. This is what you work for, to have these kinds of opportunities.