Education

An entrepreneur in every sense of the word, Daymond John has come a long way from taking out a $100,000 mortgage on his mother’s house and moving his business operation into its basement. John is CEO and Founder of FUBU, a much-celebrated global lifestyle brand, and a pioneer in the fashion industry with billions in product sales world-wide. Former President Barack Obama appointed Daymond John a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) to harness his energy, ideas, and experience to help develop the next generation of entrepreneurs both at home and abroad.

John is an award-winning entrepreneur and has received 100s of awards including the Brand Week Marketer of the Year, Advertising Age Marketing 1000 Award for Outstanding Ad Campaign, Ernst & Young’s New York Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and was named #2 on LinkedIn’s Top 20 Voices, a list of the top influencers, who are using their voice to help us analyze today’s changing world of work, navigate our industries, and find balance. Most recently, Real Leaders Magazine ranked Daymond John oneoftheTop20 Keynote Speakers in the World for2024!

His marketing strategies and ability to build successful brands has made him a highly influential consultant and motivational speaker today. His marketing firm The Shark Group offers advice on how to effectively communicate to consumers through innovative means and connects brands with the world’s top celebrities for everything from endorsements to product extensions.

John is also an author of 6 best-selling books including his New York Times best-sellers, The Power of Broke (2016) and Rise and Grind (2018).He released his fifth book, Powershiftin2020 that walks through his tried-and-true process of how to transform any situation, close any deal and achieve any out- come. John's most recent book, Little Daymond Learns to Earn (2023) is his first for kids, reached the New York Times and Amazon best-seller list the first week of its release. The book addresses the current void of educating our children about money in a fun and engaging story for parents and kids to connect. John’s mission is to continue challenging the status quo and leave a lasting legacy of inspiring other leaders to do the same..

Finally, John is celebrating his 17th season on ABC TV’s critically acclaimed business reality show Shark Tank by renowned producer Mark Burnett, which has reinvigorated entrepreneurship around the world. Shark Tank has now gone on to win five Emmy® in the US and millions of weekly viewers world-wide tune into the show as John demonstrates his marketing prowess and entrepreneurial insights.

In his 28 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Saban’s uncompromising dedication to excellence garnered him 7 national championships, 11 SEC Championships (9 at Alabama and 2 at LSU), and 9 National Coach of the Year awards. Saban compiled a 297-71-1 (.806) record, including a 206-29 (.877) mark in Tuscaloosa. He achieved resounding success as a head coach and earned a reputation as an outstanding tactician, leader, organizer, and motivator. Those qualities sparked impressive turnarounds at every stop of his career. Saban’s consistent approach and disciplined leadership known as “The Process”, are the reasons his teams are recognized for exhibiting grit, determination, and resilience, often overcoming adversity to achieve victory.

The 2021 season proved to one of Saban’s best coaching jobs, taking an Alabama team that lost 10 players to the NFL Draft – including eight in the first 38 picks and six in the first round – and leading them to an SEC Championship. The 2021 squad also used a victory in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl to earn a spot in the 2022 CFP National Championship Game for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Winning its 9th SEC Championship under Saban’s guidance (his 11th SEC title overall) with a dominating 41-24 win over No. 1 Georgia in Atlanta, they earned Alabama it’s seventh College Football Playoff berth in eight years and a bid to the Cotton Bowl. The Tide dispatched of the Bearcats 27-6 in Dallas to advance to the National Championship where Georgia scored 20 fourth-quarter points for a come-from-behind 33-18 win in the CFP National Championship Game. Alabama finished with a 13-2 record and a No. 2 national ranking that included a 7-1 mark in SEC play. UA finished sixth nationally in scoring offense (39.9 ppg) and 18thin scoring defense (20.1 ppg) while ranking seventh in both total offense (488.2 ypg) and total defense (304.1 ypg).

Saban’s second season in Tuscaloosa in 2008, the Tide has played just three regular-season games in which it hasn’t been in contention for the national championship – the final three regular season games of the 2010 season – a staggering 163 of 166 games, while posting an astounding 176-19 (.903) record, including an 102-12 (.895) mark in regular season conference play.

In Saban’s 6 national championship seasons at Alabama, his teams went 21-2 against top-10 opponents, and, since 2008, the Crimson Tide is 35-12 overall against top-10 teams.  Alabama has also been ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Poll for at least one week for 14 straight years, which broke the record of seven established by Miami (1986-92). In honor of his exceptional success, Coach Saban was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2025 class, becoming the fifth Alabama Coach elected to the Hall of Fame.

In 1998, during their time at Michigan State University, Nick and Terry Saban established Nick's Kids Foundation in honor of the late Nick Saban, Sr. Since then, the Sabans have maintained and supported their charity throughout their careers at Louisiana State University, the Miami Dolphins and at the University of Alabama. As the official charity of the Saban Family, Nick and Terry invest their time in hosting luncheons, golf tournaments, scrimmages, and other events to benefit the cause. They are also active in the annual Giveaway Luncheon, which serves to distribute grants to support children, family, teacher and student causes. Nick and Terry also recently started the Saban Center, which is a first-of-its-kind STEAM campus where education, experience, and innovation meet. It includes community partners at TCT and IGNITE, formerly Children's Hands-On Museum, plus public-private educational partnerships spanning the state of Alabama. Saban Center will be a hub for education training, arts participation and academic support for teachers and families alike.

A native of Monongah, W. Va., Saban is a 1973 graduate of Kent State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business. He earned a master’s degree in sports administration from Kent State in 1975. Born Oct. 31, 1951, Saban and his wife, the former Terry Constable, have two children, Nicholas and Kristen. They have been married for over 50 years and are enjoying the company of their friends, children, granddaughter Amélie, daughter-in-law Samira, and grandson James.