Dave Martin, AP

Why is Nick Saban so tough on people?

This was a question asked by 60 Minutes reporter Armen Keteyian, who spent eight months with the Alabama football program for a “Behind-the-Scenes with Nick Saban” piece that aired Sunday evening.

Saban’s answer?

“I don’t know if that’s fair that I’m really tough on people,” Saban said. “We create a standard for how we want to do things. And everybody’s got to buy into that standard or you really can’t have any team chemistry.

“Mediocre people don’t like high achievers and high achievers don’t like mediocre people.”

60 Minutes documented the way Saban runs the program that’s won back-to-back national championships, three of the last four, and is hunting for another this season. The 13-minute piece is definitely worth watching.

One of the most intriguing parts is when Keteyian interviews Alabama chancellor Dr. Robert Witt, who was the president of the university when Saban was hired in 2007. He asks if Saban, who makes over $5.5 million a year, is worth his paycheck.

“Nick Saban’s the best financial investment this university has ever made,” he said. “We have made an investment that’s been returned many fold.”

Alabama’s athletic department’s revenue has increased by 112% since Saban was hired, and last year returned $4 million to the school in the form of academic scholarships, according to 60 Minutes.

There’s also classic footage of Saban interacting with young kids at his Alabama football camp in Tuscaloosa, treating them like they’re his own players. The most priceless moment is when Saban tells a kid, “C’mon man, shake hands.”

Other highlights include the famous soundbite of Saban saying he would not be the Alabama coach while he was with the Miami Dolphins. Keteyian asks Saban if he regretted handling the situation in that way.

“Absolutely,” Saban said. “I really, in the end, it affected my integrity as a person by saying one thing and doing something else.”

Saban’s wife Terry, who was also interviewed, revealed that when a monstrous tornado hit Tuscaloosa in April 2011, her husband “totally put football aside” for the first time in 42 years.

The piece ends with a rare glimpse into the Crimson Tide’s locker room after they beat Texas A&M in College Station 49-42 earlier this year. Saban gathers the team around him and praises them for coming back from an early deficit to win an important game.

“This is a great win, a great win for our program,” he said. “I’m so happy, happy, happy, I can’t tell you, and I’m so proud! Proud! Proud!”

Watch the full segment here:

(Thanks to @deepbunk for the GIF.)