Pat Dye, a College Football Hall of Famer who took over a struggling Auburn football program in 1981 and transformed it into a
Southeastern Conference powerhouse, died Monday. He was eighty.
According to Lee County Coroner Bill Harris, Dye died at a hospice care facility in Auburn from complications from renal and liver failure.
Dye tested positive for COVID-19 after being taken to the hospital for renal difficulties, according to Harris, but he was not symptomatic.
When Dye arrived at Auburn, the program was bitterly split, with only three winning seasons in the previous six years. In 12 years, he
compiled a 99-39-4 record, Auburn won or shared four conference championships, and the Tigers were listed in The Associated Press Top
10 five times.
Dye’s overall coaching record was 153-62-5 over 17 years at Auburn, Wyoming, and East Carolina. He was inducted into the College
Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
“On behalf of our family, I want to thank all of the people from around the country who have offered their support and admiration for dad
these past several days,” said Pat Dye, Jr., the son of Dye. “Dad would be honored and humbled to learn about this overwhelming
outreach. The world has lost both a good football coach and a great man. He was adored, he impacted so many lives, and he will be
mourned by many, particularly our family.”
Dye’s coaching career came to an end in November 1992, when he was forced to leave due to a pay-for-play controversy that rocked the
Auburn program, which was placed on probation for two years.
For the most of his career at Auburn, Dye served as both athletic director and head coach. He remained involved with the university
following his resignation and was a frequent guest on football talk radio shows.
Auburn finished only 5-6 in Dye’s first season, but it gradually improved. In 1982, the Tigers finished 9-3, defeated archrival Alabama for
the first time in ten years, and made their first bowl appearance since 1974.
