Pat Dye

Pat Dye was a college head coach for 19 seasons, and is best known for his 12 seasons as coach of the Auburn Tigers from 1981-1992. He led Auburn to four SEC titles including three in a row from 1987-89 (the other came in 1983), and reeled off nine straight winning seasons from 1982-1990. Dye’s teams finished ranked in the top-20 in the final Associated Press poll eight times during his tenure at Auburn including five top-10 finishes. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005 and was a three-time SEC Coach of the Year in 1983, 1987 and 1988. Dye also served as Auburn’s athletic director from 1981-1991.

Toward the end of Dye’s tenure at Auburn his program faced allegations regarding a player receiving illegal benefits from boosters and assistant coaches, warranting an NCAA investigation. The investigation did not find Dye personally responsible  but it did determine that as head coach and athletic director he should have known about and ended the illegal benefits. As a result, he stepped down as athletic director in 1991 and after coaching the Tigers to a 5-5-1 record in 1992 stepped down as head coach. His final record as coach at Auburn was 99-39-4.