Believe it or not, Paul Finebaum had a career before radio.

The Voice of the SEC on Wednesday detailed portions of his career as a young reporter in Birmingham in the 1980s, circling back to a run-in he had with former Auburn coach Pat Dye.

Finebaum published a piece in the local paper about the culture at the program through the eyes of a backup quarterback and Dye didn’t appreciate the story.

“I thought I was going to die,” Finebaum said, referencing the moment when he stepped into Dye’s car on campus. “I thought he was going to take me around and put me in a waste dump.”

Dye proceeded to lecture Finebaum and what he should write about and what he shouldn’t.

Later in his career, it was Alabama coach Nick Saban’s turn. Saban agreed to let any reporter cover the Crimson Tide’s practices as long as they adhered to his expletive-laced principles.

Many cowered in fear.