Former Georgia coach Vince Dooley, NFL Hall-of-Famer Fran Tarkenton weigh in on death of Pat Dye
The Auburn family lost a legend on Monday, as former coach Pat Dye passed away at the age of 80 following a battle with kidney issues.
Love for Dye poured in from current and former players and other notable members of the Auburn family, and now, the Georgia family has weighed in, too.
Dye played at Georgia from 1958-60, where he was teammates with NFL Hall of Fame QB Fran Tarkenton. Tarkenton said he had never played with a better teammate than Dye:
NFL Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton's statement on the passing of former Georgia teammate Pat Dye:
"I never played with a greater football player than Pat Dye. He was the ultimate teammate, and I loved the guy… I've lost one of the best friends I have ever had."
— Auburn Gold Mine (@AUGoldMine) June 1, 2020
Meanwhile, during Dye’s time at Auburn, he went head to head with Georgia coach Vince Dooley a number of times. Dooley said he and Dye remained friends after football:
Georgia's Vince Dooley's statement on the passing of Pat Dye:
"We competed hard as coaches but remained good friends and after football shared our love of plants, especially Japanese Maples… He will be missed by us all."
— Auburn Gold Mine (@AUGoldMine) June 1, 2020
Dye went 99-39-4 with Auburn, leading the Tigers to 4 SEC titles.