Quite the vote of confidence here.
“We could play football for another 500 years and we couldn’t catch up with the tradition Alabama has got, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good football program and a strong football program. It doesn’t mean we can’t have football teams that recruit good enough to beat Alabama on occasion.”
“On occasion”? Geez. No wonder he wants to see the Tigers move to the East.
Get The Picture 
Realization of reality in his old age? The opposite of senility?
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I agree with Pat and Early: Auburn sucks.
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I never pass up an opportunity to watch this.
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Me three.
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It’s been a long time since “one for the thumb” with Big Ears Tuberville.
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It ain’t just Awbun, Pat.
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Man, you know the Alabama people are just eating this stuff up. To have one of your rival’s most successful coaches basically saying you’re superior and there’s just not much they can do about it… that’s fantastic.
Do the Auburn fambly a favor, Pat, and shut your mouth. Those poor War Eagle bastards have a tough enough time as it is without having you giving the Bammers ammo.
But while we’re at it, Pat, have any comments on Georgia’s decade of dominance?
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Really short-sighted and overly emotional thinking on his part. From Bear Bryant’s death until Saban took over in ’07 — about a 25 year span — AU more than held its own against Bama, and I’m guessing the series was fairly even overall (heck, it wouldn’t surprise me if AU actually had the series edge during that span). Heck, didn’t AU have a 6 game winning streak against Bama at one point as recently as 10 years ago?
So to say what he said, all because of an all time great coach who happens to be coaching Bama currently, really is stupid. Just as Yale and Navy are no longer CFB powers while UF, Oregon and others have built major programs in recent years, things change and nobody knows what the future holds. After all, Saban can’t coach forever and has to retire at some point. So to essentially pigeonhole yourself like he did only makes things more difficult for the program moving forward.
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AU was 13-10 vs Bama from 1984-2006…I think those were the post Bear to pre Saban years.
http://football.stassen.com/records/opponent.html
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There you go — thanks for this.
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Since the SEC split Auburn also has 3 undefeated seasons to Bama’s 2.
Auburn does just fine on the football, Dye needs to keep his mouth shut and go find his wallet.
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*football field
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I was in law school at Alabama when Auburn won that “One for the Thumb” and for the first year of Saban.
Alabama was in shambles and Auburn had an undefeated season shortly before, but in that state, there was no comparison as to the perception of those two programs. And not just from the Alabama side, the Auburn folks had a permanent sort of inferiority complex. It was weird.
I agree that Auburn could win more than their share and that they could even dominate the series, but I also agree with Dye that, in that state, that it would take eons to change that perception.
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Most Auburn fans know they can and do win their share but also take humor in the absolute hysteria of Bammers and realize that Bama is constantly moving between 1 of 3, phases, on Probation, winning big or hiring and firing until 1 of the 2 happen.
Auburn also understands when competing again cubic dollars Bama wins but if you study the history between the 2 schools funding is a reason why tensions are so high in the 1st place.
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He’d fit right in here in the GTP comments section.
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He really should just shut up, shouldn’t he? LOL
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Not if he wants to continue his CraneWorks-sponsored involvement on the Finebaum show.
Pat knows he needs to stroke the Bammers’ ego to keep this gig.
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“I’m fixing to make a statement that won’t be a popular statement, I guarantee you,”
No one should ever stop Pat whenever he’s fixing to proceed to make a guarantee
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IF nothing else, Pat Dye has folks talking about him…as referenced above, I think that’s the goal.
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Let me translate Coach Dye…
“We will never catch up to the Red Elephant Clubs endowment and business model – ie the professionalization of Alabama football.”
I hate Auburn but I think that I agree with Coach Dye on this one. Auburn can’t keep pace financially with the REC.
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Pat Dye, as he has since he was born, calls it like he sees it. PERIOD. And he is 100% right. Ya’ll sound like Obama snowflakes who can’t deal in truth. FACTS: Dye played at UGA, coached LB of Bryant at Bama. Bama has a 100+ year history of EXCELLENCE, whether ya’ll like it or not. UGA and Auburn have great traditions, but can’t match Bama. DYE DID HAVE A WINNING RECORD VS. BAMA; he had a winning record vs. USA. Had UGA hired Erk Russel or Pat Dye AFTER Dooley stepped down, we would have had SEVERAL MORE NC trophies. BUT, if “if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas”.
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Not convinced Erk and the triple option would have brought NC trophies – we could have just as easily become what tech is today from a recruiting standpoint. Dye as head coach would have put us on probation just like what happened at Auburn.
Was Goff the right guy? No way. Were either of them the right person? Color me skeptical.
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Totally disagree on Erk. If Erk had been HC at UGA the Dawgs would never have slipped to what they became under Goff. Erk was a smart guy and wouldn’t have run that Ga Southern O in Athens ’cause it wouldn’t have worked in the SEC. He would have hired a first-class OC (maybe even CMR) and likely run the same type of O the Dawgs ran all these years. But we would have had much better defensive teams and special teams and won a load more championships.
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I can understand that and would agree. I think making the leap to many national championships that the previous commenter did is a bit of a stretch.
Florida was going to become Florida under Spurrier and Tennessee would have been just as tough under Fulmer, so the supposition that Georgia would have been the beast of the East is speculation at best. Would we have been much more competitive than under Goff? No doubt.
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Dye didn’t win national titles at Auburn, I don’t see how UGA would have changed that. Could Erk have won in the SEC, would he have tried the option? We will never know. Erk was fond of the option and Auburn was running the option as late as 83 or 84? It would not have surprised if he would have run the option at UGA if hired.
I do very much believe UGA would have at minimum one more title if Erk stayed on as DC for 2 more years if not 2.
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Where Georgia really lost out was when VD didn’t go to Auburn after the ’80 season. Erk was already in place to be the next HC at UGA and would have had Herschel and basically the same players as the 1980 national championship team back. I’m saying that we probably win at least 1 more–and maybe 2 more–national championships with Erk during the Herschel Walker span AND we dominate the East even during the SOS days at FU and the Phat Phil days at UT. I honestly believe there is a completely different history for Georgia football for the last 36 years if Dooley left after ’80 and Erk became the HC in ’81.
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“he had a winning record vs. USA.”
Me too.
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Bursting off his own mama’s teat and landing on the floor of his Blythe, Georgia log cabin, an infant Patrick Fain Dye spat and sprayed milk over the coon skin rug, over the lantern light, and all across the cabin.
“PSHAW, Mama! Are you not man enough to provide the essential nutrients a future two-way player needs? Had better from a rabid goat in Moultrie!”
Calling ’em like he apprehends ’em, Patrick Dye never hesitated as head coach of the East Carolina Pirates, Cowboys of Wyoming, Tigers of Auburn, and finally his alma mater the University of Georgia to “call ’em as I perceive ’em.”
In 1988 when “Mama came calling” Dye never looked back on accepting the head coaching job. Though she produced sour milk, Georgia also knew a thing about Sugar. Previously unemployed Dye, UGA’s new head coach made his intentions clear: “Sugar Bowl or burst, boys!”
The bust came quickly. Implementing an offensive and defensive system from the 1960’s, Georgia was not able to adjust to the rise of a sophisticated Fun ‘n Gun offense of Steve Spurrier at Florida, George O’Leay’s pro-based offense at Tech, a suddenly competent and sober Tennessee head coach, and the own payment plan for players he had set up at Auburn.
Under Dye, in seven seasons, Georgia went 46-34 with appearances in the Peach, Independence, and the high-water mark appearance in the vaunted Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl. Against rivals Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech Dye’s Georgia teams were 5-23 during that span. Most notably, Dye’s legacy at Georgia includes a three year probation for NCAA infractions, scholarship reductions, television black outs, and post-season ban.
“I gotta tell ya, just callin’ it as I can cognitively capture the past with the benefit of the time/space continum” Patrick Fain Dye later reflected on the “SEC Down Home Hour with Barbara Dooley and Loran Smith, “hirin’ ol Pat was not a great idea.”
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Didn’t Fish Fry make a similar statement about the UGA/NATS rivalry a few years ago? We ate it up. Let’s hope the “occasionally” part holds up or even becomes “rarely”.
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Shorter Pat Dye: Saban’s built a model that overcomes our cheating and that ain’t fair!
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When Saban leaves Tuscaloosa the empire will crumble. They have the money but money doesn’t always buy championships ( see TAMU or Texas). Bama has had the 2 best coaches in CFB history, I doubt they get a third. They were a signature away from RIch Rod before Saban came on board.
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Not so sure about that unless they absolutely blow the replacement … if Saban keeps the cupboard full, Bama may hit a speed bump, but they won’t be down for long.
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LSU won a natty when Saban left. They are still in heavy contention in the west to this day due to his cornerstone…
Saban + REC = “amateur football nirvana”
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Agree GR. Bama wandered in the wilderness for years after Bryant died, Occasional patches of greatness (a natty under Stallings–Mike Dubose actually won the SEC once) but usually merely good teams all the way down to some real stinkers. I fully expect the Tide to fall to the ground after Saban leaves. It might take a few years but it will happen.
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..and they will hire and fire, survive sanctions, until they are winning big again.
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Might take them another 17 years to find that guy like the last time, though. 17 years would give the Dawgs a lot of time to win SEC titles and natties.
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Damning with faint praise.
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Does Pat Dye Hate UGA?
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I actually think he does Herb. Georgia fans vilified the guy during the time when he was HC at Auburn and later when the UGA job came open Dye tried really hard to get the job and was basically told to take a hike. Dye is the type who holds grudges. Dye was an All-America at Georgia and to have been treated that way by his alma mater isn’t something a guy like Dye would forgive and forget easily. What I don’t get is how he is treated like some sort of god in Auburn. The guy had some winning seasons but didn’t win as much as Tubby (certainly didn’t beat Bama as much) who they all talk about like he was dirt. The year after he left Terry Bowden led the Barners to an undefeated season with basically the same players Dye had in a 6-5 season the year before. So much for what a great coach he was. Plus, he got their program into trouble. Dye’s shit but so is Auburn. They belong together and deserve each other.
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