Top 50 UGA Players of All Time - No. 47 - Pat Dye
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No. 47 - Pat Dye G from Blythe
A two-time All-American, Pat Dye helped lead Georgia to the 1959 SEC championship and 1960 Orange Bowl victory over Missouri (14-0). He is a member of both the Georgia and Alabama Sports Halls of Fame. Dye played two seasons in the Canadian Football League before being hired as an assistant coach for the University of Ala- bama. Dye’s greatest success came as head coach at Auburn from 1981-1992. During his tenure the Tigers won four Southeastern Conference titles.
When many think of Pat Dye, they think of the legendary Auburn head coach from 1981-1992. What many forget is that the Augusta native is still remembered as one of the greatest Bulldog lineman all of time.
The future coach played for Wally Butts’ Bulldogs from 1957-1960, earning All-American honors in 1959 and 1960. Dye was a standout on both sides of the ball for the Bulldogs, starting both on the offensive line and at linebacker. Dye left Athens as a team captain and was named SEC Lineman of the Year in 1960.
Dye’s first two years in Athens were forgettable as the Bulldogs had losing seasons in both 1957 and 1958, but Dye helped lead the Bulldogs to a 10-1 record in 1959 and the SEC Championship. The season was capped off with a 14-0 win over Missouri in the Orange Bowl.. During his career, Dye had a career 4-0 record against Tech.
After playing two years in the Canadian league, Dye began his coaching career in 1965 at Alabama where he coached the linebackers. Dye went on to become the head coach at East Carolina from 1974-1979 before taking the head coaching job at Wyoming in 1980. A year later, Dye’s reign at Auburn began.
Dye led the Tigers to a 99-39-4 record over his twelve years on the plains before an NCAA investigation led him to his resignation as the head coach.
Many current Bulldog fans remember Dye’s comments during the 2002 season before Georgia’s big game against Alabama. Dye said publicly that he didn’t believe the Bulldogs were “man enough” to beat the Tide in Tuscaloosa.
But the Bulldogs used that comment as motivation. Mark Richt’s band of Dawgs Bulldogs went on to win that game against Alabama 27-25 when Billy Bennett’s game-winning FG split the uprights in Bryant-Denny.
Dye continues to be a critically important figure in Auburn athletics. That and his success on the Plains against the Dawgs made for a particular intense rivalry with UGA during that time. His tenure and connections at Auburn make many UGA fans at best lukewarm about Dye.
Dye was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
Top 50 UGA Players of All Time: