Ragan Ingram
1 hr ·
I don't even presume to attribute this as original to Dad, except to say he's the first I ever heard say it.
"It's what's after the comma that people remember."
To wit, here is the first paragraph of the Washington Post's obituary of President Richard Nixon:
'Richard M. Nixon, the 37th president of the United States -- a polarizing figure who won a record landslide and resigned in disgrace 21 months later -- died last night in a New York City hospital four days after suffering a stroke."
Coach Pat Dye passed away today. He was 80 years old. There are plenty of others far more qualified to write his obituary -- Phillip Marshall, John Pruett and Clyde Bolton, for starters. David Housel can bring you the ultimate Auburn perspective on Coach Dye. Former players can tell you about the man. Still, I am compelled to post about a person whose activities I watched with interest -- and for pay -- during my younger years.
Depending on your perspective, there are plenty of things that could come after the comma for Coach Dye.
If you are an Auburn fan of a certain age, you can appreciate how far the program had fallen in the 1970s. The year prior to his arrival -- Auburn under Doug Barfield (by all measures a good man) -- had gone winless in the SEC.
Once Vince Dooley decided not to come home to Auburn but rather stay at Georgia, the powers that be at Auburn settled on Coach Dye. On that January day in 1981, he called the school "the University of Auburn" and undoubtedly alums and fans cringed.
I met Coach Dye for the first time in 1982 just before my freshman year at Auburn. David Housel introduced me to him just before a press conference. Coach Dye was both larger and smaller than I expected. He had a rounded face, yet his jawline was set with an intensity that crawled from him.
In the fall of 1982, I worked in the sports information office. At the home games, my job in the post game was to go to Coach Dye's small office/locker room just off the main locker room. As soon as the game was over, I would pull out a pen and a blank form and I would fill in the statistics of the game. Coach Dye would use the sheet as a reference when discussing the game with reporters.
Usually by the time I had finished speaking on the phone with one of the statisticians in the press box, Coach Dye would have finished speaking to the team in the post-game. Then he would pick up the headset laying on the desk that would allow the late Jim Fyffe and the late Pat Sullivan to interview Coach Dye in the post-game radio show for a few minutes.
In the fourth week of the season, Auburn entered the game vs. Nebraska as the No. 20 team in the nation. It was the first time Auburn had been ranked since facing Tennessee as the No. 18 team in that fateful 1980 season. Tennessee crushed Auburn 42-0 and the tailspin began that would doom Coach Barfield.
It was a measuring stick game. Nebraska was ranked 8th. It was incredibly talented with QB Turner Gill, RBs Mike Rozier and Roger Craig, and OL Dave Rimington and Dean Steinkuhler.
Bo Jackson made a Bo Jackson play and somersaulted over a defender to make it a 7-7 game. Late in the half, Nebraska faced a 3rd-and-22 at its 42. The Huskers' ran an out-and-up and caught the Tigers' defense napping. The 58-yard touchdown made it 14-7.
From there, it was all Nebraska. Auburn's offense couldn't move the ball, and Nebraska pounded away at Auburn's defense. It ended up a 41-7 blowout.
Can't say I was excited to be in that room. Coach Dye, who was just 42 but to an 18-year-old seemed much older, shuffled into the room.
He groaned as he fell into chair. He looked at me and just shoot his head and grabbed the sheet of paper that I had left at his seat. He usually had a commercial break chat with Jim and Pat to set up the conversation. This day was no different.
"Pat, I'da never believed they do that to us," Coach Dye said to Sullivan. "They just whooped us."
And though Coach Dye frequently peppered his speech with beyond PG-13 material, that's the way he said it.
On its face, it would be easy to say "here we go again." An embarrassing loss at home to be followed by more disappointment. Auburn would win 17 of its next 20 games -- losses at Florida, at home vs. No. 1 Georgia, and in 1983 at home vs. No. 3 Texas. 1983 was Auburn's first conference championship since 1957. Although the AP and the UPI chose Miami as their national champions, the New York Times chose Auburn. Coach Dye's team, in its final five games that season, beat four top-10 teams and 19th-ranked Alabama.
Auburn would win three more SEC titles in 1987-89 under Coach Dye's leadership. And he brought the Alabama game out of Legion Field to Jordan-Hare Stadium.
For many Auburn fans, that's what would be behind the comma for Coach Dye.
It wouldn't, however, be difficult to put other things behind the comma -- things more negative.
In 1987, the feel good story of college football was Syracuse, which had been largely irrelevant for 30 years. But the Orangemen (now Orange) were undefeated and headed to the Sugar Bowl to play SEC champion Auburn.
It was an old school football game -- low scoring, a Pat Dye kind of ball game. In the fourth quarter, with the game tied at 13-all, Syracuse mounted a drive. On fourth down, the drive having stalled, Syracuse kicked a field goal to take a 16-13 lead.
In the game's final minutes, Auburn forged its on drive and got to the Syracuse 13. A third-down pass into the end zone fell incomplete. Coach Dye didn't hesitate. He sent Win Lyle onto the field to kick a field goal. The game ended in a 16-16 tie. Syracuse coach Dick MacPherson was livid. He was under the impression that Coach Dye had an obligation to either win or lose. He yelled at him at the post-game handshake, and ripped him in the post-game news conference. Coach Dye said if MacPherson didn't want Auburn to get a field goal, he should have coached his players to block it.
By this point, I was the Auburn beat reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. Because it was a night game, I had to stay in the press box and write the game story for the morning edition. The next night, I was back in Montgomery and had been tasked to do a follow-up story. I called Coach Dye at home. He wasn't particularly thrilled to talk to me, but he did.
I said, "Coach, 24 hours have passed, have you had any second--" I didn't get to finish my question. The next 90 seconds was a whirlwind of words -- the kind a player would have received for forgetting the snap count repeatedly. Then he gave me a printable answer to the question.
"You know I ain't mad atcha," he said.
"I know, Coach," I said.
"OK." Click.
Dick MacPherson kept up his complaints to anyone who would listen. Coach Dye said he had "diarrhea of the mouth." Then Syracuse fans started mailing ugly ties to "Tie Dye" at Auburn University. Coach Dye autographed them and sold them to Auburn fans and gave the money to the university scholarship fund.
If you're looking for the whammy to put after the comma, the easy one is the Eric Ramsey scandal. During his tenure as a player, Eric recorded conversations with coaches, including Coach Dye, where he tried to get help for financial problems. Coach Dye's facilitation of a bank loan was deemed to be an NCAA violation and the other improper payments of food and cash led to the "lack of institutional control" violation.
In 1991, Coach Dye surrendered his role as athletic director. He was already having health problems, having missed a game the year prior due to a bout with hemochromatosis. The program was starting to slip as the sharks circled.
In November 1992, knowing the official NCAA charges were imminent, Coach Dye determined to negotiate his resignation. On Tuesday of Georgia week, Coach Dye held his usual news conference but made time for certain reporters to have one-on-one conversations. The result of one of those conversations was a story that announced Coach Dye's plans to the public. He thought the interview was "off the record."
My fate was to be the first interview after the publication of the story. Just like the outburst of 1987, Coach Dye railed for about 90 seconds.
"You know I ain't mad atcha," he said.
"I know, Coach," I said.
We spent 10 more minutes together, and he wished me well.
It was the last time I interviewed Coach Dye one on one. He told the team he was resigning the night prior to the Alabama game. The next day, his team was outgunned vs. Alabama, but it battled until talent won out.
Auburn survived the NCAA probation and Terry Bowden took the team Coach Dye left him and won 20 straight games.
Some thought he meddled too much in the football program once he longer the coach. I would argue Coach Dye had opinions that he didn't mind sharing, and that his successors stand and fall on their own decisions.
In 2005, on the day Auburn sacked Brodie Croyle 11 times, Auburn named the field for Coach Dye.
We often the phrase that someone was "complicated" as a way to explain the incongruence that occurs in people's lives. But Coach Dye was a simple man. He was a football coach, tough, hard-nosed, uncompromising, and stubborn. He had a heart for underdogs, a belief in bootstraps, and a kindness for the less fortunate. He had an interest in politics, and he developed a love for literature. That Pat Dye became a fan of Jane Austen will remain a mystery to me. I once thought it odd that in his later years, his passion became Japanese Maple trees. But I remembered the man, if he was going to be interested in it, he was going to be passionate about it. Just like he was passionate about football, about his players, and his adopted university. And maple trees, they are beautiful during football season.
We remember what's after the comma.
Coach Pat Dye, who was occasionally obstinate, frequently passionate, and always authentic and was the best football coach in Auburn history, died today.
1 hr ·
I don't even presume to attribute this as original to Dad, except to say he's the first I ever heard say it.
"It's what's after the comma that people remember."
To wit, here is the first paragraph of the Washington Post's obituary of President Richard Nixon:
'Richard M. Nixon, the 37th president of the United States -- a polarizing figure who won a record landslide and resigned in disgrace 21 months later -- died last night in a New York City hospital four days after suffering a stroke."
Coach Pat Dye passed away today. He was 80 years old. There are plenty of others far more qualified to write his obituary -- Phillip Marshall, John Pruett and Clyde Bolton, for starters. David Housel can bring you the ultimate Auburn perspective on Coach Dye. Former players can tell you about the man. Still, I am compelled to post about a person whose activities I watched with interest -- and for pay -- during my younger years.
Depending on your perspective, there are plenty of things that could come after the comma for Coach Dye.
If you are an Auburn fan of a certain age, you can appreciate how far the program had fallen in the 1970s. The year prior to his arrival -- Auburn under Doug Barfield (by all measures a good man) -- had gone winless in the SEC.
Once Vince Dooley decided not to come home to Auburn but rather stay at Georgia, the powers that be at Auburn settled on Coach Dye. On that January day in 1981, he called the school "the University of Auburn" and undoubtedly alums and fans cringed.
I met Coach Dye for the first time in 1982 just before my freshman year at Auburn. David Housel introduced me to him just before a press conference. Coach Dye was both larger and smaller than I expected. He had a rounded face, yet his jawline was set with an intensity that crawled from him.
In the fall of 1982, I worked in the sports information office. At the home games, my job in the post game was to go to Coach Dye's small office/locker room just off the main locker room. As soon as the game was over, I would pull out a pen and a blank form and I would fill in the statistics of the game. Coach Dye would use the sheet as a reference when discussing the game with reporters.
Usually by the time I had finished speaking on the phone with one of the statisticians in the press box, Coach Dye would have finished speaking to the team in the post-game. Then he would pick up the headset laying on the desk that would allow the late Jim Fyffe and the late Pat Sullivan to interview Coach Dye in the post-game radio show for a few minutes.
In the fourth week of the season, Auburn entered the game vs. Nebraska as the No. 20 team in the nation. It was the first time Auburn had been ranked since facing Tennessee as the No. 18 team in that fateful 1980 season. Tennessee crushed Auburn 42-0 and the tailspin began that would doom Coach Barfield.
It was a measuring stick game. Nebraska was ranked 8th. It was incredibly talented with QB Turner Gill, RBs Mike Rozier and Roger Craig, and OL Dave Rimington and Dean Steinkuhler.
Bo Jackson made a Bo Jackson play and somersaulted over a defender to make it a 7-7 game. Late in the half, Nebraska faced a 3rd-and-22 at its 42. The Huskers' ran an out-and-up and caught the Tigers' defense napping. The 58-yard touchdown made it 14-7.
From there, it was all Nebraska. Auburn's offense couldn't move the ball, and Nebraska pounded away at Auburn's defense. It ended up a 41-7 blowout.
Can't say I was excited to be in that room. Coach Dye, who was just 42 but to an 18-year-old seemed much older, shuffled into the room.
He groaned as he fell into chair. He looked at me and just shoot his head and grabbed the sheet of paper that I had left at his seat. He usually had a commercial break chat with Jim and Pat to set up the conversation. This day was no different.
"Pat, I'da never believed they do that to us," Coach Dye said to Sullivan. "They just whooped us."
And though Coach Dye frequently peppered his speech with beyond PG-13 material, that's the way he said it.
On its face, it would be easy to say "here we go again." An embarrassing loss at home to be followed by more disappointment. Auburn would win 17 of its next 20 games -- losses at Florida, at home vs. No. 1 Georgia, and in 1983 at home vs. No. 3 Texas. 1983 was Auburn's first conference championship since 1957. Although the AP and the UPI chose Miami as their national champions, the New York Times chose Auburn. Coach Dye's team, in its final five games that season, beat four top-10 teams and 19th-ranked Alabama.
Auburn would win three more SEC titles in 1987-89 under Coach Dye's leadership. And he brought the Alabama game out of Legion Field to Jordan-Hare Stadium.
For many Auburn fans, that's what would be behind the comma for Coach Dye.
It wouldn't, however, be difficult to put other things behind the comma -- things more negative.
In 1987, the feel good story of college football was Syracuse, which had been largely irrelevant for 30 years. But the Orangemen (now Orange) were undefeated and headed to the Sugar Bowl to play SEC champion Auburn.
It was an old school football game -- low scoring, a Pat Dye kind of ball game. In the fourth quarter, with the game tied at 13-all, Syracuse mounted a drive. On fourth down, the drive having stalled, Syracuse kicked a field goal to take a 16-13 lead.
In the game's final minutes, Auburn forged its on drive and got to the Syracuse 13. A third-down pass into the end zone fell incomplete. Coach Dye didn't hesitate. He sent Win Lyle onto the field to kick a field goal. The game ended in a 16-16 tie. Syracuse coach Dick MacPherson was livid. He was under the impression that Coach Dye had an obligation to either win or lose. He yelled at him at the post-game handshake, and ripped him in the post-game news conference. Coach Dye said if MacPherson didn't want Auburn to get a field goal, he should have coached his players to block it.
By this point, I was the Auburn beat reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. Because it was a night game, I had to stay in the press box and write the game story for the morning edition. The next night, I was back in Montgomery and had been tasked to do a follow-up story. I called Coach Dye at home. He wasn't particularly thrilled to talk to me, but he did.
I said, "Coach, 24 hours have passed, have you had any second--" I didn't get to finish my question. The next 90 seconds was a whirlwind of words -- the kind a player would have received for forgetting the snap count repeatedly. Then he gave me a printable answer to the question.
"You know I ain't mad atcha," he said.
"I know, Coach," I said.
"OK." Click.
Dick MacPherson kept up his complaints to anyone who would listen. Coach Dye said he had "diarrhea of the mouth." Then Syracuse fans started mailing ugly ties to "Tie Dye" at Auburn University. Coach Dye autographed them and sold them to Auburn fans and gave the money to the university scholarship fund.
If you're looking for the whammy to put after the comma, the easy one is the Eric Ramsey scandal. During his tenure as a player, Eric recorded conversations with coaches, including Coach Dye, where he tried to get help for financial problems. Coach Dye's facilitation of a bank loan was deemed to be an NCAA violation and the other improper payments of food and cash led to the "lack of institutional control" violation.
In 1991, Coach Dye surrendered his role as athletic director. He was already having health problems, having missed a game the year prior due to a bout with hemochromatosis. The program was starting to slip as the sharks circled.
In November 1992, knowing the official NCAA charges were imminent, Coach Dye determined to negotiate his resignation. On Tuesday of Georgia week, Coach Dye held his usual news conference but made time for certain reporters to have one-on-one conversations. The result of one of those conversations was a story that announced Coach Dye's plans to the public. He thought the interview was "off the record."
My fate was to be the first interview after the publication of the story. Just like the outburst of 1987, Coach Dye railed for about 90 seconds.
"You know I ain't mad atcha," he said.
"I know, Coach," I said.
We spent 10 more minutes together, and he wished me well.
It was the last time I interviewed Coach Dye one on one. He told the team he was resigning the night prior to the Alabama game. The next day, his team was outgunned vs. Alabama, but it battled until talent won out.
Auburn survived the NCAA probation and Terry Bowden took the team Coach Dye left him and won 20 straight games.
Some thought he meddled too much in the football program once he longer the coach. I would argue Coach Dye had opinions that he didn't mind sharing, and that his successors stand and fall on their own decisions.
In 2005, on the day Auburn sacked Brodie Croyle 11 times, Auburn named the field for Coach Dye.
We often the phrase that someone was "complicated" as a way to explain the incongruence that occurs in people's lives. But Coach Dye was a simple man. He was a football coach, tough, hard-nosed, uncompromising, and stubborn. He had a heart for underdogs, a belief in bootstraps, and a kindness for the less fortunate. He had an interest in politics, and he developed a love for literature. That Pat Dye became a fan of Jane Austen will remain a mystery to me. I once thought it odd that in his later years, his passion became Japanese Maple trees. But I remembered the man, if he was going to be interested in it, he was going to be passionate about it. Just like he was passionate about football, about his players, and his adopted university. And maple trees, they are beautiful during football season.
We remember what's after the comma.
Coach Pat Dye, who was occasionally obstinate, frequently passionate, and always authentic and was the best football coach in Auburn history, died today.
