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Would Dye have survived the internet


im4aual

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In 1984, Auburn was preseason #1, that team (with a backfield of Bo Jackson, Brent Fullwood, and Tommie Agee) lost four game (including to a bama team with a losing record) and ended up in the Liberty Bowl.  The next year Auburn started off #2, but moved to #1 the second week of the season.  That team also lost four games, with a Heisman winner at tailback.  I'm not comparing Pat and Gus, just their situations.  So, honestly, how many of you would have been calling for Pat's job at the end of the 1985 season?  He had just finished his 5th season, and had one SEC title and back to back disappointing seasons.  Now, the next four years he would beat bama four straight times and win three SEC titles - but nobody knew that in 1985.  Just curious how many of you would be calling for his firing, or at least removal as athletic director.  

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Probably not.

But then the internet, social media in general, is the world's downfall anyway.

 

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Yes, he'd have survived.  

In 1984, 3 of Pat Dye's 4 losses were to Top 15 teams and he won his bowl game that year. 

In 1985, Pat Dye had only 3 season losses.  One was to #2 Florida - the only home game he lost that season.  

Only that one Florida game was of The Genius™-level embarrassment.

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3 minutes ago, AURealist said:

Yes, he'd have survived.  

In 1984, 3 of Pat Dye's 4 losses were to Top 15 teams and he won his bowl game that year. 

In 1985, Pat Dye had only 3 season losses.  One was to #2 Florida - the only home game he lost that season.  

Only that one Florida game was of The Genius™-level embarrassment.

He would’ve been on the hot seat entering 1986, no doubt. But neither of those two seasons were as bad as 2015 or 2018, more on the level of 2014 and 2016.

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In 1985, he lost to Tennessee, Florida, bama, and the bowl game to Texas A&M.  Four losses

10 minutes ago, AURealist said:

Yes, he'd have survived.  

In 1984, 3 of Pat Dye's 4 losses were to Top 15 teams and he won his bowl game that year. 

In 1985, Pat Dye had only 3 season losses.  One was to #2 Florida - the only home game he lost that season.  

Only that one Florida game was of The Genius™-level embarrassment.

 

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9 minutes ago, im4aual said:

In 1985, he lost to Tennessee, Florida, bama, and the bowl game to Texas A&M.  Four losses

 

Bowl game.

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Super interesting thoughts. All I can tell you for sure is that there would be much debate within the fan base and that any idiot with a computer could throw his/her .02 out there with little or no consequence. It was a different time for sure. 

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2 minutes ago, Texan4Auburn said:

Board would of been screaming for Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer, Tom Landry, and Joe Paterno.

We'd have hired Gerry Faust at a bargain price.

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16 minutes ago, AURealist said:

We'd have hired Gerry Faust at a bargain price.

It pains me to think of how bad it could have been. 

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I think he survives at that time because there was still more patience then than now. Maybe it just seemed that way because you only had your circle of friends talk to and not hundreds through social media. Plenty of frustration with watching some of Dye's games though. I always think of him as the "60 Minutes" coach for two reasons. His initial press conference comment about Bama that gave every Auburn fan hope for the future. Then the  Eric Ramsey story that broke on CBS 60 Minutes that gave every Auburn fan doubts about the future. 

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If Alabama and Georgia were as average now as they were then, Gus wouldn't be catching as much heat.  (Not to say that I find the product he's put on the field acceptable).  Also, Dye's teams rarely looked unprepared.  They might have lost some games, but they were not going to roll over for anybody.

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4 minutes ago, triangletiger said:

If Alabama and Georgia were as average now as they were then, Gus wouldn't be catching as much heat.  (Not to say that I find the product he's put on the field acceptable).  Also, Dye's teams rarely looked unprepared.  They might have lost some games, but they were not going to roll over for anybody.

Bingo.

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The key point is what was he making during those 4 loss years? 

Was he in the top 6 in salary when he was up and down? I doubt it. 

Plus the money demands more now, than back then. The College money didn't come into shape until TV took off..

He always had support for bringing the Alabama game to AU, so that was an ace in the hole.

The NCAA troubles did him in for sure...

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No. The rumors would have been investigated a bit more thoroughly with video everywhere. Hell, they got voice recorded. SO imagine having phones everywhere that capture the situation.

With that being said, there are many things that went on that would not have happened. Dye was not a dumb man.

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The answer to the question is that most people on here would have been screaming to get rid of him.    I saw a lot of games that I shook my head at some of the plays that were called.   People would have been screaming for him to go because of the wishbone offense that he ran.  Don’t look at what he did after 86, the question was on the 84 / 85 seasons 

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47 minutes ago, triangletiger said:

If Alabama and Georgia were as average now as they were then, Gus wouldn't be catching as much heat.  (Not to say that I find the product he's put on the field acceptable).  Also, Dye's teams rarely looked unprepared.  They might have lost some games, but they were not going to roll over for anybody.

I was too young. But this would be my question- Did we have honorable losses those years, or did CPD bungle everything?

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58 minutes ago, aubaseball said:

The answer to the question is that most people on here would have been screaming to get rid of him.    I saw a lot of games that I shook my head at some of the plays that were called.   People would have been screaming for him to go because of the wishbone offense that he ran.  Don’t look at what he did after 86, the question was on the 84 / 85 seasons 

Nope.  ->  I disagree with your post.  

The question is whether Pat Dye would have survived if the internet were around in 1985.

Yes.  Pat Dye would have survived if the internet were around in 1985.

We all screamed at the play-calling (like always running for 1 yard up the middle on 2nd down and 1) and we dog-cussed him when he lost, but none of us wanted him fired.  That was my final year at Auburn and nobody was saying fire Pat Dye.

 

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No way all those years that his only lose to top 20 teams would not have been good enough. we have seen that to be true. If it's not even good enough if you beat them once then lose to them the second time, losing to them once sure isn't good enough. Dye as much as I loved him could not have survived the Internet because of off field stuff either.

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16 minutes ago, AURealist said:

Nope.  We all screamed at the play-calling (like always running for 1 yard up the middle on 2nd down and 1) and we dog-cussed him when he lost, but none of us wanted him fired.  That was my final year at Auburn and nobody was saying fire Pat Dye.

This seems to be definitive answer. 

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Too young for me to comment but I will say, the answers and responses seem to be consistent with the ideology of how people perspective is about Gus. The people normally pro gus has answered one way and the people anti gus has answered another.

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And don't forget the Wrong Way Bo call. All of us expected to live or die on that 4th down, with Bo. Although he had hurt that year, and Brent Fullwood had a very good year and had some good runs in that game too.

Even Bo thought he was going to run it on 4th. 

Had no problem going ahead with a bigger lead, and if not making it, we had them on the 1, and got the ball back.

But our FG kicker shanked it, left the team after that. 

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