LIVINGSTON – The 2005 College Football Hall of Fame inductee and former Auburn football coach Pat Dye was the guest speaker at the 10th Annual Kick-off Dinner held at the University of West Alabama’s Bell Conference Center last night.

He coached at Auburn for 12 seasons and led the Tigers to three straight SEC championships.

He also

credits first year UWA head football coach Bobby Wallace with the recruiting of Bo Jackson.

“We never would have won those championships without those two,” remarked Coach Dye.

Dye was introduced by Coach Wallace, who was inducted into the Alabama Hall of Fame in 2004.

Wallace is the only scholarship football coach to win three straight national championships in the country.

Those national championships were won while coaching at North Alabama.

“Coach Dye, who’s one of the greatest football coaches of all time, has completely impacted my coaching career,” says Wallace, “he gave me my first coaching job at East Carolina when I was 22. I followed him to Wyoming then Auburn.

“I still use his coaching philosophy today.”

Dye addressed the 200 attendees of administration, coaches, alumni, faculty, student-athletes, and fans on what it takes to be a winner.

“I may not know much about West Alabama,” he said, but I know how to win because I’ve done it.

“Winning starts at the top with support from the administration to the community.”

He encouraged the students to live each day to make UWA a better school.

Dye also shared some humorous stories of his coaching experiences.

“Many people played a part in my success as a coach,” said Coach Dye when asked about his induction to the College hall of Fame.

“My parents, the coaches that surrounded me, and just being in the right place was instrumental.”