Legendary Auburn coach Pat Dye tested positive for coronavirus during a hospital stay related to other health issues, according to a report from CBS 42 in Birmingham, Alabama. Dye, 80, was already in the hospital in Atlanta for a chronic kidney issue and is asymptomatic for coronavirus, according to the report.
Dye coached Auburn from 1981-91 and led the Tigers to national prominence. He posted a 99-39-4 record and won four SEC titles, including three straight from 1987-99. They went to three Sugar Bowls under Dye's watch, and finished in the top 10 five times during Dye's 12 seasons on The Plains. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
His success at Auburn started early when he broke Auburn's nine-game losing streak to Alabama in 1982, behind then-freshman running back Bo Jackson. That win marked a sea change in the Iron Bowl rivalry, which the Tigers won six times in eight seasons. He won eight or more games every year from 1982-90, and won SEC Coach of the Year honors three times (1983, 1987, 1988).
Charles Goldberg, senior writer for Auburn's official website, shared this email from Toccoa United Methodist Church regarding Dye's health.
Auburn coaching legend Pat Dye was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week and hospitalized in Atlanta.
— Auburn Gold Mine (@AUGoldMine) May 21, 2020
He returned Auburn to national prominence when he posted a 99-39-4 record with four SEC titles from 1981-92. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005. pic.twitter.com/Lfdcak2qb4
The COVID-19 outbreak has gripped the world over the last three months. Sporting events were canceled or postponed in mid-march. The NCAA announced on Wednesday that football and basketball teams can return to campuses and begin voluntary workouts for one month starting on June 1.