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Coach Pat Dye
Article by: Donna Love
As the keynote speaker for the
2008 Fire Chiefs Executive Development Conference Coach Pat
Dye shared his lessons on life with more than 150 attendees
and guests. Over lunch at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel
Coach Dye related how the principles of planning,
preparation, leadership and hard work shaped his career
which began as an inexperienced wannabe football coach and
culminated as the winning head coach of Auburn University.
Coach Dye has time and time again relied on these principles
during his football career and continues to use them in his
life today.
In his soft, south Alabama
drawl he illustrated the principles of being prepared by
relating his experiences of working with another winning
head coach, Paul “Bear” Bryant. It seems that the Bear
never left anything to chance. Every play,
every action was thought out, planned out and written out.
The Bear had a plan for every possible scenario. If the
Bear had a plan for a field goal play, he also had a plan
for a desperation field goal play. If he had a plan for a
quarterback sneak play, he also had a plan for a desperation
quarterback sneak play. According to Coach Dye, the Bear
was a genius when it came to football, preparation and
people. He had a
plan for every situation that
could happen on the field. Obviously, his preparation paid
off because Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, in case you have
forgotten, became the “winning-est” coach in the history of
the University of Alabama.
The Bear’s planning was not
limited only to the football field. He had a plan for every
contingency when it came to dealing with the press as well.
Before every game he prepared two press statements – one if
Bama won and another one if Bama lost. The Bear understood
that emotions run high when it comes to football, winning
and losing. He never wanted to say anything in the heat of
the moment which he might later regret. He planned what he
was going to say – win or lose. After all, according to
Coach Dye, “the game was over and what was important was the
next game.”
Speaking on the principle of
leadership, Coach Dye noted that leadership sometimes
requires that one make some hard decisions. One season
while coaching at East Georgia, his team continued to lose.
Before their game against the Citadel, Coach Dye walked into
the locker room and asked one of the players, “How badly do
you want to win?” The player responded, “I would do
anything to win.” Immediately Coach Dye asked that the
locker room be cleared of everyone except the players. He
faced the players and said, “We are not playing as a team.
We are not playing together.” He went on to say, “I am
leaving and I don’t care how long it takes but when you come
out the door… be together!” With that, Coach Dye turned and
left the locker room. It took 45 minutes but, according to
Coach Dye, when the players came out they were a team. “You
could see the difference in their eyes,” he said. Coach Dye
gave his team the opportunity to work out their problems and
become a united front. They went on to win the game that
day. Lesson learned…..a leader knows when to lead and when
to follow.
Coach Dye also credits his
success to hard work. He knew from the time he was a child
that the wanted to be a football coach. With a modest grin
and a small chuckle Coach Dye said, “I just plain outworked
the competition.” He also suggests that if you want to win
you must be willing to go the extra mile. “Winning is in
the extra mile” is his philosophy.
And, finally according to Coach
Dye, “People make things happen.” If you want something to
happen in your life you only have to look to the example set
by Coach Dye. Leadership, hard work, preparation and
planning…watchwords to live by.
War Eagle!
2/15/08
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