The wins were amazing. Getting the Iron Bowl to Auburn was amazing. But what really helped sell the Auburn heart on Pat Dye was the access. Thanks to television, Dye was the first coach that Auburn fans felt like they truly knew.
Sure, the Auburn Football Review had been around since Shug’s days. But until Dye, it hadn’t featured sweaty locker room footage of a coach getting thrown in a shower or licking sugar off of a football or a tear-jerking speech about wrestling angels or promos for Cigar Aficionado. And then there were the commercials, Lord, the commercials…
Shug and successor Doug Barfield had some endorsement deals, sure.