Charles Kelly Shares What Pat Dye Told Him About Working for Nick Saban
Charles Kelly knows the Iron Bowl rivalry inside and out. He played at Auburn back in the late ’80s, then later ended up coaching at Alabama under Nick Saban. Now, as the new head coach at Jacksonville State, Kelly’s got stories — and advice — to share.
One gem came from his old coach, Pat Dye, right before Kelly joined Saban’s staff at Bama in 2019.
“Coach Dye had worked with Bear Bryant at Alabama before heading to Auburn,” Kelly recalled recently. “He respected Coach Saban a lot. He just told me, ‘Go learn as much as you can. He’s the best. You’re gonna be trained well.’”
That stuck with Kelly, who’s worked with some big names over his 35-year coaching career — including Bill Burgess, Chan Gailey, Jimbo Fisher, Deion Sanders, and Hugh Freeze — before taking over at JSU this past winter.
He also got some solid wisdom from Al Groh, a longtime NFL and college coach who once worked with Saban in Cleveland.
“Groh told me, ‘The best coaches I’ve known learned more after turning 50 than they did before,’” Kelly said. “I started working with Coach Saban when I was 51, and that really hit home. I’d worked with great coaches, but I soaked up more after 50 than all the years before that.”
Kelly also shared a wild memory from his Auburn playing days — specifically from a 1987 practice involving quarterback Jeff Burger and a fired-up freshman defensive end.
This freshman, apparently ticked off that he was stuck on the scout team, came flying off the edge during practice and slammed into Burger’s arm — a big no-no since QBs are off-limits.
Burger wasn’t having it. He grabbed the kid by the facemask and went at him. That’s when Coach Dye came sprinting down from his perch above the practice field.
“I thought he was going to trip and fall coming down,” Kelly laughed. “He got to Jeff and Jeff goes, ‘Coach, he’s not supposed to do that. I’m not just gonna take it.’ And Coach Dye says, ‘I’ve wanted a quarterback who can whoop everybody for years, and now I’ve finally got one. He’s about to break his hand before we even start the season.’”
Kelly added with a grin, “And I’m sure backup QB Reggie Slack was standing there thinking, ‘Well, I’m about to be the starter.’”
“Before He Took on Saban, Charles Kelly Got This Warning from Pat Dye”
