AUBURN, Ala. – A member of Auburn’s first SEC golf championship team in 1976, Bob Dumas continues to bring honor to Auburn University a half century later.
The 2025 recipient of Auburn’s Walter Gilbert Award, presented annually to former student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through achievements after graduation, Dumas received the recognition Nov. 22 at Jordan-Hare Stadium during Auburn’s game against Mercer.
“A humbling surprise,” Dumas said. “I’m very appreciative to join an elite group of previous recipients. What an honor.”
An Auburn golfer from 1972-76, Dumas benefited from then-Auburn athletic director Jeff Beard’s determination to strengthen Auburn’s golf program, becoming the first Auburn golfer to earn a full scholarship.
“Those are great memories,” said Dumas, who earned All-SEC recognition. “Having grown up here and known everyone and had some early success with junior golf, it was a privilege and a pleasure to get to go to Auburn.”
In his senior year, the Tigers won the program’s first SEC championship.
“All teams were special but that was a special team winning the conference for the first time,” said Dumas, a finance major who graduated from Auburn in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. “That was very special.”
Dumas’ time on the Plains, as a student and an athlete, prepared him for success in the banking business, and a lifetime of service.
“Professors and mentors, friends in and outside the classroom, were supportive and encouraging on and off the course,” he said. “I’m proud of have that degree and I’m so proud of Auburn and to continue to serve and live out the Auburn Creed.”
A member of Auburn University’s Board of Trustees, Dumas is the retired president and CEO of Auburn Bank and Auburn National Bancorporation, Inc., where he continues to serve as chairman of the board of directors.
Dumas is actively involved in many civic and charitable organizations in Lee County, including serving on the Auburn University College of Business Advisory Council, and as a director of the Alabama Bankers Association. He is a former director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and continues to serve as a director on the board of the East Alabama Medical Center and as a director on the board of the Auburn Research Technology Foundation.
Dumas learned the importance of service at a young age.
“I was raised in a family that gave back,” he said. “We learned that early on. Auburn is my hometown and my university. That’s a very special thing to be able to give back, see the growth and the progress we’ve had with great leadership both at the city and Auburn University. It’s a blessing.”