Auburn opens 'elite' Pat Dye Training Table

AUBURN, Ala. – When it’s time to fuel, the Auburn football team heads to The Dye, the program’s nickname for the newly opened Pat Dye Training Table.

“The standard here is to be elite in every aspect of your life. Between the sports science part and the nutrition part, this ties it all together,” head coach Alex Golesh said. “You’re fueling elite, high-level athletes, getting them ready for Saturdays. It’s a real commitment to getting Auburn football back to where it belongs, which is in the national conversation.” 

To create the Pat Dye Training Table, Auburn renovated a multi-purpose space near the entrance of the Woltosz Football Performance Center, forming a 2,400-square foot kitchen and 3,000-square foot dining area. 

“You walk in the front door of the facility and you’re in the training table,” director of nutrition Ethan Bauer said. “You leave practice, come out of your locker room door and you’re right by the facility. We’re working together toward a common goal to help these guys develop and perform at an elite level. 

“They understand the commitment that Auburn has to them and they’re going to pay it forward with how they utilize this space to develop to their fullest extent.”

With room for 115-140, The Dye is big enough for the entire team to eat together at the same time.

“Breaking bread with each other is the most natural way to build a team,” Bauer said. “Food fuels the body. Fellowship fuels the team.” 

Named after Dye, the 2005 College Football Hall of Fame inductee who led Auburn to four SEC championships and the 1983 national championship, the facility serves as a visible reminder to the program’s commitment to excellence. 

“Any time you leave a legacy like Coach Dye did, the wins and losses are a huge part of it, but the impact he had on a whole generation of Auburn men,” Golesh said. “You talk to the players who played for him, and you understand why it’s so important to honor him.

“The standard for excellence in every aspect of their lives. For these guys to see his name every time they walk in, this is a constant reminder right here in this building of what Coach Dye did.”

Auburn University Board of Trustees member Jimmy Rane, the founder of Great Southern Wood Preserving, Inc., provided the project’s leadership gift and honored Dye, his close friend and business associate for 40 years, with its naming rights.  

“Coach Dye would be real proud. He knew that nutrition and eating right was as much a part of building a team as what we did on the field,” Rane said. “I have a very strong opinion that the foundation we are enjoying today was laid by Pat Dye. Whatever we can do at Auburn to commemorate him is important. Some wise philosopher once said, ‘You’re never forgotten as long as they say your name.’ Pat Dye doesn’t ever need to be forgotten.”  

“Jimmy’s support has been monumental, certainly to our football program but really to this university,” Golesh said. “His willingness to give back is monumental for us as a football program.”

Nutrition and fueling operations are centered in the Tony and Libba Rane Championship Kitchen, named in honor of Jimmy Rane’s parents. 

“For him to honor Pat Dye and his parents is really cool that you’ve got both,” Golesh said. “We’re grateful as a program. For him to have his parents’ names and Pat Dye’s name live on here forever is a really neat deal.”

Auburn partnered with FLIK Athletics to bring the project to fruition. 

FLIK Athletics specializes in fueling professional athletes and currently fuels 35 professional teams across the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, MLS and USL Championship League. 

In partnership with Auburn’s dietitians, trainers and coaches, FLIK’s team of culinarians and dietitians creates customized hospitality services and programming that elevate the food experience.

“They’re taking over the space in performance fueling,” Bauer said. “It was important for us in choosing them because they’ve done it. They understand what our mission is and they have the same mission too.”

Auburn becomes the first SEC football program fueled by FLIK Athletics and the second university to have this elite fueling program on campus for its student-athletes.

“Their creativity and what they bring to the table on the culinary side,” Bauer said. “They’re the chefs behind the scenes making the food. They’re known for fueling elite-level athletes.” 

So far, the Tigers are fueling like champions, consuming 400 to 500 pounds of beef per week, along with 75 pounds of salmon and 80 pounds of avocados, all prepared in the Tony and Libba Rane Championship Kitchen. 

“It’s crucial to Auburn football,” Jimmy Rane said. “It’s a science. It’s not guesswork. It’s just as important as what we do on the field and in the weightroom.

“It says that Auburn is deadly serious about building a football team and that we’re totally professional, and that nobody will do it better than we will. Nobody. That needs to be real crystal clear.” 

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer