Reimagining Pat Dye’s Crooked Oaks

Throughout the years, Kevin Savoy (left) developed a deep appreciation for Crooked Oaks and enjoyed visiting Pat Dye and the beautiful property with his family.

Kevin Savoy discovered Crooked Oaks, the beloved homestead of legendary Auburn head football coach Pat Dye, during a simpler time, before screens and schedules dominated so much of life. Savoy, a 1991 forestry graduate and the vice president of Great Southern Wood Preserving, learned lessons about nature and friendship while walking and riding through the sprawling Alabama property with Dye as his guide.

“I’ve been going out there for at least 20 years,” he said. “I take my boys there and our family is very much aligned with coach Dye’s purpose for the land. He was a steward of the land and was committed to building something to pass on for generations.”

His connection with Dye and Crooked Oaks runs deep with roots throughout his family, thanks to an introduction from his father-in-law James W. “Jimmy” Rane, a 1968 Auburn business administration graduate, member of the Auburn University Board of Trustees and president and CEO of Great Southern Wood Preserving.

“Jimmy and Coach Dye were best of friends,” Savoy said. “I’m grateful for their relationship because I don’t think I would’ve ever become friends with coach if they hadn’t been so close.”

Dye coached the Tigers from 1981-1992 and left an indelible mark on Auburn University — and the Auburn Family — and not just on the field named in his honor in Jordan-Hare Stadium. He also left an enduring legacy through Crooked Oaks, which includes 415 acres of lush, rolling and wooded terrain in Notasulga, Alabama.

“This property is such an incredibly special place,” said N.L. Hart, manager of Crooked Oaks. “And coach Dye’s legacy makes it even more important to the Auburn Family.”

Dye began developing the property in 1998, constructing a beautiful, rustic oasis with ponds, walking paths along a stream with falls and pools, pastures and woodlands including numerous camellias, native azaleas, boxwoods, gardenias, magnolias, oaks, pines, beeches, river birches and firs. But he didn’t just create the property for himself. He also opened his home and land to members of the Auburn Family like Savoy, who became a longtime friend and frequent visitor to Crooked Oaks.

Savoy supports Crooked Oaks philanthropically, serves on an advisory council dedicated to advancing the goals of the property, and is committed to seeing Dye’s vision for the property come to fruition.

“Even if you didn’t know coach personally,” Savoy said. “It was easy to know who he was, what he stood for, what Auburn meant to him and what he meant to Auburn. Investing in Crooked Oaks is our way to honor him and continue his work.”

Pat Dye left an enduring legacy through Crooked Oaks, which includes 415 acres of lush, rolling and wooded terrain in Notasulga, Alabama.

Cherishing the past

Dye passed away in 2020 and his beloved Crooked Oaks was gifted to the Auburn University Real Estate Foundation in 2023. The property is already supporting research, outreach and hands-on learning experiences for students in Auburn’s College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment. It also provides tremendous new engagement opportunities for the public, and with the Auburn Family’s help, this is only the beginning.

“Coach Dye poured into this incredible property, intending it to be used and enjoyed for generations,” Hart said. “As I look toward the future, I envision children and families learning and having adventures here through skill-based classes; Auburn students from across campus gaining valuable hands-on experience; and visitors creating special memories in the different lodging and event venues available.”

The property has become a nature study center and event space for weddings, reunions, corporate retreats, hunting trips and more. In addition to Dye’s main house, the property has guest cabins and a lodge with a full-service kitchen, a 10,000-square-foot lighted pavilion, gazebo and a formal ceremonial garden and lawn.

Savoy remembers visiting every corner of Crooked Oaks beside Dye, listening and learning.

“As we were riding around the property one day, he pointed out that each time we saw a chimney, we would also see a live oak, magnolia and cedar tree planted near each other,” he said. “That’s how he knew where a homesite had been. As far back as the Civil War, people would plant those three trees when they built a home — representing health, money and love. So, when my wife and I later bought a house in Dothan, you know what I found? A cedar, live oak and magnolia tree grouped together. Because of coach, I knew exactly what that meant.”

Some of Dye’s claims to fame on the property were his nursery and the beautiful Japanese maple trees he propagated there. People visit Crooked Oaks to purchase them and today, visitors can make a gift to name the trees and structures that remain on the property, with proceeds going toward maintenance and restoration of the grounds and structures.

“One of Coach Dye’s goals for his property was to develop a Japanese maple garden that people will enjoy forever,” Hart said. “We’re restoring his nursery and taking on other projects so we can preserve that legacy.”

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Coach Pat Dye's Crooked Oaks nursery gets Tiger Giving Day boost

The College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment has received a matching gift from the You Might Be For Auburn Foundation to support a restoration project underway at Crooked Oaks, the former homestead of Auburn’s beloved football coach, Pat Dye.

Imagining the future

Ensuring Crooked Oaks fulfills Dye’s vision will create a balance between the property’s rich history and a promising future. Hart is focused on increasing the academic and research opportunities for faculty and students across campus, while also upgrading amenities and options for guests and visitors.

One thing that won’t change is the connection the property will always have to the Auburn Family.

“Coach Dye created wonderful memories for my family and so many others,” Savoy said. “And that’s what we’re all committed to doing as we move into the future — developing life-long connections for the Auburn Family at Crooked Oaks.”