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ALUM Spotlight Edmund C. Dyas IV '61
2006 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

Edmund Dyas is one of four distinguished recipients of the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is the highest honor given by the Auburn Alumni Association. It recognizes recipients for outstanding achievements in their professional lives, personal integrity and stature, and service to the university.

Dyas, 66, who played football for Coach Ralph "Shug" Jordan, won All-America honors as well as maintaining an “A” average academically as a pre-med student. He turned down offers to play professional football and instead went on to medical school at Tulane University and a residency at Duke University's medical center. After serving as chief of orthopedics at the U.S. Marines' Camp Lejuene, N.C., he returned to his hometown and established a thriving practice and recognition as one of the most outstanding surgeons in the region, according to Laura Megginson, who worked in operating rooms with Dyas for 17 years. Dyas and his wife, Diane, reside in Mobile, have four children, all of whom are Auburn graduates, and seven grandchildren.

At Auburn:
Received a bachelor of science in pre-medicine, maintaining an "A" average while serving as a starting fullback and linebacker for three years. Led the AU team in rushing and scoring in 1960 and selected the Southeastern Conference's "Most Outstanding Back" the same year. Member of Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Epsilon Delta national honor societies. Selected one of eight Earl "Red" Blake fellows for post-graduate study among college board of directors from 2000 to 2004, and on the advisory boards of both the athletics department and the College of Sciences and Mathematics. Featured on Auburn's "Tiger Trail" walk of fame.

After Graduation:
Considered a professional football career, but got sidelined by injuries. Chose instead to attend medical school at Tulane University in New Orleans.

Favorite Auburn Memory:
Debuting as a starter at Auburn in 1958. During his first game, he gained 60 yards but narrowly escaped losing some cartilage in a match against the University of Tennessee. "I came out to see my mother at the end of the game," he recalls, "and she saw a big ol' bruise on my nose and started crying."

The Meaning of Success:
"I always just wanted to be a good doctor to help people, and I've done that. I've done lots of good for a lot of folks, and I think that's the measure of a doctor's success."

Advice to Students:
"Don't drink so much beer, stick to the books, and do your job. Don't embarrass your parents, and you'll be fine."