Pat “Gravy” Patterson
Encyclopedia
James E. "Gravy" Patterson, also known as Pat Patterson, (March 26, 1934 – October 11, 2007) was the most successful coach in the history of Louisiana college baseball. During his tenure as head coach from 1968-1990, the Louisiana Tech University
Bulldogs, in Ruston
, compiled a 741-462-2 record. Patterson produced 18 winning seasons in 23 years, and his teams won 40 or more games in 5 of those years. He was Conference Coach of the Year 7 times.
In retirement he often returned as an interim coach. Seven of Patterson's players, including Mike Jeffcoat
, Phil Hiatt
, and David Segui
, reached the majors. Patterson also coached high school baseball and college football. He should not be confused with the wrestler Pierre Clemont, who used the name "Pat Patterson" as his ring name.
in Richland Parish
in northeastern Louisiana. He graduated from Louisiana Tech in 1958, playing football and baseball under legendary Bulldog coaches Joe Aillet
and Berry Hinton
. He earned four football letters and two baseball letters and went on to earn his master’s degree from the University of Mississippi
("Ole Miss") in 1961. (1)
and took a job at C.E. Byrd High School in Shreveport
in 1963 before he joined the Louisiana Tech athletic department in 1967 as an assistant football coach. (2)
Patterson would serve as both football assistant and head baseball coach at Tech from 1968-1978 and as head baseball coach only until 1990. He subsequently oversaw one more football game, having served as interim coach in 1979, when the Bulldogs posted a 13-10 win over local rival Northeast Louisiana University, now known as the University of Louisiana at Monroe
, in his only game as head coach. (2)
As head coach, Patterson was named the District VI Coach of the Year in 1974. He led Louisiana Tech to seven National Collegiate Athletic Association
Tournament appearances during his coaching tenure, the last in 1987. In 1974, Patterson led the Bulldogs to within one game from the College World Series. (2)
Patterson served for several years as Tech’s associate athletic director following his retirement in 1990. In that capacity, he oversaw the eligibility of athletes and monitored NCAA compliance. On three occasions, he was asked to step in as the university’s interim athletic director. (2)
To date, Patterson is the most successful baseball coach in Louisiana collegiate history. He is a member of the Louisiana Tech Athletic Hall of Fame. A large poster of Patterson hangs on the outfield wall of Louisiana Tech's baseball stadium. (2)
said that "In my eyes, Gravy IS Louisiana Tech baseball. Anytime anybody mentions Louisiana Tech baseball, his name comes up. He set the bar so high it isn't even obtainable to do what he accomplished here. He was an idol to me." (4)
Tech radio
broadcaster Dave Nitz said that when he entered Tech in 1974, Patterson became the "first coach I was really involved with. He took me in and was always like a father figure to me. . . . He was Tech through and through. Nobody loved Louisiana Tech more than he did." (4)
A.L. Williams, the former Tech football coach and Patterson's former Tech teammate, said that he realized that Patterson "had a lot of ability, but, mainly, we just enjoyed being around him. He was always fun-loving and full of mischief. As a coach, he became tremendously successful largely because his players wanted to win for him so much." (4)
Flo Miskelley, Tech's business manager for athletics, said that Patterson "was underrated for how organized and meticulous he was with his work. He was always the same — steady. So kind to everyone, so easy to work with, and such a dear friend to so many people." (4)
Assistant District Attorney Fred McGaha of Monroe, a former all-star Tech baseball player, told the News-Star that Patterson was "the ultimate leader, in that you always knew that he was on our side whether things were going good or bad. . . . Ironically, he didn't consider himself a great coach so he would often talk to other coaches in an attempt to learn more. What he didn't know was that it didn't matter. We were going to play harder than the other team because of our coach. He built relationships with us that lasted forever." (4)
Former ULM football coach Pat Collins of Longview, Texas
, who worked with Patterson at Tech from 1967-1979, said, "I remember nothing but good times with 'Gravy'. He was such a great friend to me and to everyone and he was the most positive individual I've ever known. He could always make something good — and often something humorous — out of any tough situation. He was a wonderful man who will be missed." (4)
Mike Kane was recruited by Patterson as the assistant baseball coach: "When my folks met 'Gravy', they knew immediately they wanted me to come to Tech because they believed he would take care of me. He was like a father to me, much more like family than like a boss." Kane succeeded Patterson as head baseball coach in 1990. (4)
patient at the Arbor House assisted-care facility near Ruston. He went into the building on October 11, shot Mrs. Patterson to death, and then turned the gun on himself. Lincoln Parish Sheriff
Mike Stone said that no one else was attacked in the commission of the crime. (2)
"This is something we've never dealt with. You hear of it happening sometimes, but never around here," lamented Joanne Caldwell-Bayles, the Arbor House owner in an interview with the Monroe News Star
in nearby Monroe
. Caldwell-Bayles added that "Unless you've really seen Alzheimers
, you can't really grasp what it becomes. The ones it really hurts are the ones who have to watch their loved ones slip away. He was grieving." (2)
Louisiana Tech President Daniel Reneau said that his campus had "lost two wonderful people. Coach Patterson was a great friend and mentor to countless Tech students over the years, and he and Glenda [who assisted in the athletic department] will be missed by all of us." (2)
Services for the Pattersons were held on October 15 at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Ruston
. Interment was at Pines Memorial Cemetery
in Ruston
. The Pattersons had a daughter, Lee Ann Teer (born ca. 1974) and her husband, Mark Anthony Teer (born ca. 1962), of Yukon
, Oklahoma
, a son, James A. "Tony" Patterson (born ca. 1960) and his wife Melanie Rigney Patterson of Haughton
in Bossier Parish, and a grandson, Evan James Teer. Mrs. Patterson was survived by a brother, John Charles Bates of Gulfport
, Mississippi
, and two sisters, Peggy Joyce Tuggle of Shreveport
and Cathy Jane Dick of Chandler
, Texas
. (3 and 5)
The Pattersons will be memorialized through the Pat and Glenda Patterson Memorial Baseball Scholarship Fund in care of the Louisiana Tech Athletic Department in Ruston
, Louisiana
. (6)
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
Bulldogs, in Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
, compiled a 741-462-2 record. Patterson produced 18 winning seasons in 23 years, and his teams won 40 or more games in 5 of those years. He was Conference Coach of the Year 7 times.
In retirement he often returned as an interim coach. Seven of Patterson's players, including Mike Jeffcoat
Mike Jeffcoat
James Michael Jeffcoat , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1983–85, 1987–92, and 1994. He played college baseball for Louisiana Tech. He is now the head coach of the Texas Wesleyan University baseball team.-External links:...
, Phil Hiatt
Phil Hiatt
Phillip Farrell Hiatt in Pensacola, Florida, is a retired Major League Baseball utility player.Hiatt played college baseball at Louisiana Tech University....
, and David Segui
David Segui
David Vincent Segui, is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball first baseman. Segui played collegiate baseball for Louisiana Tech University and Kansas City Kansas Community College. During a 15-year baseball career, he played with the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Montreal Expos,...
, reached the majors. Patterson also coached high school baseball and college football. He should not be confused with the wrestler Pierre Clemont, who used the name "Pat Patterson" as his ring name.
Education
Patterson was born in DelhiDelhi, Louisiana
Delhi, originally called Deerfield, is a town in Richland Parish, Louisiana, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 3,066.-History:...
in Richland Parish
Richland Parish, Louisiana
Richland Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Rayville. As of 2010, the population was 20,725.-History:...
in northeastern Louisiana. He graduated from Louisiana Tech in 1958, playing football and baseball under legendary Bulldog coaches Joe Aillet
Joe Aillet
Joe Aillet was the head football coach at Louisiana Tech University from 1940 to 1966. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989. During his 26-year tenure, he amassed a career record of 151 wins, 86 losses, and 8 ties. Additionally, under Aillet, the Bulldogs won nine...
and Berry Hinton
Berry Hinton
Frank Berry Hinton, known as Berry Hinton , was from 1943 to 1967 a champion baseball coach at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana.-Background:...
. He earned four football letters and two baseball letters and went on to earn his master’s degree from the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
("Ole Miss") in 1961. (1)
Coaching career
He began his coaching career in 1958 at Ouachita Parish High School in MonroeMonroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
and took a job at C.E. Byrd High School in Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
in 1963 before he joined the Louisiana Tech athletic department in 1967 as an assistant football coach. (2)
Patterson would serve as both football assistant and head baseball coach at Tech from 1968-1978 and as head baseball coach only until 1990. He subsequently oversaw one more football game, having served as interim coach in 1979, when the Bulldogs posted a 13-10 win over local rival Northeast Louisiana University, now known as the University of Louisiana at Monroe
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
, in his only game as head coach. (2)
As head coach, Patterson was named the District VI Coach of the Year in 1974. He led Louisiana Tech to seven National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Tournament appearances during his coaching tenure, the last in 1987. In 1974, Patterson led the Bulldogs to within one game from the College World Series. (2)
Patterson served for several years as Tech’s associate athletic director following his retirement in 1990. In that capacity, he oversaw the eligibility of athletes and monitored NCAA compliance. On three occasions, he was asked to step in as the university’s interim athletic director. (2)
To date, Patterson is the most successful baseball coach in Louisiana collegiate history. He is a member of the Louisiana Tech Athletic Hall of Fame. A large poster of Patterson hangs on the outfield wall of Louisiana Tech's baseball stadium. (2)
Colleagues recall Patterson
Current Tech baseball coach Wade SimoneauxWade Simoneaux
-External links:*...
said that "In my eyes, Gravy IS Louisiana Tech baseball. Anytime anybody mentions Louisiana Tech baseball, his name comes up. He set the bar so high it isn't even obtainable to do what he accomplished here. He was an idol to me." (4)
Tech radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcaster Dave Nitz said that when he entered Tech in 1974, Patterson became the "first coach I was really involved with. He took me in and was always like a father figure to me. . . . He was Tech through and through. Nobody loved Louisiana Tech more than he did." (4)
A.L. Williams, the former Tech football coach and Patterson's former Tech teammate, said that he realized that Patterson "had a lot of ability, but, mainly, we just enjoyed being around him. He was always fun-loving and full of mischief. As a coach, he became tremendously successful largely because his players wanted to win for him so much." (4)
Flo Miskelley, Tech's business manager for athletics, said that Patterson "was underrated for how organized and meticulous he was with his work. He was always the same — steady. So kind to everyone, so easy to work with, and such a dear friend to so many people." (4)
Assistant District Attorney Fred McGaha of Monroe, a former all-star Tech baseball player, told the News-Star that Patterson was "the ultimate leader, in that you always knew that he was on our side whether things were going good or bad. . . . Ironically, he didn't consider himself a great coach so he would often talk to other coaches in an attempt to learn more. What he didn't know was that it didn't matter. We were going to play harder than the other team because of our coach. He built relationships with us that lasted forever." (4)
Former ULM football coach Pat Collins of Longview, Texas
Longview, Texas
Longview is a city in Gregg and Harrison Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 80,455. Most of the city is located in Gregg County, of which it is the county seat; only a small part extends into the western part of neighboring Harrison County. It is...
, who worked with Patterson at Tech from 1967-1979, said, "I remember nothing but good times with 'Gravy'. He was such a great friend to me and to everyone and he was the most positive individual I've ever known. He could always make something good — and often something humorous — out of any tough situation. He was a wonderful man who will be missed." (4)
Mike Kane was recruited by Patterson as the assistant baseball coach: "When my folks met 'Gravy', they knew immediately they wanted me to come to Tech because they believed he would take care of me. He was like a father to me, much more like family than like a boss." Kane succeeded Patterson as head baseball coach in 1990. (4)
Murder-suicide
According to police reports, Patterson was overcome with grief for his wife, the former Glenda Bates (born ca. 1936), an Alzheimer'sAlzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
patient at the Arbor House assisted-care facility near Ruston. He went into the building on October 11, shot Mrs. Patterson to death, and then turned the gun on himself. Lincoln Parish Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
Mike Stone said that no one else was attacked in the commission of the crime. (2)
"This is something we've never dealt with. You hear of it happening sometimes, but never around here," lamented Joanne Caldwell-Bayles, the Arbor House owner in an interview with the Monroe News Star
Monroe News Star
The News-Star is the principal newspaper of Monroe and northeastern Louisiana. Its circulation area ranges over some dozen parishes from Ruston, the seat of Lincoln Parish, on the west, to Tallulah in Madison Parish on the east, to the Arkansas state line on the north, and to Ferriday in Concordia...
in nearby Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
. Caldwell-Bayles added that "Unless you've really seen Alzheimers
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
, you can't really grasp what it becomes. The ones it really hurts are the ones who have to watch their loved ones slip away. He was grieving." (2)
Louisiana Tech President Daniel Reneau said that his campus had "lost two wonderful people. Coach Patterson was a great friend and mentor to countless Tech students over the years, and he and Glenda [who assisted in the athletic department] will be missed by all of us." (2)
Services for the Pattersons were held on October 15 at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
. Interment was at Pines Memorial Cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
. The Pattersons had a daughter, Lee Ann Teer (born ca. 1974) and her husband, Mark Anthony Teer (born ca. 1962), of Yukon
Yukon, Oklahoma
Yukon is a city in Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The population was 22,709 at the 2010 census....
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, a son, James A. "Tony" Patterson (born ca. 1960) and his wife Melanie Rigney Patterson of Haughton
Haughton, Louisiana
Haughton is a town in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,792 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Haughton is located at ....
in Bossier Parish, and a grandson, Evan James Teer. Mrs. Patterson was survived by a brother, John Charles Bates of Gulfport
Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and two sisters, Peggy Joyce Tuggle of Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
and Cathy Jane Dick of Chandler
Chandler, Texas
Chandler is a city in Henderson County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,099 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Chandler is located at ....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. (3 and 5)
The Pattersons will be memorialized through the Pat and Glenda Patterson Memorial Baseball Scholarship Fund in care of the Louisiana Tech Athletic Department in Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. (6)