|
 With
eight seasons at the helm of the University of
Colorado basketball team under his belt, Ricardo
Patton has etched his name into the annals of CU
basketball history.
Coming to CU as an assistant coach in 1993, Patton
moved up the Colorado coaching ranks, first to
interim head coach and then to head coach.
Patton was named interim head coach on Jan. 16,
1996, when he replaced Joe Harrington. Patton’s
position as the Buffs interim coach didn’t last long
as he was promoted to head coach less than two
month’s later on March 5 just before the 1996 Big
Eight conference tournament.
Success was quick to come to CU as in Patton’s first
full season as head coach (1996-97) when he led to
Buffaloes to their first NCAA Tournament berth since
1969. The team finished second in the Big 12
Conference, the highest finish since a 1972-73
second-place tie, and racked up the most victories
in program history with 22. On the national level,
the Buffs broke into the rankings for the first time
in a quarter of a century. Patton was named the West
Region Coach of the Year for his leadership as
selected by the Basketball Times.
In 2002-03, Colorado again returned to the NCAA
Tournament by reaching the 20-win plateau and a
berth in the south region as the 10th seed. It
marked only the third time in the 103-year history
of CU basketball that the Buffaloes achieved a
20-win season—two of them under Patton.
In 2003-04, Patton again reached post-season play,
this time it was the NIT posting an 18-11 campaign
and winning 10 conference games, CU’s most since
1996-97. In fact, during the 1998-99 and 1999-2000
seasons when the Buffaloes won 18 games, CU also
earned a pair of NIT berths. It marked the first
time that CU posted back-to-back winning seasons
since the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons.
In the 103-year history of Colorado basketball,
coach Patton teams have won 18 games in a season
five of the school’s 10 times in that category. In
addition, three of those came in Patton’s first four
years as head coach.
In eight full years as the Buffs’ head coach, Patton
has taken his teams to five post-season appearances,
a pair of NCAA Tournament berths (1996-97, 2002-03)
and a trio of NIT appearances (1998-99, 1999-2000,
2003-04). He also has accumulated 143 career
victories for third place at CU.
Patton’s success did not go unnoticed as the Big 12
Conference gave him the nod as the head coach of the
Big 12 All-Star Team during the summer of 2000.
Patton coached the student-athletes on a tour of
Austria. Featuring one player from each Big 12
roster, Patton led the team to a 5-1 mark against
the elite teams in Austria.
“The University of Colorado’s basketball program and
its student-athletes are a direct reflection of
Ricardo Patton,” said current CU athletics Director
Dick Tharp. “They are characterized by hard work,
integrity and the right type of values. The
university is truly fortunate to have a head men’s
coach with the character and class of Ricardo
Patton.”
With 143 career wins, Patton ranks third place on
the CU all-time coaching list (four wins from
passing Forest B. Sox for second place), Patton has
seen exciting finishes to his ceremonial wins.
During the 2002-03 season, he earned his 125th
career win with an exciting buzzer-beater at the Big
12 Tournament in Dallas. James Wright took an
inbound pass with 1.8 seconds remaining and
banked-in the one point win over Kansas State.
When CU defeated Iowa State Jan. 16, 2002, on a last
second jump shot by 2003 graduate Stephane Pelle,
the game was more than a clutch conference victory.
For Patton, it marked his 100th victory as a
collegiate coach.
Patton’s 60th victory as a head coach came on Nov.
25, 1999. That win came in just his 108th game at
the helm of the program, third fastest of any coach
in Colorado history.
While his on the court commitment lifts him to the
top of Colorado’s coaching ranks, what is more
impressive is his unending commitment to the
student-athletes involved in the Buffs’ basketball
program.
“I stress the importance of good character and
determination in our young people,” Patton said.
“Those are the two qualities I think we should all
have. We start there first. We’re laying a
foundation for the future. If these kids can be
successful and productive in their lives, then I’ve
done my job.”
Patton’s dedication to the more personal side of
each athlete has led him to assume the role of a
teacher, guiding his players in their personal
development. Each athlete is required to take an
etiquette class prior to the season’s start. Players
also attend several different denominations of
churches and the Denver County Jail.
“I want them to be good people and to be ready to be
successful members of society,” Patton said. “I also
want them to get a good look at where they do not
want to end up.”
Away from the court, Patton is always on the job and
has made promoting Colorado basketball a priority.
Patton has found that this promotion helps build not
only the program, but also the player.
“There’s no place too small for me to go and invite
folks to be a part of our program,” Patton said. “I
want everyone to feel welcome, to feel they can be a
part of our success. I want the community to get to
know our team on a personal basis. I want our
players visiting schools, children’s hospitals and
service clubs. If we teach the kids to give of
themselves, they’ll find that they get so much in
return.”
Before assuming the head coaching title, Patton had
two-plus seasons as a Colorado assistant to learn
the system.
As a Buffs assistant, Patton was a key to the
recruitment of Colorado prep standout and future
Buffs All-American Chauncey Billups. Billups left
the Buffs after the 1996-97 season with the
All-American title for the NBA where he was the No.
3 selection in the 1997 draft.
Before heading west to Boulder, Patton served two
seasons (1991-93) as an assistant to Frankie Allen
at Tennessee State, where he was instrumental in
recruiting another future star, Carlos Rogers, the
No. 10 pick in the 1994 NBA draft. Prior to that,
Patton was an assistant at Arkansas-Little Rock for
one season, 1990-91, and Middle Tennessee State from
1988-90. Patton was a member of the coaching staffs
at both Tennessee State and Middle Tennessee State
when each won the Ohio Valley Conference
Championships, and as such, became one of a small
circle to have won the OVC title at two different
schools.
The Nashville, Tenn., native prepped at Hume Fogg
High School where he lettered in basketball before
beginning his collegiate career at John C. Calhoun
Community College in Decature, Ala. He moved onto
Belmont College in his hometown, where he earned a
bachelor’s degree in physical education and a pair
of athletic letters. Patton garnered All- American
honors for his senior season at Belmont and has been
inducted into the Belmont Sports Hall of Fame. In
1989, Patton earned a M.A. in administration and
supervision from Trevecca Nazarene College.
Before dedicating his life to coaching, Patton
worked as a studio cameraman from 1980-85 at
Nashville’s CBS affiliate, WTVF-TV. His coaching
career began when he accepted posts at Two Rivers
Middle School and Hillwood High School, both in
Nashville.
Patton, 46, continues to live an active lifestyle as
an avid golfer and holds a fifth degree black belt
in Tae Kwon Do. He and wife Jennifer have two sons,
Ricardo Jr. (16) and Michael (15). |
