A Legacy Ends

T A Y L O R U N I V E R S I T Y

Since 1913 1B

A LEGACY ENDS the stats won’t begin to define Coach Patterson’s legacy at Taylor

Volume 100, Issue 22 Friday/Thursday, April 12-April 18, 2013 TheEchoNews.com

photography by Timothy P. Riethmiller

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Patterson coached the nationally recognized “Silent Night” in his bare feet to benefit Samaritan’s Feet, an organization committed to provid-ing shoes to children in need.

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100Taylor University’s men’s basket-ball coach Paul Patterson was rec-ognized on Feb. 17 2012 by the Indiana House of Representa-tives in honor of becoming the only coach in history to record 700 wins while coaching at a four-year Indiana college.

Recognition of the legAcy

In the summer of 2005, Coach Pat-terson was selected as a court coach for USA Basketball’s Under 21 team under head coach Phil Marteli of St. Joseph College.

coAch of teAM uSA

the Road to the mythic 700 wins

Thirty-four years ago, Paul Patterson replaced Don Odle as the men’s basketball coach at Taylor. Odle’s shoes were hard to fill at the time.

Now, Patterson is a legend, and his stats won’t begin to define his legacy at Taylor over the past three decades.

Patterson announced his retirement early Tuesday morning.

“I believe as strongly as I ever have in the value of a competitive athletic experience done well,” Patterson said. “These are spiritual journeys that these guys are on, and I think we’ve seen a lot of success stories.”

Patterson has embodied Tay-lor’s commitment to tradition.

With 734 wins, Patterson is the win-ningest college basketball coach in Indiana history. No. 2 on the list is In-diana University’s Bob Knight, a com-parison that only begins to illustrate Patterson’s impact at Taylor over the years.

In his career at Taylor, Patter-son has taken 15 conference champi-onships and made 14 NAIA National Tournament berths, including two trips to the Sweet 16 and one run to the Final Four. He has also won 12 Coach of the Year awards in the Cross-roads League and was NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1991. In 1996, he was inducted in the NAIA Hall of Fame.

Patterson’s focus isn’t just on the game of basketball, but on the game of life. He holds an extraordinary num-ber of accolades as a coach, but his most important accomplishment is the impact he’s had on players’ lives off the court.

“I grew so much as a player and a person in my four years here,” said se-nior Casey Coons. “I owe a lot of that to Coach.”

Patterson is the type of coach you could write a book about. He’s the kind of person you would never forget meeting and the kind of role model whom hundreds of college basket-ball players could look up to for many years.

Patterson cited family concerns and a desire to see the program grow as his reasons for stepping down. He believes the decision will allow his wife to spend more time

with their two grandchildren.The longtime coach also noticed a

lack of depth in his team as the Cross-roads League tournament approached in late February.

“We need to have more depth in this program to answer the challenges of schools in our conference,” Patter-son said. “If I can’t get that done, then maybe somebody else needs to.”

Patterson said that he did not know what his post-Taylor life would in-clude, but he mentioned his desire to

work with young coaches. He hopes his legacy is one of doing good work and helping develop outstanding young people.

One of those young coaches he’s been in contact with is Butler head coach Brad Stevens.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to count [Patterson] as a friend for a long time,” Stevens said. “The biggest thing that I’ve taken from him is that the best coaches are constantly trying to learn and grow. He’s been a great ex-ample of that. To be focused like that and to be that committed for so long is a great achievement.”

Staying committed for so long has created numerous alumni of the

Patterson era. These former players, assistant coaches and acquaintances share the same monumental respect for Patterson and what he means to college basketball in Indiana.

“I’ve heard from a lot of our for-mer players already,” Patterson said. “And every time I do, it reminds me of [their] path through here, the success-es that have helped [them] be who [they are] today. And I’d rather dwell on those things.”

The list of Patterson players who have turned into coaches is a lengthy one. The next possible coaching prod-uct is Coons, who will likely use his Patterson lessons in a basketball envi-ronment after college.

“The most important thing I’ve learned from Coach is how to handle adversity and difficult circumstances well,” Coons added. “My experiences here and the lessons he has taught me have had an impact on how I approach multiple aspects of basketball and life, and for that I will be forever grateful. . . . I can honestly say that a big rea-son why I came to TU was to be able to play under Coach Patterson because I wanted to be a coach in the future.”

The sheer presence of a coach like Patterson impacts everyone surround-ing him. He’s an icon when people think of Taylor athletics. His genuine attitude toward both people and the game of basketball is the legacy that will be left.

“Coach Patterson is known for his philosophical approach to leadership and coaching,” said Athletic Director Angie Fincannon. “I value Paul’s ‘real’ approach to circumstances and chal-lenges. Paul’s authentic faith has been evidenced in the core of his coaching.”

Fincannon will now begin the search for the next Taylor men’s bas-ketball coach. The new coach will be-come just the 12th in 81 years of Trojan basketball. Patterson’s 34-year run began immediately after Don Odle’s 32-year stint, meaning the next Trojan coach will be the third in 66 years.

Replacing Patterson is the next step, but for now, many will reflect on what Patterson has done for hun-dreds of young men and the game of basketball.

“He’s been great for the game,” Stevens added. “He’s been great for younger coaches to model themselves after. He’s established quite a legacy in that regard.”

All kinds of personalities exist in sports. The leaders, captains, moti-vators and role models are all there. Whether they’re coaches or players, they’re all great in their own way. But sometimes, if you’re lucky, you’ll come across one that’s legendary.

1984-85

1988-89

1991-92

1995-96

2001-02

2011-12

nAiA national tournament

1983-1984(21-10)


1985-1986(26-7)


1986-1987(25-8)


1988-1989(27-8)


1990-1991(34-4)


1991-1992(29-5)


1992-1993(27-7)


1993-1994(29-5)


1995-1996(23-13)


1996-1997(22-13)

Mcc tournament

1994-1995(17-14,8-6)

Mcc tournament

1995-1996(10-4)

Mcc tournament

1996-1997(9-5)

Mcc tournament

1997-1998(20-13,9-5)

Mcc tournament

1998-1999(12-18,4-10)

Mcc tournament

1999-2000(19-14,6-8)

Mcc tournament

2000-2001(17-16,7-7)

Mcc tournament

2001-2002(25-7,11-3)

Mcc tournament

2002-2003(10-4)


2002-2003(25-9)

Mcc tournament

2003-2004(10-4)


2003-2004(26-8)

Mcc tournament

2004-2005(12-4)


2004-2005(23-10)

Mcc tournament

2005-2006(13-3)


2005-2006(28-7)

Mcc tournament

2006-2007(14-17,6-10)

Mcc tournament

2007-2008(20-12,10-6)

Mcc tournament

2008-2009(11-20,3-13)

Mcc tournament

2010-2011(15-15,5-11)

Mcc tournament

2011-2012(21-11,9-9)

nccaa national tournament

1984-1985(27-10)

final four elite eightSweet 16

Sweet 16

1996nAiA hall of fame inductee

1991nAiA coach of the year

“he’s been great for younger coaches to model themselves after. he’s established quite

a legacy in that regard.” - Brad Stevens

Butler Head Basketball Coach

crossroads league tournament

2012-2013(21-12,11-7)

734 career victories later

tAyloR tRojAnS 1979-2013

the legendary Paul Patterson retires

Design and photography by Timothy P. Riethmiller

By Jeff Yoder, Sports Co-Editor / Jon Stroshine, News Editor

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A Legacy Ends