Worthington R. Patterson Jr. (June 17, 1931 – December 6, 2022) was an American basketball player who played for the UConn Huskies college basketball team and the St. Louis Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), becoming the first UConn alumnus to play in an NBA game. After his basketball career, Patterson worked as a music executive.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 17, 1931 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | December 6, 2022 (aged 91) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College | UConn (1951–1954) |
| NBA draft | 1954: undrafted |
| Playing career | 1957–1960 |
| Position | Guard |
| Number | 17 |
| Career history | |
| 1957–1958 | St. Louis Hawks |
| 1958–1960 | Scranton Miners |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 7 (1.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2 (0.5 rpg) |
| Assists | 2 (0.5 rpg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
editWorthington R. Patterson was born on June 17, 1931, in New Haven, Connecticut.[1] He was introduced to basketball at the Boys Club in Greenwich, Connecticut. He attended Greenwich High School from 1946 to 1950 and then spent one year at The Tilton School, where he played for Coach Weldon Haire.[2][3]
College career
editPatterson played guard for the UConn Huskies from 1951 to 1954. During that time he was named first team All-Yankee Conference twice (1952–53 and 1953–54) and helped lead the team to three consecutive Yankee Conference Championships and an appearance in the 1954 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.[3] He played for coach Hugh Greer. Patterson would become the first UConn alumnus to play in an NBA game.[4]
Professional career
editPatterson dropped out of college a semester before graduation in order to sign with the Boston Celtics, shortly before the start of training camp in 1954.[5] He was waived by the team two days before the start of the regular season.[4][6] After he was cut, Patterson returned to UConn and earned his bachelor's degree in physical education.[3]
After graduating, Patterson, who was a member of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps in college, enlisted in the United States Army. He served two years in the Army and was stationed at Fort Sill.[3] While at Fort Sill, he was an officer and played on the base basketball team.[7][8]
In 1957, Patterson returned to professional basketball as a member of the St. Louis Hawks. He was the only African-American player in camp that year. His first NBA game, against the Celtics, took place on October 22, 1957. He was released after three months with the team, during which time he played in 4 games, scoring 7 points in 13 minutes of play.[1][3] The Hawks became the last team to win the season without an African American player on its playoff roster.[4]
After his release, Patterson worked in the Hawks' front office for 4–6 weeks as part of the team's effort to integrate. He spent the 1958–59 and 1959–60 seasons with the Scranton Miners of the Eastern Basketball Association.[3]
Music executive
editAfter retiring from basketball, Patterson worked as a salesman. He spent six years at Technical Tape Corporation, working as a sales trainee, assistant to the Vice President of Sales, assistant to the General Manager, and assistant to the Purchasing Agent.[3]
Patterson left Technical Tape Corporation for RCA, where he worked at an RCA Records factory before becoming a salesman in the New England territory. He was later transferred to the company's promotions office in New York City. He then spent five years with Warner Bros. Records.[3]
In 1969, he was appointed manager of artist relations east at Dot Records.[9]
In 1970, he returned to RCA as head of promotions.[10] Among the acts at RCA at this time were Hall & Oates, Waylon Jennings, and Vickie Sue Robinson.[3]
Later that year, he moved to Chess Records, where he was named national promotions director.[11] In 1971, Patterson was promoted to Sales Director.[12]
In 1972, Patterson became Eastern district sales manager for Warner/Reprise Records. In 1973, he joined Warner Brothers’ subsidiary Casablanca Records, where he was charge of promotions for the new label. Casablanca's acts included Kiss, Donna Summer, The Village People, and Toni Tennille.[3]
Patterson later moved to Motown, where he worked for eight years in sales and promotions.[3]
Patterson worked at Bertelsmann Music Group for eight months in 1991 before retiring.[3]
Patterson came out of retirement in the mid-1990s to serve as vice president of marketing and promotion for Monad Records.[13]
Personal life and death
editPatterson and his wife Queen had two children, Worthy III and Tanya. Worthy III played basketball at Pepperdine University.[3]
Patterson died in Santa Monica, California on December 6, 2022, at the age of 91.[14]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
editSource[1]
Regular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957–58 | St. Louis | 4 | 3.3 | .375 | .500 | .5 | .5 | 1.8 |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Worthy Patterson NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
- ^ Owens, Joseph (January 5, 1954). "He Leads Connecticut U. Basketballers". Baltimore Afro-American. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Worthy Patterson". UCONN Hoop Legends. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
- ^ a b c Amore, Don (February 24, 2017). "First UConn Player In NBA, Worthy Patterson Challenged Many Barriers". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
- ^ "Worthy Patterson Reports to Celtics". AP. September 23, 1954. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
- ^ "Celtics Ask Waivers On Worthy Patterson". The Hartford Courant. October 28, 1954.
- ^ "Sill Basketball Team Starts Firing In All-Army Tonight", The Lawton Constitution, Lawton, Oklahoma, volume 55, number 161, March 18, 1957, page 2.
- ^ Smith, George. "Looking Back: Patterson's Biggest Hoop Barely Beat the Clock", The Hartford Courant, Hartford, Connecticut, volume CXXXIX, number 207, July 25, 1976, page 2C.
- ^ "Executive Turntable". Billboard. May 3, 1969. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
- ^ "Famous Music in Mass Revamping". Billboard. June 6, 1970. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
- ^ "Executive Turntable". Billboard. January 2, 1971. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
- ^ "A Shift or Twist". Washington Afro-American. January 19, 1971. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
- ^ Rosenberg, Merri (February 4, 1996). "Making Records Far From the Urban Beat". The New York Times. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
- ^ "Worthy Patterson, first UConn alum to play in NBA, Huskies of Honor inductee, dies at 91". Hartford Courant. December 10, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2023.