Worthy Patterson

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Worthy Patterson

| image =

| width =

| caption =

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 2

| weight_lb = 175

| birth_date = {{birth date|1931|06|17}}

| birth_place = New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2022|12|06|1931|06|17}}

| death_place = Santa Monica, California, U.S.

| high_school =

| college = UConn (1951–1954)

| draft_year = 1954

| career_start = 1957

| career_end = 1960

| career_number = 17

| career_position = Guard

| years1 = {{nbay|1957|start}}–{{nbay|1957|end}}

| team1 = St. Louis Hawks

| years2 = 1958–1960

| team2 = Scranton Miners

| highlights =

2× All-Yankee Conference (1953, 1954)

| stats_league = NBA

| stat1label = Points

| stat1value = 7 (1.8 ppg)

| stat2label = Rebounds

| stat2value = 2 (0.5 rpg)

| stat3label = Assists

| stat3value = 2 (0.5 rpg)

}}

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.

Early life

Worthington R. Patterson was born on June 17, 1931, in New Haven, Connecticut.{{cite web|title=Worthy Patterson NBA stats|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/pattewo01.html|website=Basketball Reference|publisher=Sports Reference, LLC|accessdate=26 November 2023}} 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.{{cite news|last=Owens|first=Joseph|title=He Leads Connecticut U. Basketballers|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=knZGAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fuUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6695,3532292&dq|access-date=30 December 2011|newspaper=Baltimore Afro-American|date=January 5, 1954}}{{cite web|title=Worthy Patterson|url=http://www.uconnhooplegends.com/menslegends/PattersonWorthy.html|work=UCONN Hoop Legends|access-date=31 December 2011}}

College career

Patterson 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. He played for coach Hugh Greer. Patterson would become the first UConn alumnus to play in an NBA game.{{Cite web |last=Amore |first=Don |date=2017-02-24 |title=First UConn Player In NBA, Worthy Patterson Challenged Many Barriers |url=https://www.courant.com/sports/hc-uconn-men-black-history-month-worthy-patterson-0219-20170218-story.html |access-date=2022-05-07 |website=Hartford Courant |language=en}}

Professional career

Patterson 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.{{cite news|title=Worthy Patterson Reports to Celtics|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=W-8gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9nIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3574,3842970&dq|access-date=31 December 2011|newspaper=AP|date=September 23, 1954}} He was waived by the team two days before the start of the regular season.{{cite news|title=Celtics Ask Waivers On Worthy Patterson|newspaper=The Hartford Courant|date=October 28, 1954}} After he was cut, Patterson returned to UConn and earned his bachelor's degree in physical education.

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. While at Fort Sill, he was an officer and played on the base basketball team.[https://www.newspapers.com/image/31174759/ "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. [https://www.newspapers.com/image/368302125/ "Looking Back: Patterson's Biggest Hoop Barely Beat the Clock"], The Hartford Courant, Hartford, Connecticut, volume CXXXIX, number 207, July 25, 1976, page 2C.

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. The Hawks became the last team to win the season without an African American player on its playoff roster.

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.

Music executive

After 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.

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.

In 1969, he was appointed manager of artist relations east at Dot Records.{{cite news|title=Executive Turntable|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jigEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA4|access-date=31 December 2011|newspaper=Billboard|date=May 3, 1969}}

In 1970, he returned to RCA as head of promotions.{{cite news|title=Famous Music in Mass Revamping|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dCkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA86|access-date=31 December 2011|newspaper=Billboard|date=June 6, 1970}} Among the acts at RCA at this time were Hall & Oates, Waylon Jennings, and Vickie Sue Robinson.

Later that year, he moved to Chess Records, where he was named national promotions director.{{cite news|title=Executive Turntable|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8wgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3|access-date=31 December 2011|newspaper=Billboard|date=January 2, 1971}} In 1971, Patterson was promoted to Sales Director.{{cite news|title=A Shift or Twist|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pIMlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D_UFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3824,338965&dq|access-date=31 December 2011|newspaper=Washington Afro-American|date=January 19, 1971}}

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.

Patterson later moved to Motown, where he worked for eight years in sales and promotions.

Patterson worked at Bertelsmann Music Group for eight months in 1991 before retiring.

Patterson came out of retirement in the mid-1990s to serve as vice president of marketing and promotion for Monad Records.{{cite news|last=Rosenberg|first=Merri|title=Making Records Far From the Urban Beat|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/04/nyregion/making-records-far-from-the-urban-beat.html|access-date=31 December 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 4, 1996}}

Personal life and death

Patterson and his wife Queen had two children, Worthy III and Tanya. Worthy III played basketball at Pepperdine University.

Patterson died in Santa Monica, California on December 6, 2022, at the age of 91.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-10 |title=Worthy Patterson, first UConn alum to play in NBA, Huskies of Honor inductee, dies at 91 |url=https://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-mens-basketball/hc-sp-uconn-men-nba-worthy-patterson-obit-20221210-20221209-fp5lbecewjc7jminjl5udkloni-story.html |access-date=2023-04-03 |website=Hartford Courant |language=en-US}}

Career statistics

=NBA=

Source

==Regular season==

class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
Year !Team !GP !MPG !FG% !FT% !RPG !APG !PPG
style="text-align:left;" \|{{nbay\|1957}} \| style="text-align:left;" \|St. Louis \|4 \|3.3 \|.375 \|.500 \|.5 \|.5 \|1.8

class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"

Year

!Team

!GP

!MPG

!FG%

!FT%

!RPG

!APG

!PPG

style="text-align:left;" |{{nbay|1957}}

| style="text-align:left;" |St. Louis