Lee Patton

Lee Lafayette Patton (April 3, 1904 – March 8, 1950) was an American sports coach. Known as Worry Bird and the Bald Eagle, Patton was a popular, highly successful head basketball coach at West Virginia University from his first season in 1945/46 until his death from a car crash in 1950. Patton's teams were noted for their physical and mental fitness, fast break offenses, man-to-man defenses, fundamentals, sportsmanship, and team unity. Coach Patton set numerous records in sports that remain unbroken.WVU Sports Hall of Fame, Lee Patton

Early life and education

Lee Patton was born in Carbon, Texas, and spent his early childhood in the railroad construction camps of Texas. When his parents divorced, six-year-old Lee, his twelve-year-old sister Florence, and twenty-eight-year-old mother Laura moved to East Dallas. There, as the son of a single mother and an absentee railroad laborer (gandy dancer), Lee was not accorded the opportunities of those from more established, affluent families. Although excluded from high school sports, Lee took advantage of humanics-based YMCA programs and various sports leagues to advance his athletic ambitions.

After graduating from high school (two years at Bryan Street High SchoolThe Dalhi, (1920 and 1921 editions), yearbook of Bryan Street High School (formerly Dallas High School) in Dallas and one year at Main Avenue HighEl Sombero (1922 edition), yearbook of Main Avenue High School (now operating as Fox Tech) in San Antonio), Lee earned a scholarship and a two-year degree at Sul Ross State Teachers College (now Sul Ross University),The Brand, yearbook of Sul Ross State Teachers College (2024) where he excelled in football and basketball. Lee then earned a scholarship and four-year degree at Northern Arizona State Teachers College (now Northern Arizona University),La Cuesta, yearbook of Northern Arizona State Teachers College (2026) where he excelled in academics and all sports. Following graduation in 1927 from Northern Arizona and two years of coaching championship basketball at Ash Fork High School in Arizona,Williams News (Ash Fork Page), February 22, 1929. Lee married Agnes Bretton on July 5, 1929.Winslow Daily Mail, August 6, 1929

Springfield College and humanics

In August 1929, Lee departed Arizona to enroll in the master's program of Culture and Athletics at the International YMCA College (now Springfield College) where he studied under Knute Rockne and Phog Allen, among others.Williams News, August 16, 1929 (page 1)

In August 1930, Lee graduated with honors and a strong dedication to humanics. Although Springfield graduates were heavily recruited by the nation's most elite prep schools, Lee Patton chose to accept an offer from Princeton High School in southern West Virginia.Bluefield Daily Telegraph, May 9, 1930 (page 12)

Princeton High School and Iona Prep From 1930 to 1944, throughout the Great Depression and most of World War II, Patton's Princeton Tigers were a dominant force in West Virginia basketball and football. During this period, all four of Agnes and Lee's children were born - Margaret Ann, Laura Lee, Mary Jane, and Lee, Jr. While at PHS, Lee became an important leader, spokesman, and catalyst for his adopted hometown.Bluefield Daily Telegraph, March 9, 1950 (page 6) Lured by better educational opportunities for his children, Lee accepted a coaching position at Iona Prep in New Rochelle, New York, and the family left Princeton in the summer of 1944.Bluefield Daily Telegraph, June 27, 1944 (page 7) Following one year of success at Iona, Patton was recruited to West Virginia University as assistant football coach and head basketball coach.The Standard-Star, April 7, 1945 (page 6) West Virginia University

In late June, 1945, the Pattons arrived in Morgantown. On December 8, his team of unseasoned freshmen and sophomores defeated the heavily favored Penn State team in overtime, 42 to 41.Charleston Gazette, December 9, 1945 (page 13) Patton's first season was the first of WVU's 19 consecutive winning basketball seasons – an era of excellence that produced an accumulative win/loss record of 76.5% by 1964. Neither before nor since has WVU sustained such success for so many successive seasons. Coach Lee Patton holds WVU's basketball record for highest percent of home wins (95.3%) and the longest streak of home wins (57). Patton also holds the school's basketball record for the most seasons with 85% or more wins, the highest percent of seasons with 85% or more wins, the most players drafted by the NBA during WVU Basketball's Era of Excellence, and the most basketball players inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame. Patton's teams drew unprecedented crowds to Mountaineer Fieldhouse, which necessitated two expansions of the facility during his tenure. Patton's overall win/loss record of 77.8% at WVU is surpassed only by his protégé and former player, Fred Schaus (79.8%).WVU Sports Hall of Fame, general membership

Perhaps disenchanted by scandals that plagued the National Invitation Tournament and Madison Square Garden, Patton played a key role in strengthening WVU's ties to the NCAA and getting the university into a major athletic conference. Thanks to his efforts and the success of WVU basketball, the Southern Conference admitted West Virginia University to its ranks in December of 1949.The Raleigh Register, December 11, 1949

One way he motivated players was by scheduling strong opponents and celebrating the well-played, hard-fought games. While always pushing for constant improvement, Patton was never known to berate his players.WVU Sports Hall of Fame Induction Program, September 25, 2004 Services for Lee Patton in Morgantown and in Princeton drew massive crowds of mourners, Beckley Post-Herald, March 11, 1950 (page 6) and six months after his death the football field in Princeton was upgraded and named Lee Patton Memorial Field.Bluefield Daily Telegraph, September 23, 1950 (page 7) Today, Coach Patton is honored as a member of the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, the WVU Sports Hall of Fame, and the Princeton Senior High School Sports Hall of Fame.

References

Lee Patton

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