Patterson matriculated at Baylor University.[1] He was named to Baylor's 1930s All-Decade Team and was the 1939 East–West Shrine Game MVP. Patterson was inducted into the Baylor Hall of Fame in 1963.[3]
Football career
Patterson was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round of the 1939 NFL draft.[4] He played for the Chicago Cardinals in 1939 and returned to the Steelers in 1940.[1] He played quarterback, halfback and punted.