Tommie J. Patterson (October 15, 1948 – February 1982) was an American

professional basketball In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

who played two seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA) as a member of the Baltimore/Capital Bullets (1972–74). He attended

Ouachita Baptist University Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The university's name is taken from the Ouachita (pronounced WAH-shi-tah) River, which forms the eastern campus boundary. It is affiliated with the Arka ...

, leaving college after his freshman season to enroll in the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

for three years, before returning to Ouchita Baptist. Patterson was selected by the Bullets in the second round of the 1972 NBA draft as the 25th overall selection.

Life and career

Born in

Midland, Texas Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States. A small part of Midland is in Martin County. At the 2020 census, Midland's population was 132,524. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas metropolitan ...

, Patterson graduated from Lincoln High School in

Camden, Arkansas Camden is a city in and the county seat of Ouachita County in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city is located about 100 miles south of Little Rock. Situated on bluffs overlooking the Ouachita River, the city developed ...

in 1966. He enrolled at nearby

, in

Arkadelphia, Arkansas Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,714. The city is the county seat of Clark County. It is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Henderson ...

in the fall of 1966, playing basketball for Coach Bill Vining. Patterson was a classmate of NFL All-Pro

Cliff Harris Clifford Allen Harris (born November 12, 1948) is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. A Pro Football Hall of Famer, he appeared in five Sup ...

at Ouachita Baptist, then an NAIA college. However, after his freshman year, Patterson joined the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

, where he subsequently served three years, including one year of duty in Vietnam. When he finished his service with the US Army, Patterson returned to Ouachita Baptist in the fall of 1970 and rejoined the basketball team. Returning to Ouachita Baptist in 1970, Patterson averaged 20.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in 1970-1971 under Coach Vining. In 1971-1972, Patterson averaged 25.3 points and 14.7 rebounds as Ouachita Baptist advanced to the second round of the

1972 NAIA men's basketball tournament Year 197 ( CXCVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magius and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 950 ''Ab urbe condi ...

. For his college career he averaged 23.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, shooting 52.2% from the field and 73.5% from the foul line. As he had originally enrolled in college in 1966, Patterson was eligible for the 1972 NBA draft, held on April 10, 1972. A 6'6" power forward, Patterson was selected by the Baltimore Bullets in the second round with the 25th overall pick. The Bullets had received the draft pick spot earlier in the day in a trade with the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

for eventual

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and prese ...

inductee Gus Johnson. In his rookie season with the Bullets, Patterson averaged 2.4 points and 1.0 rebounds, averaging four minutes in 29 games. He played under Coach

Gene Shue Eugene William Shue (December 18, 1931 – April 3, 2022) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Shue was one of the top guards of the early days of the NBA and an influential figure ...

and alongside Hall of Fame inductees

Wes Unseld Westley Sissel Unseld Sr. (March 14, 1946June 2, 2020) was an American professional basketball player, coach and executive. He spent his entire National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets. Unseld ...

and

Elvin Hayes Elvin Ernest Hayes (born November 17, 1945), nicknamed "the Big E", is an American former professional basketball player and radio analyst for his alma-mater Houston Cougars. He is a member of the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and a ...

. The Bullets won the Central Division with a record of 52-30 and were eliminated by the eventual NBA Champion

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Patterson played sparingly in the playoffs. Patterson played in only two games for the Bullets in the 1973-1974 season, before being waived on November 26, 1973. Patterson played with the

New York Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

in the 1974-1975 pre-season under Coach

kevin Loughery Kevin Michael Loughery (born March 28, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Career biography Loughery spent 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (1962–1973), almost nine of them with the Baltimore ...

. The Nets were defending ABA Champions. Patterson played alongside Hall of Famer

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

with the Nets, but Patterson was cut and did not appear in a regular season game.

Personal

Patterson died in February 1982, at age 33.

Honors

* Patterson was inducted into the Ouachita Baptist University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015. His daughter Kelana was present to represent Patterson for his induction.

References

External links

1948 births 1982 deaths American men's basketball players Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) draft picks Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) players Basketball players from Arkansas Capital Bullets players Ouachita Baptist Tigers men's basketball players People from Camden, Arkansas Power forwards Small forwards Ouachita Baptist University alumni Sportspeople from Midland, Texas {{1940s-US-basketball-bio-stub