Worthy Patterson

Worthington R. Patterson Jr. (June 17, 1931 – December 6, 2022) was an American basketball player who played college basketball for the UConn Huskies 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. 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.

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.

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. He was waived by the team two days before the start of the regular season. After he was cut, Patterson returned to UConn and earned his bachelor's degree in physical education.

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.

In 1970, he returned to RCA as head of promotions. Among the acts at RCA at this time were Hall & Oates, Waylon Jennings, and Vickie Sue Robinson. In 1971, Patterson was promoted to Sales Director.

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.

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

Career statistics

NBA Source

Regular season YearTeamGPMPGFG%FT%RPGAPGPPGSt. Louis43.3.375.500.5.51.8