M Club Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1998
Bob Patterson, a native of Nashville, Tennessee, who attended high school in New Jersey, came to 1952 as a transfer from the University of Tennessee. He played football for the Tigers for three seasons under former head coach Ralph Hatley. Patterson served as captain of the 1954 team and received Little All-America honors as a guard in both his junior and senior seasons. During his three years at Memphis the Tigers defeated such teams as Louisville, Southern Mississippi and tied SEC member Tulane. He received his BS in Education in 1955 and entered the United State Air Force for two years. In 1958, he was also selected to the Tigers’ All-Time Team in 1958 which was picked by coaches Hatley, Muprhy, Zach Curlin and Cecil C. Humphreys. Following his discharge he returned to athletics as head football coach at Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport (TN). One year later he moved to the college ranks at Southwestern Louisiana where he served as an assistant coach for three seasons. In 1961, Patterson returned to Memphis State as linebacker coach for Billy J. Murphy. During his two years with Murphy, the Tigers posted a record of 16-3. While at Memphis, Patterson received his master’s degree in administration in 1962. He joined the staff at Vanderbilt University in 1963 and remained with the Commodores until moving with Steve Sloan and Rex Dockery to Texas Tech. Patterson returned to Memphis with Dockery in 1981 and was named as athletic director, replacing Billy J. Murphy. He now lives in Olive Branch, Mississippi, where he works in the mortgage banking business.
