Golden Gophers commemorate a legend
HUEYTOWN, Ala. (BVM) — Rick Patterson was and always will be a Hueytown legend. He spent 27 years at Hueytown High School coaching the baseball team, 41 years in all if you include his years elsewhere, collecting a total of 893 career wins. One of the best in Alabama state history.
Then this offseason, tragedy struck the community as Coach Patterson passed away following kidney troubles. He was admitted to the hospital, where he was placed in the ICU and suffered a respiratory failure. At 62-years old, Patterson passed away but not before leaving behind a sustainable system of success for the Golden Gophers baseball program. And leaving a lasting impact on both current and former players.
Now-head coach Billy Chandler, Patterson’s assistant of 20 years, is tasked with leading this team past these tragic events. Having learned under the tutelage of a legend for all these years will serve him well moving forward. Coach Patterson’s coaching tendencies are something Coach Chandler will look to replicate.
“His work ethic was unmatched. In my first few years here he’s 20 years older, and I’m sitting there and he’s outworking me,” Chandler said. “It took me a little while to adapt to that and work that hard and get through a whole day working like that and realizing you can do more.”
But one of the most important things that Chandler took away from his time with Patterson was his undeniable love for the kids. He truly cared about their well-being, whether that was on the diamond or anywhere else life took them. This bond was usually proven when Coach Patterson would have former athletes come back and visit him.
“He’d spend 30 mins, one hour or even two hours talking with them. He found time for everybody,” Chandler said. “His love for them, that was one of the reasons he pushed them so hard.”
Moving forward would be hard to do without addressing the pain of this loss, though. Chandler was very open when discussing his relationship to Patterson and Patterson’s relationship to the community. Throughout his time in Hueytown, he ended up coaching former players’ sons. He was someone who made impacts throughout multiple generations of a family.
For Chandler personally, the loss was monumental because the last 20 years of his life were shaped around days well spent with Patterson.
“It’s the man I spent as much time with as anyone, probably more time than being with my family during the season. We spent basically every day for 20 years, even a few Sundays and Saturdays outside of the season working the kids out,” Chandler said. “We spent at least 250 days a year with each other for the last 20 years.”
But the legendary coach’s memory will never be forgotten, nor will his teachings. The players are motivated to win a state championship for Coach P this season, but Chandler is making sure the kids focus on what really matters, and what Coach P would stress to them year in and year out.
“He’d be telling you to give your best effort, play to a certain standard, and whatever happens happens,” Chandler said. “If you play to win a state title every year, that’s obviously your ultimate goal, but just because you don’t do that doesn’t mean you’re a failure.”
So while Chandler keeps the team motivated with the teachings of their former longtime coach, his memory will also be remembered visually. Everywhere you look around Hueytown, you’ll see reminders of Coach Patterson. The team went all out in making sure he’s honored appropriately this season.
The players wear two stickers on their helmet, one that says “Win for Coach P” and another showing his initials, “RP.” They also unveiled new jerseys that have his initials on one sleeve, and his number, 24, on the other. They wore them for the first time during an event that dedicated their home field to his name, now known as “Rick Patterson Field.”
Now-NFL QB and Hueytown graduate Jameis Winston even came to the event to say a few words in regards to Coach Patterson and his inspiring career. While Winston spoke, more reminders were showing themselves, such as the freshly painted baseballs in the outfield that display Coach P’s career win totals, and his initials etched into the inside of home plate.
These memorials will influence the team to play the right way, Coach P’s way, all year long. Their regular season ends on April 19 when they will begin the AHSAA playoffs in hopes of getting that state title for Patterson.
“This team has a good mindset as far as winning is concerned but it maybe even hits home a little more, they want to push themselves a little more now,” Chandler said. “They want to win for him in a lot of ways.”
