Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people through my passion for Ole Miss football. Actually, all my life, I have literally thought of these people as family. Through thick and thin, for better or worse, we have all stayed connected as part of the Ole Miss family. Family, the bond which exist around a common core.
Ole Miss football has a great player in sophomore quarterback Shea Patterson. Every great player has that one special person who stands by them no matter what. Shea has his dad, Sean Patterson Sr. I was lucky enough to interview Sean Sr recently, and I was amazed by the conversation and by what I learned. Simply amazed.
Sean Patterson Sr and I have been friends on Facebook for some time now. Like many others on my friends list, there are hundreds whom I may never have a chance to meet. There are certainly a number of them I might not even want to meet. Sean Sr is not one of those people. On the contrary, after several phone calls and a couple of hours spent talking, meeting Sean Sr is on my bucket list. Seriously.
Of course, he is the dad of Shea Patterson, the quarterback of our Ole Miss Rebels. But Sean Patterson Sr is way more than just that. In fact, he is only 1/7 of a winning team. Sean Sr, and his wife Karen, have five children, Sean Jr, Abby, Kacie , Shea and Nick.
Ok, being a parent of two sons myself, I know this has to be tough. Why? Because, as parents we can all remember shuffling kids from baseball practice to soccer practice, etc. Imagine doing that with five kids!
So, you say, “How hard can it be? I mean most of his kids are grown aren’t they?” Yes, they also all went to college on athletic scholarship, with the exception of Nick.
Nick is a freshman at St Stanislaus, and just received his first D1 offer from FAU. Being Sean Patterson, Sr isn’t easy.
The first time Sean, Sr and I spoke was the morning after spring practice began. He was leaving Oxford, on his way to visit his oldest daughter and her family in San Antonio. When I asked Sean Sr about his trip out to Texas and how much he travels between children spread from Oxford to Biloxi to San Antonio.
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Sean heartily replied, “Man, it’s just what we do. Karen and I try to spend as much time as possible with our kids. We’ve always been a very close family and very supportive of each other. Of course, when they were younger it was a lot easier to manage. Once they got older it became harder but we’ve always managed to stay close even though we may be spread out.”
When I commented about how tough it must be to schedule everything around Shea’s football practices and games. Sean chuckled and replied, “Hey, we’ve been doing this a while. When Sean Jr, or Sean #2 as we call him, was playing for Duquesne, we really began to learn a little bit about scheduling. Gosh, you just do what you have to do as a parent to be there in support of your kids, all of them.”
That in itself, speaks volumes. Period.
We talked some about the weather on the way to Texas that day and suffered through a few dropped calls but we continued our conversation. Sean Sr went on to mention his two daughters which were both college athletes and son, Nick who just completed his first season of high school football.
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Already amazed by the humongous effort it must take to manage his family’s hectic schedule, I stated what a blessing it must be to have a family full of gifted athletes. Immediately Sean Sr replied, “My dad, that’s where they get it from, and I guess some from me. I’d like to think they got all that talent from me but, I know my dad is where it comes from.” His dad, George Patterson, played in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons.
Since the conversation had turned in this direction, I began to inquire about Shea in particular. I asked about the first time he really knew that Shea had the potential to be an exceptional athlete. “Oh, we knew when he was really little, like maybe 5 or 6 years old, he was going to be freakishly athletic. You could just see it. You could just tell he was, and as he got a little older and became more involved in athletics it was really, really obvious.”
What about the first time you really believed he could be the best high school QB in the nation? “Well”, Sean Sr replied, “If I had to pick that specific thought out of time, I would say it was his freshman year, in his first varsity game. Shea only played a half and had 5 TDs. That’s when it, whatever I was thinking, was solidified.”
Which game in Shea’s high school career stood out as one of his best games, or one of his (Sean Sr) own favorites? “Actually the two games he played against West Monroe, while at Calvary both stand out. They were both solid, really solid games for Shea.”, replied Sean Sr. “But statistically, It’s really hard to recall specific game. Although, there was one his freshman year he threw for like 588.” “Of course, I believe some of his best ball was played while at IMG, and especially the All-American game,” Sean Sr added.
Check out the end of the run at 2:22….
We discussed Shea’s numbers and also freshman season at Hildago, where soon after he committed to the University of Arizona. We also discussed the family base being moved to Shreveport, where Shea would play two seasons for Calvary Baptist. I asked Sean Sr about Shea opening up his recruitment once he moved to Calvary. “Shea was getting a lot of attention from a lot of schools all over. I think he wanted to see what all was really out there.”, Sean Sr said. “Of course, we were in Louisiana and Sean Jr was at LSU. They have always been close and Shea has always wanted to play close to him.”
Sean Patterson #2
Before I could say anything Sean added, “Shea was really bothered by breaking his commitment to Arizona. I had told him if he was going to do this, they needed to hear it from him. He made the call and spoke with Coach Rod. After that he always said he wouldn’t commit to anybody else until he knew for sure.” He referred to the commitment which comes from your word. Sean Sr exclaimed, “When you commit to a school to give your best for three or four years, it should mean something.” “Shea knows that too.”
Shea, committed to OM, transfers to IMG for his senior year of varsity football. I asked about the thought behind this decision. “Ultimately, it was the chance of a lifetime for Shea, and it was his decision in the end.” “The chance for him to transfer and play was mentioned and it turned out really well for him. I believe he made the right choice.” “Of course the opportunity to play for IMG just doesn’t come around everyday, and the coaches and other players were the very best around.” Sean Sr went on to say, “A lot of people don’t realize IMG is a very tough academic school as well.” We have always put a lot of emphasis on academics with our kids, and Shea is no different.”
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In fact, Shea Patterson would end his senior season at IMG, Win MVP of The US-ARMY All-American game, Graduate high school with honors, and enroll at Ole Miss in the span of less than two months. Shea finished last spring semester at Ole Miss on Honor Roll.
We talked about Shea and his senior season at IMG some more, and we discussed the Elite 11 Competition. Shea won the competition and was named MVP.
Sean shared a story about the competition which should shed some light on what we have as a QB in Shea Patterson. He told me about the night before the final day of competition and Shea was noticeably upset, actually not expected to win. “Shea is a perfectionist and he knew he would have to be absolutely perfect to win.” Sean Sr said.
Well, apparently Shea figured it out. He came out the following day and put down one of the most outstanding comebacks in Elite 11 history! Where have we seen that before Rebel fans?
I joked several times about the questions getting tougher, but in between, I discovered a lot of really friendly interesting conversation. I discovered a lot about somebody who I had seen up close, but never had the opportunity to meet.
Anyone who knows me, knows I love to talk and hear and tell stories, especially sports stories which intertwine into the tapestry of commonality. When simple conversation strikes a chord between two strangers. Friendly conversation. But like I said the questions do get harder.
So lets talk about Ole Miss. What was the number one thing that brought Shea to decide on OM? “Gosh, it wasn’t just one thing from a football aspect. It was everything. Coaches, facilities, just everything.” “The main thing, the absolute deciding factor was simply the environment especially for my wife Karen. She really enjoyed the visits with Shea. Karen really loves Oxford, and so do we all.”, Sean Sr said. Thank you Karen Patterson.
Being the father of two sons, I fully understand how difficult it is to juggle life with sports. I could have never done it without support from others in my family. The same holds true for Sean Sr. Karen Patterson has certainly done all she could do to make the Patterson family’s obligations run smoothly. Sean shared a story with me which illustrates the dedication of Karen to the family and their commitments.
Sean Sr told me, ” Karen and I made a pact 28 years ago after I was home just for a week, right after Sean Jr was born. I was working a week on and a week off schedule and she was working too. After one day of having him home alone by myself, and changing diapers, etc. I knew right away I wasn’t so good at it. After that day, she quit her job and began the tough job. Since then, she has been at home for all the kids, driver to all the kids, etc.”
"“For the last 28 years she has been the backbone of this family. She is the quarterback of ‘Team Patterson’ and keeps it all together behind the scenes. She has the toughest job in the world.”"
If that doesn’t stand as a testament to what family means,, then there is nothing which will. Once again, we thank you Karen Patterson.
So, Shea begins the 2016 season as a red-shirt freshman, and not expecting to play at all. Of course, that all changed when Chad Kelly went down. Now, I can imagine the excitement the whole Patterson family had. In the end Shea had shown what he could do on the field and he finished with really great numbers.
Without asking I already knew his answer when I asked. What was your favorite play from the season? What was your favorite TD pass? Laughing, Sean Sr replied, “Rebel fans really love ‘The Run’ because of Archie!” “As for my favorite TD pass, I keep going back to the TD pass Shea threw to Stringfellow I think.”
Ole Miss coaching staff took a lot of criticism over burning Shea’s shirt. I’ve heard a lot of people who believed Freeze should have saved the shirt, and started Jason instead. Personally, the way last season turned out, I believe Shea will be far better this coming season having those extra starts.
Your thoughts? Sean told me, “Well, first, it was the coach’s decision to do what he did and I was fine with it. Regardless of when Shea would get to start, we knew he would be ready to go and do ok.” “Of course the extra starts help,” added Sean.
So, we all know how the season ended and now that spring practice is here. What do you believe Shea will try to improve upon? Sean Sr replied, “Shea is a perfectionist, and he will try to get better in every aspect. He will literally work on every aspect of the game; he will never stop trying to improve on everything.”
He continued, “The A&M game was a huge game for Shea, but that’s not the game he thinks about the most. It’s the games we lost with him at QB. Shea will use those two games to motivate him and make him stay focused and get better.”
We suffered thru a couple of dropped calls, somewhere in his travels thru Louisiana. However, we reconnected and the conversation continued. We talked about the final three games and especially the last one against our rival MSU. I asked Sean, Sr about his thoughts on the OM/MSU rivalry. Sean answered saying,
"“I understand the importance of the rivalry, of course. But the important thing Ole Miss fans need to remember is that the road to a championship doesn’t go through Starkville. It goes through Tuscaloosa and that’s where our focus should be.” ~Sean Patterson Sr"
Sean explained, “See, I grew up as a Michigan fan. We always knew all the games were important, and especially the Michigan State game. But we also knew that any chance of a championship meant beating Ohio State.” He added, “I’m not demeaning the importance of the Miss State game, or their program, by the way. However, both schools should have the mindset that Alabama is the more important game for either of them.”
So, the conversation continued as we spoke more about the season and the opening day of spring practice. Being the father of the Ole Miss quarterback, Sean has an insight to Ole Miss football many of us will never have. With everything that’s happened regarding the investigation, rumors were swirling throughout. Since this had already been addressed by Shea and Sean Sr on social media. I had no questions about the subject at all. However, I did ask the senior Patterson about the attitude of the team, from his perspective. Sean, Sr responded with an assertive voice,
"“This team is close and they are focused on two things, playing football and being the best they can be. That’s really all these kids want anyway.” ~Sean Patterson Sr"
Of course, I had joked with Sean about the questions getting harder, so I asked about his prediction on the upcoming season. “12-0,” exclaimed Sean, without hesitation. “Not trying to sound cocky just because my kid plays quarterback at OM, but I’ve been around the core of this team. As a former player and coach, I can see this team will be great, and I really believe they can go undefeated this coming season. I really believe they have the team and coaching staff to do it.” “Of course,” Sean continued, “having Vandy, LSU, Arkansas, and TAMU coming to Oxford surely helps.”
After almost three hours of conversation, I knew the interview was coming to an end. Of course we had talked about the entire family, because family is very important to Sean Patterson, Sr. However, I knew there was one more football player in the family I had to inquire about. So I asked Sean Sr about Nick Patterson, the youngest of the Patterson family. We talked about Nick and his freshman season at St Stanislaus, and the fact Nick had just received his first D1 offer from Florida Atlantic.
“Sean,” I asked, “Is there any chance we could see Nick in a Rebel uniform?” Once again, Sean laughed cheerfully as he responded, “Nick is very intelligent and right now is just focused on high school and everything which comes with it. Nick is a free spirit as well, so there’s no telling where he might play college ball.”
When it comes to Ole Miss football, we certainly hope he follows in his older brother’s footsteps to Oxford.
The conversation came to a stopping point, but it never really ends. The words and the message he spoke will always stick out to me. I’ll constantly replay the conversation in my head anytime I see #20 in action.
Now, Sean Patterson Sr is not just somebody I interviewed for an article. Through conversation I can now say I know him, and Rebel nation should too.
Sean Patterson, Sr is a father, husband, and fan of his family. That comes first, before any game or any sport. When everything else is stripped away, when Ole Miss football is not the focus for any of them anymore, there will still be a winning program which has worked for Sean Patterson, Sr. Just family being family.
And we will be going fishing soon; I suck at golf.
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