Ricardo Patton

Ricardo Patton (born October 23, 1958)

Teams coached: Colorado Buffaloes, Northern Illinois Huskies
Colorado record: 184-160 (.535)
Northern Illinois record: 35-83 (.297)
Overall record: 219-243 (.474)

Career Accomplishments:

  • NCAA National Championships:  0
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances:  2  (1997, 2003)
  • NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen:  0
  • NIT Championships:  0
  • NIT Appearances:  4  (1999, 2000, 2004, 2006)

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

2019-2020 Vanderbilt (special advisor)
2016-2019 Denver (asst)
2011-2012 Maryland Eastern Shore (asst)
2007-2011 Northern Illinois
1996-2007 Colorado
1993-1996 Colorado (asst)
1991-1993 Tennessee State (asst)
1990-1991 Arkansas-Little Rock (asst)
1988-1990 Middle Tennessee (asst)

Ricardo Patton Facts

  • Ricardo Maurice Patton
  • Born October 23, 1958
  • Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
  • Alma Mater: Belmont University (BA, 1980) / Trevecca Nazarene University (MA, 1989)
  • Graduated from Hume Fogg HS (TN) before going on to play at Belmont, also in his hometown of Nashville
    • During his time with the Bruins, Patton played for head coaches Dick Campbell and Don Purdy
  • Started his coaching career in Nashville, working at Two Rivers Middle (1985-86) and Hillwood HS (1986-87)
  • Moved up to the college ranks in 1988, joining Bruce Stewart’s staff at Middle Tennessee State
  • Spent one year assisting Jim Platt at Arkansas-Little Rock and two years on Frankie Allen‘s staff at Tennessee State
  • First arrived at Colorado in 1993, spending the next two and a half seasons assisting Joe Harrington
    • Took over as the Buffs’ head coach for the last 13 games of the 1995-96 and was hired on permanently in March
    • Went 184-160 during his tenure at the helm, going to two NCAA Tournaments and four NITs
      • Won 20+ games in three of the eleven full seasons he was the head coach
    • Announced in October 2006 that he would not seek a contract extension following the ’06-’07 season
  • Took over as the head coach at Northern Illinois in 2007, leading the Huskies for four seasons
    • Was just 35-83 during that tenure, failing to win more than 10 games in any season
  • Spent the 2011-12 season on Allen’s staff at Maryland-Eastern Shore
  • Returned to Tennessee to spend four years as the head boys’ coach at Central HS in Memphis
  • Joined Rodney Billups‘ staff at Denver in 2016, working as an assistant with the Pioneers for three seasons
    • Patton had coached Billups’ brother, Chauncey, for a season and a half at Colorado
  • Spent the 2019-20 season as special advisor to head coach Jerry Stackhouse at Vanderbilt
  • Along with his wife, Jennifer, has two sons

Ricardo Patton Coaching Tree

  • Chauncey Billups (Portland Trail Blazers)
  • Kent Dernbach (Wisconsin Stevens Point, Wisconsin La Crosse)
  • Terry Dunn (Dartmouth)
  • Dennis Gates (Missouri, Cleveland State)
  • Paul Graham (Georgia State)
  • Jeff Linder (Wyoming, Northern Colorado)
  • Jamahl Mosley (Orlando Magic)
  • Aki Thomas (UMBC)
  • Sundance Wicks (Green Bay, Missouri Western)