Patton Was pivotal In Women’s Athletics At UE

 One of the true legends of Purple Aces athletics was honored on Thursday as Lois Patton was presented with the Missouri Valley Conference John Sanders Spirit of the Valley Award at a luncheon on the University of Evansville campus.

“I give my thanks to the MVC for selecting me for this award,” Patton said.  “John Sanders was a great man who worked with such a passion; it is great for the conference to keep his memory alive with this award.”

Senior Associate Commissioner of the MVC – Patty Viverito – was on hand to represent the league and present Patton with the award.

“I cannot think of a better way to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day than to be here honoring Lois Patton,” Viverito said.  “Lois is such a deserving candidate for this award.  This is a memorial award in honor of John Sanders, who died way too young in a car accident.”

Lois was a pioneer in women’s collegiate athletics, not just in Evansville, but the region as a whole. Her contributions gave countless female student-athletes the chance to play the sports that they love while also achieving a college degree in a time where that was not the norm. She helped to build women’s athletics at the University of Evansville into the Division I program that it is today.

Patton is a native of Harrisburg, Ill.  After graduating from Harrisburg Township High School in 1957, Patton officially commenced her career in athletics as she attended Middle Tennessee State University where she graduated with a degree in Health & Physical Education in 1961.

Just a year later, she received her Master’s in Education from MTSU. Her work at the University of Evansville began in 1966 when she joined another pioneer in female sports – Ida Stieler – in the Physical Education department. From the beginning, it was Patton’s goal to give females the opportunity to compete at the highest level of collegiate athletics.

Starting from scratch with a goal of that magnitude is a monumental task for most people. Good thing for UE, Lois Patton is not like most people. Her work culminated with the formation of the first four female varsity sports in program history at UE – tennis, volleyball, basketball and softball. Patton immediately served as the head coach for basketball and softball while coaching tennis and volleyball in the years to come.The formation of four varsity sports at a university is a task that took countless hours of work, recruiting and practice. As impressive of a feat that is, that was only a small portion of the work that Lois did at UE. She simultaneously served as a professor of Health and Physical Education, director of the women’s sports program and a coach of two or more sports over the next 10 years. One of her most impressive coaching accomplishments came in 1976 when she led the Purple Aces to second place in the State Tournament.

In today’s world, budgets for collegiate sports teams can go into the millions. When Patton started, her budget totaled just $150.  Despite all of the hurdles, she had a successful career in coaching that lasted until 1981. She did not let those hurdles limit what women’s athletics at UE could do. In fact, she expanded to six varsity teams. She also played a pivotal role in the Purple Aces joining the North Star Conference in 1983. Evansville was one of six charter members of the conference, joining DePaul, Detroit, Loyola, Notre Dame and Xavier. It was Patton’s work as Women’s Athletic Director at UE that gave them a chance to form the conference with some of the more established programs that were in the league. Despite leaving coaching in 1981, Patton’s work at the university was not done.

It was just beginning. In 1978, Patton became the head of the UE Department of Physical Education. In that era, it was truly a rarity for a female to be the head of the PE department.   Following her departure from coaching, Patton put all of her concentration on that department where she looked to expand the curriculum. Just as she did in the athletic department, she was able to accomplish all of the goals that she set forth. In her time as chair, the major grew to include athletic training, sport studies and exercise science.

Lois retired in the late 1990’s, but her work with the university has continued to this day. She is one of the pivotal members of the UE Athletics Hall of Fame Committee. Her insight has opened the door for countless females to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Lois has been able to give details on these women that have made the difference in them being recognized by UE in a permanent fashion. Patton also continues to attend UE athletic events on a regular basis and even assists the Sports Information Department with photography.

One of the most prestigious awards that is given to a UE student-athlete is named in Lois’ honor. The Lois Patton Award is given annually to the top female senior student-athlete at the university and is based on athletic achievement, success in the classroom and community service and is the senior scholar-athlete award

The Missouri Valley Conference presents the ‘Spirit of The Valley’ Award to honor a student-athlete, coach or university administrator who exemplifies the spirit of the late John Sanders, former MVC assistant commissioner for operations. Criteria includes, but is not limited to, passion for the Conference, strong work ethic and sense of humor.

“We are very grateful the Missouri Valley Conference selected Lois for this award,” UE’s Sarah Solinsky said.  “Her numerous contributions to women’s athletics and the student-athletes experience at UE should always be remembered.”