Born in Endicott, New York on December 31, 1955. She has guided the Crimson Tide Gymnastics teams to four NCAA Championships (1988, '91, '96, &' 02). Her teams have also won three SEC Championships (1988, ‘90 & ‘95). Her teams have finished in the Top 10 in the nation the past 20 consecutive years. Patterson has been named National Coach of Year four times (1986, '88, '91, '02). She has been named SEC Coach of the Year twice (1985 & ‘95). She has coached 13 individual NCAA Champions and 26 individual SEC Champions. Her UA gymmnasts have received more than 100 All-America honors and more than 120 of her athletes have received Academic All-SEC honors. She was the assistant coach on the U.S. gymnastics team that won a silver medal at the 1997 World University Games. She served as the Senior Women’s Administrator at the University from 1985-’96.  She presently serves as the Associate Athletics Director for Community and University Relations at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.