Kansas Hall of Famer Harold "Hal" Patterson Passes Away

Nov. 22, 2011

KINSLEY, Kan. – Former Kansas three-sport star Harold “Hal” Patterson died on Monday at the age of 79. Patterson, a member of the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame, lettered in football (1952-53), basketball (1953-54) and baseball (1953), while at KU. He was the 32nd three-sport letterwinner in Kansas history after beginning his college career at Garden City Community College.

Patterson, a Rozel, Kan. native, was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1954, but went on to star in the Canadian Football League for 14 seasons. Following his playing career, he returned to his Kansas roots to work in his family’s construction business and later his own.

Overall, Patterson played in 46 men’s basketball games and averaged 10.3 points per contest. He was a starter on the 1952-53 men’s basketball team that advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament; the following season he averaged 11.2 points per game. During the 1953 baseball season he hit .236 while playing shortstop in 10 of 16 games for the Jayhawks.

A key contributor on KU’s 1952 and 1953 football teams, Patterson continued his football career in the Canadian Football League, and was a perennial all-star, playing for Grey Cup-winning teams in 1963, 1965 and 1967. During his 14-year career he scored 76 touchdowns, caught 460 passes for 9,473 yards. Patterson was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1971.

Patterson played for the Montreal Alouettes from 1954-60 and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1961-67. He was named Eastern All-Defensive Back for five consecutive seasons: 1954-58 and was also named Eastern All-Offensive End seven times: 1956, 1957, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1965.

In 1962, 1963 and 1964 Patterson was named All-Canadian Offensive End. He was awarded the CFL’s (Schenley) Most Outstanding Player Award in 1956, as well as the Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy, recognizing the Most Outstanding Player in the CFL’s East Division.

He was selected as the 13th-best player in league history in a 2006 poll conducted by Canadian Sports Network TSN.

He is survived by son, David and wife Kathy; daughters, Angela and husband Mike McThomas, and Tamara Patterson; mother of children, Carol Patterson; brother, Keith; sisters, Mary Keith Stocks, Roberta Ingold, Myra Bennett and Sue Selby; three grandchildren, Brittany and husband Josh Detherage, Jessica McThomas, Jordan Hawk as well as one great granddaughter, Courtney Detherage in addition to many nieces and nephews.

Patterson’s funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26 at Morell Funeral Home in Larned, Kan. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Larned Cemetery.

Memorials may be sent to American Diabetes Foundation in care of Morell Funeral Home, P.O. Box 124, Larned, KS, 67550-0124.