NEWS

Newberry College has appointed Ralph Patterson to serve as Director of Athletics after serving four months in an interim capacity. The appointment is effective immediately. 

Patterson brings a wealth of experience in athletics and higher education administration to his new role and serves as a member of the College’s senior leadership team.

A former men’s basketball coach, Patterson made assistant coaching stops at Colorado and Appalachian State before spending seven years leading the Erskine program. He came to Newberry in August 2016 from Lander University in Greenwood, where he served nearly seven years as Vice President for University Advancement and Executive Director of the Lander Foundation. The Boulder, Colo., native also served as the Vice President for Advancement at Erskine College, bringing 14 years of experience in higher education fundraising to Newberry College along with his 18 years of coaching and athletic administration.

"Ralph brings substantial intercollegiate athletics and institutional advancement experience to his new position at Newberry,” Scherrens said. “More importantly, he has a good feel for the challenges facing our coaches and student-athletes in a small college environment. He is committed to leading a program of integrity and excellence. I am pleased to have him on our leadership team.”

Patterson also has sports radio and television broadcasting experience. He hosted a sports radio show in Clemson from 1999-2003, and from 2003-2009 served as a co-host for the Clemson football radio network on the Tiger Tailgate Show and the 5th Quarter Show. He has continued to be a college basketball color analyst, and has done telecasts on Fox Sports South, Comcast Sports Southeast, ESPN Regional, ESPN3, MASN, the ACC Network, and American Sports Network.

“It is both a privilege and an honor to be named to this position and I appreciate the opportunity the College has given me,” Patterson said. “This is exactly where I want to be and what I want to be doing. I’m blessed with excellent coaches and a dedicated staff here at Newberry. I look forward to seeing our talented student-athletes continue to succeed in the classroom and excel in competition.”

Patterson currently serves as a board member of the Lakelands Fellowship of Christian Athletes (Greenwood, Abbeville, Laurens and Anderson Counties) and is also on the Greenwood Rotary Club Board of Directors.