Worthy Patterson

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Worthington R. Patterson Jr. (June 17, 1931 – December 6, 2022) was an American basketball guard who played for UConn and the St. Louis Hawks, becoming the first UConn alumnus to appear in an NBA game.

Patterson was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and grew up in Greenwich. He attended Greenwich High School and The Tilton School. He played for the UConn Huskies from 1951 to 1954, earning first-team All-Yankee Conference honors in 1952–53 and 1953–54 and helping UConn win three Yankee Conference titles and reach the 1954 NCAA tournament. He briefly signed with the Boston Celtics in 1954 but was waived before the regular season. He returned to complete his degree and then served two years in the Army at Fort Sill, where he played on the base basketball team.

In 1957, Patterson joined the St. Louis Hawks. He played in four NBA games, scoring seven points in 13 minutes. He later played for the Scranton Miners (1958–1960).

After basketball, Patterson built a long career in the music industry, working in sales and promotions for RCA, Warner Bros., Casablanca, Motown, and other labels, eventually taking on executive roles. He and his wife, Queen, had two children, Worthy III and Tanya; Worthy III played basketball at Pepperdine University.

Patterson died in Santa Monica, California, on December 6, 2022, at the age of 91.