Roy Patton will begin his third season at the University of Mobile after posting a 17-5-2 record and leading his team to a runner-up finish at the 2012 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship. Patton returns to the city that honored him in 1996 by naming May 30 “Roy Patton Day” in recognition of his contributions to area youth soccer.
Patton is a former professional soccer player in both Ireland and the U.S. (Glentoran FC and Bangor FC, both Irish Professional Teams, and in the USISL with the Mobile Revelers and Vermont Wanderers). He was head men’s soccer coach at the University of South Alabama from 1980-1996, earning honors as Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year 12 times.
At USA he had 14 consecutive NCAA Division 1 winning seasons, won the Sun Belt Conference from 1991-1995, and had a 100 percent graduation rate among four-year student-athletes. He was presented the National Meritorious Award for services to the game of soccer by the National Intercollegiate Soccer Official Association in 1993. In 1993, Patton was named director for both the men’s and women’s soccer programs. During the remainder of his tenure, the women’s team went 21-13-2 and ended the 1995 season ranked No. 8 in the South Region.