Mike Patterson (footballer)

Mike Patterson
Mike Patterson
Personal information
Full name	Michael Forster Patterson
Date of birth	7 January 1941
Date of death	16 April 2002 (aged 61)
Original team(s)	Mirboo North
Height	193 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	96 kg (212 lb)
Playing career1
Years	Club
1959–1969	Richmond
1970–1973	North Adelaide
Total
Coaching career
Years	Club
1970–1977	North Adelaide
1978–1980	St Kilda
1981–1983	Frankston (VFA)
1984	Richmond
Total
	1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1984.
Career highlights
	VFL premiership player: 1967; 2× Richmond reserves best and fairest: 1966, 1969; 2× SANFL premiership coach: 1971, 1972; Australian Championship coach: 1972; Interstate Games: 1;
	Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Michael Forster Patterson (7 January 1941 – 16 April 2002) was an Australian rules footballer and coach. Affectionately known as the "Swamp Fox", Patterson was a premiership ruckman with the Richmond Football Club in 1967, and also captain/coach of the 1972 Australian Champions, the North Adelaide Football Club.

Richmond

Patterson played for the Richmond Football Club between 1959 and 1969. When first choice ruck Neville Crowe was suspended for the 1967 grand final Patterson stepped up brilliantly to compete with legendary ruckman Polly Farmer and made a major contribution to Richmond's 9-point victory.^[2]

In Round 8 of the 1969 VFL season, Patterson was hit in the face with a football by Carlton trainer, Ron Vincent. The event was immortalised in Mike Brady's football anthem "Up There Cazaly".

North Adelaide

In 1970 Patterson joined the North Adelaide Football Club as captain/coach with great success, hardening a champion side and leading the Roosters to SANFL premierships in 1971 and 1972. In 1972 he also led North Adelaide to national triumph in the Australian Championship, sealed with a 1-point victory over the Carlton Football Club.

After 1973 he retired as a player after a career of 18 years but remained as North Adelaide's coach until 1977.

St Kilda

Patterson returned to the VFL as coach of St Kilda from 1978 until Round 2 of 1980. After an extremely uneven 1978 season that nonetheless saw the Saints improve from three wins and two draws to eleven wins and a draw, in 1979 St Kilda collected the wooden spoon for the second time in three years. Former player and trucking millionaire Lindsay Fox had been brought into the club, as president, in 1979. One of his actions was to facilitate the signing of high-profile Alex Jesaulenko as an on-field player only. However this placed great pressure on Patterson's position as Jesaulenko had an established record as a captain-coach, having the year previously led Carlton to premiership victory.

During the Round 2 match two St Kilda players, in an attempt to win the ball, comically bumped into each other. Fox declared this indicated a lack of discipline that could no longer be tolerated. Patterson was sacked immediately for Jesaulenko.^[3]

Frankston

Patterson went on to coach the Frankston in the VFA from 1981 to 1983.

Richmond

Patterson returned home to Punt Road Oval in his final position as senior VFL coach of the Richmond Football Club for the 1984 season.

Death

Patterson died from a massive stroke on 16 April 2002, at the age of 61.^[4]

Honours

In 2001, shortly before his premature death, Mike Patterson, the first Victorian to steer an SANFL club to a premiership, was selected as coach of North Adelaide's official 'Team of the Twentieth Century'.^[5]

References

^ "Michael Forster Patterson". Find a Grave.
^ "P-Q". Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2007.
^ Daffey, Paul (2001). "The 10 biggest mid-season coaching upheavals". Australian Rules. Archived from the original on 17 June 2005.
^ "Patterson dies of stroke". The Age (Fairfax Media). 17 April 2002. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
^ "All Star Teams (N-Z)". Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2007.

Bibliography

Hogan P: The Tigers Of Old, Richmond FC, Melbourne 1996

External links

Mike Patterson's playing statistics from AFL Tables
Mike Patterson's coaching statistics from AFL Tables
Mike Patterson at AustralianFootball.com

[1] "Michael Forster Patterson". Find a Grave.

[2] "P-Q". Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2007.

[3] Daffey, Paul (2001). "The 10 biggest mid-season coaching upheavals". Australian Rules. Archived from the original on 17 June 2005.

[4] "Patterson dies of stroke". The Age (Fairfax Media). 17 April 2002. Retrieved 24 November 2018.

[5] "All Star Teams (N-Z)". Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2007.

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v t e Richmond Football Club 1967 VFL premiers
Richmond 16.18 (114) defeated Geelong 15.15 (105), at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
1. Guinane 2. Ronaldson 3. Dean 4. Hart 8. Clay 9. Northey 12. A. Richardson 15. Swift (c) 17. B. Richardson 22. M. Perry 24. Barrot 25. Patterson 27. Burgin 28. Strang 29. Bartlett 30. Bourke 33. J. Perry 37. Green 39. Jewell 40. Brown
Coach: Hafey

v t e Coaches of the St Kilda Football Club
VFL/AFL	1906: Hall 1908: Grace 1909: J. Smith 1911: Drohan 1913: Sparrow 1914: McNamara 1915; 1918:* J. Smith 1919: Eicke 1920: Sparrow 1920–1921: Ricketts 1922–1923: McNamara 1924: Eicke 1925–1926: Clark 1927: Heinz 1928–1929: Sparrow 1930: Cubbins 1931–1932: Hardy 1932: King 1933: Deane 1934: C. Watson 1935–1937: Minogue 1938–1940: Clarke 1941: Knight 1942–1943: Garvin 1944–1945: H. Thomas 1946–1947: Hird 1948–1950: Froude 1951: Green 1952–1953: Williamson 1954–1955: Foote 1956–1958: Killigrew 1959–1960: Francis 1961–1976: Jeans 1972, 1974: Guy 1977: R. Smith 1978–1980: M. Patterson 1980–1982: Jesaulenko 1983–1984: Jewell 1984–1986: Gellie 1987–1989: Baldock 1987: Davis 1990–1993: Sheldon 1994–1998: Alves 1999–2000: T. Watson 2001: Blight 2001–2006: G. Thomas 2007–2011: Lyon 2012–2013: Watters 2014–2019: Richardson 2019–2022: Ratten 2023–: Lyon
AFL Women's	2020–2021: Searle 2022 (S6)–: Dal Santo
St Kilda did not participate in the VFL from 1916–1917 due to World War I Italics* denote caretaker coach

v t e Coaches of the Richmond Football Club
VFL/AFL	1908–1909: Condon 1910: Hall 1911: Incigneri 1912: C. Pannam 1913: Jenkins 1914–1916: Ricketts 1917: Maybury 1918: Nolan 1919: Clark 1920–1925: Minogue 1926: Morris 1927–1932: Hughes 1933: Schmidt 1934–1940: Bentley 1941–1952: Dyer 1953–1955: A. Pannam 1956: Oppy 1957–1960: McDonald 1961–1963: Rowe 1964–1965: Smith 1964: Harris 1965: Titus 1966–1976: Hafey 1976–1978: Richardson 1979–1981: Jewell 1982–1983: Bourke 1984: Patterson 1985: Sproule 1985–1987: Jewell 1988–1991: Bartlett 1992: Jeans 1993–1995: Northey 1996–1997: Walls 1997–1999: Gieschen 2000–2004: Frawley 2005–2009: Wallace 2009: Rawlings 2010–2023: Hardwick 2023: McQualter 2024–: Yze
AFL Women's	2020: Hunter 2021–: Ferguson
Italics denote caretaker coach

v t e North Adelaide Football Club • Team of the Century
Full-forward	Percy Furler Ken Farmer Tony Antrobus
Half-forward	Harold Hawke Don Lindner (vc) Jeff Pash
Centre	Barrie Barbary Andrew Jarman Norm Drew
Half-back	Bohdan Jaworskyj Ron Phillips John Riley
Full-back	Don Gilbourne Ian McKay (c) Bob Hammond AM
Ruck	Tom Leahy Barrie Robran MBE Tom MacKenzie
Interchange	Michael Redden Darren Jarman Brenton Phillips
Coach	Mike Patterson

Mike Patterson
Personal information
Full name	Michael Forster Patterson^[1]
Date of birth	(1941-01-07)7 January 1941
Date of death	16 April 2002(2002-04-16) (aged 61)
Original team(s)	Mirboo North
Height	193 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight	96 kg (212 lb)
Playing career¹
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1959–1969	Richmond	152 0(73)
1970–1973	North Adelaide	052 0(49)
Total		204 (122)
Coaching career
Years	Club	Games (W–L–D)
1970–1977	North Adelaide	176 (97–78–1)
1978–1980	St Kilda	046 0(14–31–1)
1981–1983	Frankston (VFA)	055 0(25–29–1)
1984	Richmond	022 0(10–12–0)
Total		299 (146–150–3)
¹ Playing statistics correct to the end of 1984.
Career highlights
VFL premiership player: 1967 2× Richmond reserves best and fairest: 1966, 1969 2× SANFL premiership coach: 1971, 1972 Australian Championship coach: 1972 Interstate Games: 1
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com