Ave Maria

Joe Patterson has been the Head Coach of the Ave Maria football team for ten seasons. During his tenure, the Gyrenes have consistently fielded competitive teams, three times participating in the de facto conference championship game. Additionally, the team has posted new records in grade point average, retention, and Christian service hours.

The ten seasons of Patterson’s tenure have been marked by growth. After a winless inaugural season in 2016, the Gyrenes earned the Sun Division Championship in 2018, a turnaround that earned Patterson Sun Division Coach-of-the-Year honors.

The previous year (2017), Coach Patterson had been the leading force in installing the new artificial turf at Gyrene Field, which continues to serve as the practice and playing field for soccer, lacrosse, and football. In 2018, this investment was followed with permanent lighting for the field, transforming the student-athlete experience and heightening the fan-friendly atmosphere. The football team has played in front of capacity crowds from that point forward. In 2023, Patterson oversaw the construction of a football locker room that sits adjacent to Gyrene Field.

Coach Patterson also served as the University’s Director of Athletics from May 2020 to April 2025, and was named a vice president of the University from May 2022 to April 2025. During his five years as Director of Athletics, Ave Maria added 13 varsity intercollegiate sports, going from 14 teams in spring 2020 to 27 teams in fall 2024. Athletics also took on the creation and oversight of the Marching Band beginning in 2021. From spring 2020 to fall 2024, the number of students under the umbrella of AMU athletics increased from 390 to nearly 700. Also during that time, the competitiveness of the athletics program improved as AMU had top-five finishes in the Sun Conference Commissioner’s Cup standings each year, including one third-place finish.

Coach Patterson’s five years as Director of Athletics also saw great improvements in the athletic facilities. In spring 2022, AMU opened the Suppa Malec Beach Volleyball Complex (five beach volleyball courts). In January 2023, AMU opened Judi’s Gym (three outdoor covered basketball courts). Also in January 2023, the University opened the Judy Fyke Practice Golf Complex (an on-campus chipping and putting facility). Later that year, a rugby field was installed on the north end of campus to serve the newly elevated varsity rugby program. In August 2023, AMU opened the locker room facility for the outdoor sports, and then in December 2023, the fully renovated and expanded Golisano Field House opened, complete with a weightroom, training room, office suite, five locker rooms, and two full basketball courts that serve the volleyball program as well.

In addition to being the head football coach and director of athletics, Coach Patterson also served one year simultaneously as the Vice President for Enrollment. Under his direction, the enrollment department executed a record-setting yield rate and an historically low discount rate. The strength of the class could be seen 12 months later as they set new University marks for retention and academic success.

Prior to coming to AMU, Patterson had served the previous 12 years as the head varsity coach at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C. At St. John’s, he executed a similar turnaround as he did at AMU, coaching his team to nine victories in 12 seasons against their archrival Gonzaga (St. John’s had lost to Gonzaga in 22 of their previous 25 matchups). St. John’s also advanced to the playoffs in 10 of the 12 seasons, achieving Top Twenty rankings in the Washington Post for at least a portion of 11 of the 12 seasons. During his 12 seasons, 84 of his players went on to play Division-I college football.

While at St. John’s, Patterson also taught literature, journalism, and history, receiving three different teacher-of-the-year awards, including the Archdiocese of Washington Veteran Teacher of the Year.

Patterson earned his master's degree in Catholic Leadership from the Catholic University of America, and his undergraduate degrees from Villanova University. He has written and spoken on several topics, most notably on the subject of virtue and vice in Athletics. Links to a sample of his writing and talks can be found below.

Patterson and his wife, Jana, live in Ave Maria, Florida, with their six children.

In The Media:

Sin and Virtue in Athletics
The Catholic Theology Show, 51-minute show hosted by Dr. Michael Dauphinais
Sin and Virtue in Athletics w/ Joe Patterson - Catholic Theology Show | Podcast on Spotify
 
Catholic Sports Radio – Episode 291
32-minute show hosted by Bruce Wawrzyniak
CSR 291 Joe Patterson - Catholic Sports Radio

Athletics and the Virtues
The Pursuit of Wisdom, Ave Maria University on-line course – August 2024
https://thepursuitofwisdom.org/course/athletics-and-the-virtues
 
Virtue & Athletics
At the 39-minute mark of the Catholic Connection – EWTN Radio – August 13, 2024
https://ondemand.ewtn.com/free/Home/Play/en/~CB20240813
 
Athletics and Virtues
The Catholic Morning Show – Iowa Catholic Radio – August 12, 2024
https://iowacatholicradio.com/the-catholic-morning-show/
 
On Generosity and Chastity
At the 8-minute mark of the Son Rise Morning Show – Sacred Heart Radio – August 7, 2024
https://www.sacredheartradio.com/onair/son-rise-morning-show
 
Athletics as Virtue in Action
By Joe Patterson & Soren Schwab, Anchored Podcast, March 2024
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6AMvOje17o4SXANCyIWsai?si=IVtY5Wm1Ttm07MW4Ru4Stw

Coaching as a Calling
By Joe Patterson, Seton Magazine, May 2022
https://www.setonmagazine.com/mom/coaching-as-a-calling

Authentically Catholic Athletic Programs:  Competing Without Compromise
By Joe Patterson, Ascension Press, March 2021
https://media.ascensionpress.com/2021/03/03/authentically-catholic-athletic-programs-competing-without-compromise/
 
Coach Patterson’s interview with Ron Meyer, Blessed 2 Play
EWTN Catholic Radio, broadcast February 2021
https://soundcloud.com/ewtn-radio/blessed-2-play-021421-joe-patterson#
 
What I Learned from Ave Maria University Football
By John Clark, National Catholic Register, October 2020
https://www.ncregister.com/blog/what-i-learned-from-ave-maria-university-football
 
Ave Maria sports teams return as only Southwest Florida program playing amid COVID-19
By Andrew Sodergren, Naples Daily News, September 2020
https://www.naplesnews.com/story/sports/college/ave-maria/2020/09/09/ave-maria-athletics-tout-safety-protocols-return-njcaa-competition-amid-coronavirus/5688322002/