Hall of Fame
In today's age of baseball, the most feared batter on any team hits in the clean-up spot. Randy Patton was the most feared Kohawk hitter no matter where he was in the lineup. He batted sixth for Head Coach Roger Schlegel, which forced opposing coaches to pitch to him, leading to great RBI production and an NCAA-best batting average. Randy was a four-year letterwinner for coach Schlegel's squad. He was named the team's Most Improved Player his sophomore year, as he helped the Kohawks to the Midwest Conference Iowa Division championship. His junior year was his breakout year, as he led the nation with his .367 batting average. After being named to the All-Midwest Conference team as a shortstop, he helped the Kohawks to their second straight Midwest Conference Iowa Division title. Due to a rainout, the Kohawks were named Co-Champions of the conference tournament. Randy continued his hot play into his senior season, as he once again led the nation with his .463 batting average. He helped the Kohawks to their third-straight Midwest Conference Iowa Division title as he was named to the Worth Baseball All-American team. Along with his All-American honors, he was named team captain and MVP. During the Midwest Conference Tournament, he batted an unprecedented .568. Along with his success on the baseball diamond, he played football his first three years at Coe. He was a member of conference championship teams his sophomore and junior seasons, as he lettered his junior year. He was unable to play football his senior year due to an internship at a Cedar Rapids accounting firm. Patton served as president of the C-Club from 1974-76. After graduation, he worked in the computer industry before becoming a civilian employee of the Department of Defense. He now lives in Coggon and works part-time. For his outstanding contributions to Kohawk baseball, I am honored to present Randy Patton for induction into the Coe College Athletic Hall of Fame.
