From UNC Communications
CHAPEL HILL – Hayley Carter, the Atlantic Coast Conference’s all-time leader in women’s tennis singles victories, Justin Jackson, who led the Tar Heels to the 2017 NCAA men’s basketball championship, and Ryan Switzer, the fifth UNC football player to earn first-team All-ACC honors three times, are the 2017 recipients of the Patterson Medal, the most prestigious athletic honor awarded at the University of North Carolina.
The Patterson Medal is based primarily on career athletic accomplishments. The recipients must have played at least three seasons for the Tar Heels. Sportsmanship and leadership are also considered. Dr. Joseph Patterson first presented the medal in 1924 to honor the memory of his brother, John Durand Patterson.
Jackson is the 30th men’s basketball player to win the Patterson Medal, including the second in as many years (Marcus Paige was a recipient last year) and the fourth to play for head coach Roy Williams (Tyler Hansbrough, Tyler Zeller, Paige and Jackson).
Jackson joined Lennie Rosenbluth (1957) and Ty Lawson (2009) as the only Tar Heels to win ACC Player-of-the-Year honors and a national championship in the same season. The Tomball, Texas, native is second in UNC history in NCAA Tournament scoring with 239 points and third in three-pointers with 29. He is one of six UNC players to start in two national championship games and joined Rick Fox as the only Tar Heels with at least 1,600 career points, 150 three-pointers, 400 rebounds and 300 assists. He scored 1,626 points (13.8 ppg) and scored in double figures 87 times.
Jackson was a consensus first-team All-America and the ACC Player of the Year in 2017 after leading UNC in scoring at 18.3 points per game. He scored 731 points, fifth-most in a season by a Tar Heel, and set the UNC single-season record with 105 three-pointers. He averaged 19.5 points in UNC’s six NCAA Tournament wins and earned All-South Regional and All-Final Four honors. Jackson scored a team-high 38 points in the Final Four wins over Oregon and Gonzaga.
Jackson is the only Tar Heel to play in 40 games in two different seasons. He helped Carolina win 92 games in three seasons, including 66 the last two years, post a 39-15 record in ACC regular-season play, win two ACC regular-season championships, the 2016 ACC Tournament, receive a No. 1 seed twice in the NCAA Tournament, play in two national championship games and go 13-2 in NCAA Tournament games.
“We are very proud of Justin for winning the Patterson Medal, not only because of the exceptional basketball career he had as a Tar Heel, but also the hard work and success he had as a student and the type of young man that he is. Justin has tremendous character and he is someone who leads by his actions. He is a player who improved his game at the top level of college basketball because of the commitment he made to improve in all areas of his game. He earned every All-America and ACC Player of the Year award he received. He was also the Most Valuable Player on a national championship team and he certainly earned the Patterson Medal here at Carolina."
Switzer is the 35th football player – the 10th in the last four decades and the third to play for head coach Larry Fedora (Jonathan Cooper, Eric Ebron and Switzer) to win a Patterson Medal. The Dallas Cowboys selected the Charleston, W. Va., native in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft after a dazzling career in which he earned All-America and All-ACC honors as both a kick returner and wide receiver.
He set Carolina career records for receptions (244), receiving yards (2,907), punt return yards (1,082) and punt returns for touchdowns (7) and set the single-season school record in 2016 with 96 catches. Switzer is the ACC record-holder in punt returns for touchdowns and is second in NCAA history with seven. He set the single-season NCAA record with five punt returns for scores in 2013.
Switzer joined an illustrious list of Carolina football players who earned multiple first-team All-America honors – three-time honoree Dre’ Bly and two-time recipients Paul Severin, Charlie Justice, Art Weiner, Dave Drechsler, William Fuller and Julius Peppers. Bly, Fuller, Pat Crowley, Greg Ellis and Switzer are the only three-time first-team All-ACC honorees in UNC football history.
Switzer earned first-team All-America honors as a punt returner/specialist in 2013 and as an all-purpose player in 2015. He was first-team All-ACC as a specialist as a freshman and junior and wide receiver as a senior. He helped the Tar Heels win 19 games over the last two seasons. UNC won the ACC’s Coastal Division title in 2015 and played in post-season bowl games in each of his four seasons.
“This is a tremendous honor for Ryan,” says Fedora. “He was an outstanding player, twice earning All-America honors and breaking records both as a punt returner and wide receiver. In addition to his exciting play on the field, he was a team leader and a great representative of our university.”
The Patterson family will help present the medals to Carter, Jackson and Switzer at ceremonies during the 2017-18 school year.
Patterson Medal Winners
1924— Monk McDonald (football, men’s basketball, baseball)
1925— M.D. Bonner (football)
1926— Jack Cobb (men’s basketball)
1927— Ad Warren (football, boxing, wrestling)
1928— Galen Elliott (men’s track and field)
1929— Henry Satterfield (men’s basketball)
1930— Ray Farris Sr. (football, boxing, baseball)
1931— Henry House (football, baseball)
1932— Staton McIver (football)
1933— Stuart Chandler (football)
1934— Virgil Weathers (men’s basketball)
1935— Harry Williamson (men’s track and field)
1936— Harry Montgomery (football)
1937— R.D. Buck (football)
1938— Andy Bershak (football, men’s basketball)
1939— George Nethercutt (baseball)
1940— George Stirnweiss (football, baseball)
1941— Paul Severin (football, men’s basketball)
1942— Bobby Gersten (men’s basketball, baseball)
1943— Carlyle Thomas Mangum (men’s track and field)
1944— Denny Hammond (men’s swimming)
1945— E.B. Schulz (men’s track and field)
1946— Jim Jordan (men’s basketball)
1947— Walt Pupa (football)
1948— Jim Camp (football
1949— Vic Seixas (men’s tennis)
1950— Charlie Justice (football)
1951— Jimmy Thomas (men’s swimming)
1952— Cecil Milton (men’s swimming and men’s tennis)
1953— Chalmers Port (baseball, football)
1954— Miles Gregory (football, wrestling)
1955— Albert Long Jr. (men’s track and field, football, men’s basketball, baseball)
1956— Jerry Vayda (men’s basketball)
1957— Lennie Rosenbluth (men’s basketball)
1958— Buddy Payne (football)
1959— Dave Scurlock (men’s track and field)
1960— Jack Cummings (football)
1961— Rip Hawkins (football)
1962— Ray Farris Jr. (football)
1963— Joe Craver (football)
1964— Bill Haywood (baseball, men’s soccer)
1965— Harrison Merrill (men’s swimming)
1966— John Shaw (baseball)
1967— Danny Talbott (football, baseball)
1968— Larry Miller (men’s basketball)
1969— Bill Bunting (men’s basketball)
1970— Charlie Scott (men’s basketball)
1971— Don McCauley (football)
1972— Dennis Wuycik (men’s basketball)
1973— George Karl (men’s basketball)
1974— Tony Waldrop (men’s track and field)
1975— Charles Waddell (football, men’s track and field, men’s basketball)
1976— Mitch Kupchak (men’s basketball)
1977— Walter Davis (men’s basketball)
1978— Phil Ford (men’s basketball)
1979— Greg Norris (baseball)
1980— Bonny Brown (women’s swimming)
1981— Lawrence Taylor (football), Al Wood (men’s basketball)
1982— C.D. Mock (wrestling)
1983— David Drechsler (football)
1984— Sue Walsh (women’s swimming)
1985— Ethan Horton (football)
1986— Brad Daugherty (men’s basketball)
1987— Kenny Smith (men’s basketball)
1988— Rob Koll (wrestling)
1989— Jeff Lebo (men’s basketball)
1990— Shannon Higgins (women’s soccer)
1991— Sharon Couch (women’s track and field)
1992— Dwight Hollier (football)
1993— Kristine Lilly (women’s soccer)
1994— Mia Hamm (women’s soccer)
1995— Tisha Venturini (women’s soccer)
1996— Marcus Jones (football)
1997— Debbie Keller (women’s soccer)
1998— Antawn Jamison (men’s basketball), Cindy Werley (field hockey)
1999— Ebenezer Ekuban (football), Cindy Pa
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CHAPEL HILL – Hayley Carter, the Atlantic Coast Conference’s all-time leader in women’s tennis singles victories, Justin Jackson, who led the Tar Heels to the 2017 NCAA men’s basketball championship, and Ryan Switzer, the fifth UNC football player to earn first-team All-ACC honors three times, are the 2017 recipients of the Patterson Medal, the most prestigious athletic honor awarded at the University of North Carolina.
The Patterson Medal is based primarily on career athletic accomplishments. The recipients must have played at least three seasons for the Tar Heels. Sportsmanship and leadership are also considered. Dr. Joseph Patterson first presented the medal in 1924 to honor the memory of his brother, John Durand Patterson.
Jackson is the 30th men’s basketball player to win the Patterson Medal, including the second in as many years (Marcus Paige was a recipient last year) and the fourth to play for head coach Roy Williams (Tyler Hansbrough, Tyler Zeller, Paige and Jackson).
Jackson joined Lennie Rosenbluth (1957) and Ty Lawson (2009) as the only Tar Heels to win ACC Player-of-the-Year honors and a national championship in the same season. The Tomball, Texas, native is second in UNC history in NCAA Tournament scoring with 239 points and third in three-pointers with 29. He is one of six UNC players to start in two national championship games and joined Rick Fox as the only Tar Heels with at least 1,600 career points, 150 three-pointers, 400 rebounds and 300 assists. He scored 1,626 points (13.8 ppg) and scored in double figures 87 times.
Jackson was a consensus first-team All-America and the ACC Player of the Year in 2017 after leading UNC in scoring at 18.3 points per game. He scored 731 points, fifth-most in a season by a Tar Heel, and set the UNC single-season record with 105 three-pointers. He averaged 19.5 points in UNC’s six NCAA Tournament wins and earned All-South Regional and All-Final Four honors. Jackson scored a team-high 38 points in the Final Four wins over Oregon and Gonzaga.
Jackson is the only Tar Heel to play in 40 games in two different seasons. He helped Carolina win 92 games in three seasons, including 66 the last two years, post a 39-15 record in ACC regular-season play, win two ACC regular-season championships, the 2016 ACC Tournament, receive a No. 1 seed twice in the NCAA Tournament, play in two national championship games and go 13-2 in NCAA Tournament games.
“We are very proud of Justin for winning the Patterson Medal, not only because of the exceptional basketball career he had as a Tar Heel, but also the hard work and success he had as a student and the type of young man that he is. Justin has tremendous character and he is someone who leads by his actions. He is a player who improved his game at the top level of college basketball because of the commitment he made to improve in all areas of his game. He earned every All-America and ACC Player of the Year award he received. He was also the Most Valuable Player on a national championship team and he certainly earned the Patterson Medal here at Carolina."
Switzer is the 35th football player – the 10th in the last four decades and the third to play for head coach Larry Fedora (Jonathan Cooper, Eric Ebron and Switzer) to win a Patterson Medal. The Dallas Cowboys selected the Charleston, W. Va., native in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft after a dazzling career in which he earned All-America and All-ACC honors as both a kick returner and wide receiver.
He set Carolina career records for receptions (244), receiving yards (2,907), punt return yards (1,082) and punt returns for touchdowns (7) and set the single-season school record in 2016 with 96 catches. Switzer is the ACC record-holder in punt returns for touchdowns and is second in NCAA history with seven. He set the single-season NCAA record with five punt returns for scores in 2013.
Switzer joined an illustrious list of Carolina football players who earned multiple first-team All-America honors – three-time honoree Dre’ Bly and two-time recipients Paul Severin, Charlie Justice, Art Weiner, Dave Drechsler, William Fuller and Julius Peppers. Bly, Fuller, Pat Crowley, Greg Ellis and Switzer are the only three-time first-team All-ACC honorees in UNC football history.
Switzer earned first-team All-America honors as a punt returner/specialist in 2013 and as an all-purpose player in 2015. He was first-team All-ACC as a specialist as a freshman and junior and wide receiver as a senior. He helped the Tar Heels win 19 games over the last two seasons. UNC won the ACC’s Coastal Division title in 2015 and played in post-season bowl games in each of his four seasons.
“This is a tremendous honor for Ryan,” says Fedora. “He was an outstanding player, twice earning All-America honors and breaking records both as a punt returner and wide receiver. In addition to his exciting play on the field, he was a team leader and a great representative of our university.”
The Patterson family will help present the medals to Carter, Jackson and Switzer at ceremonies during the 2017-18 school year.
Patterson Medal Winners
1924— Monk McDonald (football, men’s basketball, baseball)
1925— M.D. Bonner (football)
1926— Jack Cobb (men’s basketball)
1927— Ad Warren (football, boxing, wrestling)
1928— Galen Elliott (men’s track and field)
1929— Henry Satterfield (men’s basketball)
1930— Ray Farris Sr. (football, boxing, baseball)
1931— Henry House (football, baseball)
1932— Staton McIver (football)
1933— Stuart Chandler (football)
1934— Virgil Weathers (men’s basketball)
1935— Harry Williamson (men’s track and field)
1936— Harry Montgomery (football)
1937— R.D. Buck (football)
1938— Andy Bershak (football, men’s basketball)
1939— George Nethercutt (baseball)
1940— George Stirnweiss (football, baseball)
1941— Paul Severin (football, men’s basketball)
1942— Bobby Gersten (men’s basketball, baseball)
1943— Carlyle Thomas Mangum (men’s track and field)
1944— Denny Hammond (men’s swimming)
1945— E.B. Schulz (men’s track and field)
1946— Jim Jordan (men’s basketball)
1947— Walt Pupa (football)
1948— Jim Camp (football
1949— Vic Seixas (men’s tennis)
1950— Charlie Justice (football)
1951— Jimmy Thomas (men’s swimming)
1952— Cecil Milton (men’s swimming and men’s tennis)
1953— Chalmers Port (baseball, football)
1954— Miles Gregory (football, wrestling)
1955— Albert Long Jr. (men’s track and field, football, men’s basketball, baseball)
1956— Jerry Vayda (men’s basketball)
1957— Lennie Rosenbluth (men’s basketball)
1958— Buddy Payne (football)
1959— Dave Scurlock (men’s track and field)
1960— Jack Cummings (football)
1961— Rip Hawkins (football)
1962— Ray Farris Jr. (football)
1963— Joe Craver (football)
1964— Bill Haywood (baseball, men’s soccer)
1965— Harrison Merrill (men’s swimming)
1966— John Shaw (baseball)
1967— Danny Talbott (football, baseball)
1968— Larry Miller (men’s basketball)
1969— Bill Bunting (men’s basketball)
1970— Charlie Scott (men’s basketball)
1971— Don McCauley (football)
1972— Dennis Wuycik (men’s basketball)
1973— George Karl (men’s basketball)
1974— Tony Waldrop (men’s track and field)
1975— Charles Waddell (football, men’s track and field, men’s basketball)
1976— Mitch Kupchak (men’s basketball)
1977— Walter Davis (men’s basketball)
1978— Phil Ford (men’s basketball)
1979— Greg Norris (baseball)
1980— Bonny Brown (women’s swimming)
1981— Lawrence Taylor (football), Al Wood (men’s basketball)
1982— C.D. Mock (wrestling)
1983— David Drechsler (football)
1984— Sue Walsh (women’s swimming)
1985— Ethan Horton (football)
1986— Brad Daugherty (men’s basketball)
1987— Kenny Smith (men’s basketball)
1988— Rob Koll (wrestling)
1989— Jeff Lebo (men’s basketball)
1990— Shannon Higgins (women’s soccer)
1991— Sharon Couch (women’s track and field)
1992— Dwight Hollier (football)
1993— Kristine Lilly (women’s soccer)
1994— Mia Hamm (women’s soccer)
1995— Tisha Venturini (women’s soccer)
1996— Marcus Jones (football)
1997— Debbie Keller (women’s soccer)
1998— Antawn Jamison (men’s basketball), Cindy Werley (field hockey)
1999— Ebenezer Ekuban (football), Cindy Pa
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