Cullowhee, N.C. – Former Western Carolina all-star wide receiver and NFL veteran David Patten is among 29 combined nominees, including four Legacy finalists, as the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame (SCFHOF) opened its final round of online voting for its Class of 2025 this week.
 
Each finalist was either born, grew up, played high school or college in South Carolina, coached at one of the state's collegiate football programs, or made a significant positive impact on football in South Carolina.
 
Voting is available online at scfootballhof.org and is open to everyone. The final round of voting period runs through Jan. 30, 2026, allowing SCFHOF supporting members, football fans, and media outlets to vote for up to four (4) modern era nominees and one (1) legacy finalist from the provided ballot for the Class of 2024.

The Class of 2025 will be enshrined at the organization's 13th Annual Enshrinement Ceremony on April 16, 2026, at Hotel Hartness in Greenville, S.C.
 
The late David Patten, a Columbia, S.C., product, played for the Catamounts from 1991 through 1994. He then had a storybook 13-year professional career with 12 seasons in the NFL, winning three Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots. Patten caught the first Super Bowl touchdown pass from Tom Brady in Super Bowl XXXVI. In October 2001 against Indianapolis, he also became just the sixth player in NFL history to run, catch, and throw for a touchdown in a single game.
 
Patten later returned to his alma mater to finish his degree and join the Catamount coaching staff in 2013. His son, Daquan (2016-21), followed in his father's footsteps on the turf at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field, finishing his five seasons in Cullowhee with 1,247 career receiving yards on 43 catches with eight touchdowns.
 
In Cullowhee, Patten was one prong of WCU's heralded "three amigos" receiving corps that included Craig Aiken and Kerry Hayes – both of whom finished with over 2,600 yards receiving for the Catamounts from 1991-1994.
 
Patten finished with 96 career catches for 1,563 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Purple & Gold. As a junior, he pulled in 32 passes for 564 yards, reaching the end zone six times. A season later, he posted a career-best 59 catches - the 11th-best single-season in school history - for 881 yards and seven TDs.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (FB.com/CatamountSports; FB.com/westerncarolinafootball) and Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountsFB).
 

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SC Natives who played college football outside of South Carolina (12):
• Donnie Abraham (Orangeburg), Dexter Coakley (Mt. Pleasant), Carlos Dunlap (North Charleston), Bobby Engram (Camden), Rickey Foggie, AJ Green (Summerville), Vonnie Holliday (Camden), Bob Jeter (Legacy/Union), David Patten (Legacy/Hopkins), Tony Rice (Woodruff), Lawrence Timmons (Florence), and Roddy White (James Island).
 
The Citadel (1):
• Jack Douglas (North Charleston)
 
Clemson University (7):
• Brentson Buckner, Jerry Butler (Ware Shoals), Fred Cone (Legacy), Woody Dantzler (Orangeburg), Steve Kenney, CJ Spiller, and Perry Tuttle
 
Coastal Carolina University (1):
• Mike Tolbert
 
Furman University (2):
• Robbie Caldwell (Pageland) and Orlando Ruff (Charleston)
 
South Carolina State University (3):
• Edwin Bailey (Orangeburg), Barney Chavous (Aiken), and Chartric Darby (North)
 
University of South Carolina (7):
• Robert Brooks (Greenwood), Sheldon Brown (Lancaster), Larry Craig (Legacy/Six Mile), Todd Ellis, Coach Lou Holtz (Former HC), Corey Miller (Pageland), and Sidney Rice (Gaffney).


About the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame:
The SCFHOF is a 501(c)(3) "For Impact" organization committed to honoring South Carolina's greatest football leaders and guiding South Carolina students to become Top 10 in college and career readiness by December 31, 2030. Our mission celebrates excellence while educating, encouraging, and empowering our community to bring out the best in ourselves and others. Join us in recognizing, celebrating, and encouraging excellence. Together, we can help SC students reach Top 10 national status in college and career readiness by December 31, 2030 (Ranked 43rd nationally in 2019 by U.S. News & World Report). Play your role in this worthy legacy by giving support to the Bridge Builder Excellence Program, and #SCTop10N2030 Movement at scfootballhof.org. We are Bridge Builders! #BridgeBuilders