Feb. 4, 2002
David Patten, who played football at Western Carolina from 1992-95, scored a touchdown just before halftime in Super Bowl XXXVI to help the New England Patriots defeat the St. Louis Rams, 20-17.
Patten is the third Catamount to play in the Super Bowl. Tony Jones, who played at WCU from 1984-87, was a part of two wining Super Bowl teams as a starting offensive lineman for the Denver Broncos and Willie Williams, who played at WCU from 1990-92, was the starting corner back for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1996 Super Bowl.
In addition to his eight-yard touchdown reception, Patten had a 22-yard rush midway through the second quarter. The Hopkins, S.C., native also caught a touchdown in helping the Pats defeat Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship, finishing the game with four receptions for 39 yards. His best game in the playoffs came versus Oakland, when he caught eight passes for 107 yards.
The playoffs were just an extension of what was the best of his five-years in the NFL. He started 14 of 16 games this season and caught 51 passes for 749 yards and four touchdowns. (He only had four TD receptions in his previous four seasons, which included three years with the New York Giants and one with the Cleveland Browns.)
Patten became part of NFL history in leading the Patriots to a 38-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts as he was the first player since Walter Payton in 1979 to run, catch and pass for touchdowns in the same game. "Every time I touched the ball, I was able to make something happen," said Patten, who accounted for four of the Patriots' five touchdowns. "That's what I pride myself on. I think I'm able to do that every time I go on the field and today I made that happen."
He ran 29 yards for a touchdown on the Patriots' first offensive play, threw a 60-yard TD pass to Troy Brown and caught two touchdown passes himself, including a 91-yarder - the longest play from scrimmage in team history. Payton, the Chicago Bears' Hall of Famer, scored touchdowns by running, passing and throwing on Oct. 21, 1979, against the Minnesota Vikings.
Patten was a first team All-Southern Conference pick in 1995 after leading WCU in receiving that season. He caught 59 passes, which ranks eight in the school's single-season list, for 881 yards and seven touchdowns, which ties for sixth on the WCU season list.
