Milwaukee Bucks Fans Remember Ray Patterson

The Milwaukee Bucks organization said goodbye earlier this month to its first President. Ray Patterson led the team until 1972. He left the Bucks for the same position with the Houston Rockets. He was an invaluable part of creating the championship 1971 team that included Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Current owner Herb Kohl regarded Patterson as the founder of NBA basketball in the state. Kohl commented that he knew the people of the region, and what they wanted out of a professional basketball team.

Patterson had previous basketball history in Wisconsin before taking the position with the new Bucks franchise. In the forties, he was a captain and MVP on the UW Badgers team. For two consecutive seasons he led the team in scoring. He was also President and headmaster of the Wayland Academy in Beaver Dam. Patterson is survived by his wife Ruth, five children, and nine grandchildren