On July 15, Sarah Patterson announced that she would be stepping down as head coach of Alabama’s gymnastics team, ending her 36 season career in the position.

Coach Patterson was hired by the Crimson Tide in 1978 at the age of 22, her first job out of college. During her first season in 1979, Alabama competed in empty arenas and practiced on run down equipment with holes in the mats. Now, thanks in large part to Patterson’s help, Alabama is one of the top programs in all of NCAA gymnastics, boasting nearly sell-out crowds every competition.

The gymnastics world will miss Coach Patterson and the many contributions she has made to our sport. As we say goodbye, The Gymternet takes a look back on some of the top moments from Sarah Patterson’s coaching career.

1. Coach of the Year

In 1986, Coach Patterson was named NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Coach of the Year for the first time. She would then go on to win the award three more times: in 1988, 1991, and 2002. She was also named SEC Coach of the year four times: in 1985, 1995, 2000, and 2010.

2. Championship Titles

Coach Patterson leads the Crimson Tide to their first ever SEC and NCAA Championship team titles in 1988. At the time, they were the third team to ever win the NCAA title. Throughout her career, Patterson leads her team to an additional 7 SEC Championships and 5 NCAA Championships, including back to back NCAA Championships in 2011 and 2012.

3. Twice Yearly Georgia/Alabama Dual Meets

In order to increase media coverage and spur on their rivalry, Patterson and Georgia head coach Suzanne Yoculan entered into an agreement in which they would see each other in competition twice during the regular season, as opposed to the one competition required by the SEC. The two decided that they would each have one home meet and one away meet against one another each year. As a result, their regular season crowds slowly began to increase as fans came to watch the rivalry unfold. The competitions, which began in the early 90s, continued through 2002.

4. Sellout Crowds

At a dual meet vs Georgia, Alabama hosted their first ever sellout crowd of over 15,000 fans on February 1, 1997. To this day, Coleman Coliseum still averages roughly 10,000-12,000 fans per meet, proving that gymnastics can bring in the crowds just like more popular college sports, such as football and basketball.

5. Power of Pink 

As a way to give back to the community and raise money for breast cancer awareness and research, Sarah Patterson decided to host the first ever Power of Pink gymnastics meet on February 4, 2005. At this competition, the gymnasts and fans all wear pink and introduce cancer survivors to the crowd. It’s one of the most popular meets of the year and often sells out. Now, Power of Pink meets are held across the nation. Since its induction in 2005, Alabama has raised over $1.45 million for the DCH Breast Cancer Fund. At this year’s 10th annual competition, Alabama freshman Dominique Pegg introduced her mother Cathi Parker as a breast cancer survivor.

Dana Duckworth, an NCAA national champion with Alabama in 1991 who joined the coaching staff first as a volunteer and then full time in 2008, was named head coach upon Sarah Patterson’s resignation.

Article by Jackie Klein