Illinois Wesleyan

James Lee Patterson started as an assistant football coach at Illinois Wesleyan in 2013, his first season coaching at the college level.

He is a graduate of Notre Dame, where he played football, with bachelor's degrees in military history and computer applications. After college he joined the U.S. Army for 12 years, where he attained the rank of captain. In the Army he played and coached football.

With a graduate degree in education and an administrator's certificate, he taught and coached for 20 years in the Chicago Public School system, also serving as an assistant principal. At Carver, he coached Jason Avant (wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles) and he also coached at DeLaSalle High School.

Patterson has four daughters (Jorie, Jaleesa, Jennifer, Jasmine) and a son (James IV) and a granddaughter (Maliyah).