Alumni Achiever – Maurice Patton, Franklin High Class of 1982
Published November 1, 2019
Maurice ‘Mo’ Patton is a familiar name to people living in Williamson County.
The Franklin High alumnus has spent his career writing about sports in the Middle Tennessee area and was honored this year as a TSSAA Distinguished Service Award winner.
Patton grew up in Franklin and was part of the final graduating class at FHS after Brentwood High opened. His two children are WCS graduates as well, having attended Centennial High.
What led you to pursue a career as a sports writer?
I basically fell into sports journalism. Though I had written for my junior high school and high school newspapers, I initially pursued an accounting/business management degree — before encountering some, shall we say, academic difficulties. While struggling with some upper-level accounting courses, I was serving as a student worker in the Sports Information Department at Middle Tennessee State University. One of the sports writers at the (Murfreesboro) Daily News Journal mentioned that they needed some part-time help over the summer; I did that for about six months, and after not graduating from MTSU, returned to Franklin began working full-time at The Review Appeal. Things just went from there. And I did eventually get my degree from MTSU, in University Studies.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
The interactions. The uniqueness. The unpredictability. It’s not boring (not like accounting). I get to be around some really good people and develop relationships, both professional and personal, that often morph into friendships. And I get to be around sports, which I’ve always enjoyed.
What did you enjoy most about your high school experience?
You’re testing my memory with this one. Seriously, though, I guess I most enjoyed, and still do, the friendships I made, many of which still endure almost 40 years later.
What WCS teacher made a difference in your life and how?
Teachers. Plural. Nancy Gisler was the sponsor for the Rebel Rouser newspaper staff; Martha Moore was my Accounting I and II teacher; Eugene Wade was my Business Law I and II teacher; and Dr. John Offutt was my senior English teacher. Each of them in their own way pushed me when I wanted to coast, but in a way that let you know they cared about you. I can’t forget William Nelson, either. Chemistry scared me. He made it — less scary.
Do you have any advice for current WCS students?
I’m not real big on advice giving, typically, but — I think it’s important for high school students to know that it’s OK to not know what you want to do for the rest of your life at the age of 17 or 18, or even older.