Frankie Patterson

1940-1944 Attended the University of North Carolina. He Received his Degree in Journalism and was a Lifetime Member of the UNC-CH Alumni Association and Journalism Club.

1944 He enlisted into the US Army where he served in the US. Army/Air Force during World War II in the South Pacific until 1948.

1949 Began working at the Daily Independent Newspaper in Kannapolis.  He was a Sports Writer for Area High School and Youth League Sports.

In the Early 1950’s after several years as a Writer he became the Sports Editor of the Daily Independent for 35 Years before retiring in 1988.

During his career he covered Local “Gray-Y” Youth Football, Basketball and Baseball Games, Jr. High and Sr. High School Football, Basketball and Baseball Games, Little League, Babe Ruth, American Legion Baseball and Minor League Baseball Games.

When Local Student-Athletes played in College Events he attended games at UNC-CH, Duke, NC State, Wake Forest, East Carolina, Clemson and South Carolina and wrote about them in the Daily Independent.

He also covered Regional College Sports at Davidson College, Catawba College, Barber-Scotia College, Livingstone College, Johnson C. Smith College, Belmont Abbey College, Queens College, Wingate College, Lenoir-Rhyne College, Gardner-Webb College and Greensboro College. 

An avid Sportscar enthusiast he covered Modified, Sportsman and Winston Cup/NASCAR races throughout the Southeastern United States.  He knew all of the Drivers and developed a life-long friendship with them.

He covered Professional Golf Tournaments including the Master’s in Augusta, Georgia, the Greater Greensboro Open, the PGA Championship at Tanglewood and the Kemper Open in Charlotte.

He was a Member of the National Motorsports Press Association, the Carolina Golf Writers Association and active in Community and Civic Organizations like the Kannapolis Lions Club, the Kannapolis Jaycees and the Kannapolis Rotary Club.