PATTERSON NAMED TO THIRD NFL PRO BOWL

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Two-time Hutchinson Community College football All-American Cordarrelle Patterson was named to his third NFL Pro Bowl on Tuesday night.

Playing with the Chicago Bears this season, Patterson was selected as a special-teams representative.

Patterson was voted to his third Pro Bowl in seven NFL seasons. He also made trips in 2013 and 2016 as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. In his first year with the Bears, he has excelled as a kick returner and gunner on the punt-coverage team.

A Blue Dragon All-American in 2010 and 2011, Patterson ranks second in the NFL with a 29.6-yard average on 27 kickoff returns. He had a 102-yard touchdown against the New Orleans Saints. He also is second in NFL history with a 29.9-yard average, trailing only Bears Hall of Famer Gale Sayers (30.6).

Patterson was named the NFC special teams player of the month for November. In five games, he averaged 29.4 yards on 10 kickoff returns, highlighted by a 57-yarder on the opening kickoff in a 24-20 win over the Lions on Thanksgiving in Detroit.

Patterson also excelled as a gunner in November, recording four tackles. In a 19-14 win over the Giants Nov. 24 at Soldier Field, he produced three excellent plays.

Patterson is the most-decorated Blue Dragon football player in program history.

Patterson was only the third Blue Dragon ever to be a two-time NJCAA All-American. Patterson was also named the 2011 Jayhawk Conference Offensive Player of the Year. When he completed his Hutchinson career, he owned 16 career or single-season or single-game Blue Dragon records.

In 2011, Patterson caught a career-high 61 passes for 924 yards and he accounted for 1,814 all-purpose yards in helping the Blue Dragons.

Patterson is the first-ever first-round NFL Draft pick in program history after being taken with the 29th overall pick by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2013 NFL Draft.

All he did in an impressive rookie season was set an unbreakable NFL record for the longest kickoff return in league history of 109 yards against the Green Bay Packers. For the 2013 season, Patterson returned 43 kickoffs for an average of 32.4 yards per return, one of the best return averages in NFL history.

In addition to his NFL kickoff record, Patterson became the first NFL player in history to record a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, a 75-yard touchdown reception for a touchdown and a 50-yard rushing touchdown in the same season.

After four seasons with the Vikings, Patterson played one season for the Oakland Raiders in 2017, won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in 2018 before signing with the Bears before the 2019 season.