Impact. It is not something that can be measured by a tape measure or a yard marker. There are no statistics to define the amount a person leaves behind in their lifetime. There are no scales, balances or tools to tell an exact measurement of the people’s lives someone touched or the moments shared. For someone who plays sports, their life revolves around stats. In Antwion’s case, sacks, hurries, pressures and tackles led the way when talking about his performance on the field.
That is part of Antwion that can be measured. What we can’t ever fully comprehend, though, is the amount of influence he had on those around him. The people in his life that he touched, those who remember his jokes and smile, they’re the ones he impacted, and that half of Antwion can’t even begin to be measured.
Antwion Patterson, who came to Ouachita by way of Mount Zion High School in Jonesboro, Ga., was an impact player the moment he stepped onto campus. Although he didn’t play much his freshman year, in the eight games he made it onto the field he left his presence known, both as a defender and a vocal leader.
His sophomore season, he caught fire. With two sacks and four forced fumbles, he was a force to be reckoned with along the defensive line. In 2012, he had 69 tackles, two more sacks and four forced fumbles. Four times he was named Defensive Player of the Week. What was even more incredible about these feats was his size. Along the defensive line, these players are expected to be huge. Antwion was not, but what he lacked in size, he more than made up for with a motor that never quit, blinding speed and well above average upper body strength.
So that was Antwion on the field. He’s arguably one of the most talented players to ever play for the Tigers here at Ouachita, and a menace to offensive lines across the GAC. So why tell all of his statistics on the field? People talk a lot about leaving their footprint on the world. The footprint he left on the field was massive, as you can see, but off the field is where his influence was felt the most.
“Antwion was the kind of guy that you immediately liked. He never failed to share his smile with the world, and man was it a great smile. I’ll never forget that about him. You were a member of his OBU family the minute you met him, and he treated you as if you were the most important person in his life at that moment. Antwion never gave up when the going got hard. He always responded to a challenge, and I always believed that he would win no matter what the odds. He simply wouldn’t give up. We lost a father, friend and family member way too young last week. I do celebrate knowing that Antwion was a Christian and that he is not gone, but merely has gone ahead of us. We will see him again,” said Dr. Jess Kelly, assistant professor of biology.
Dr. Kelly had the privledge of honoring Antwion at his memorial service in Berry Chapel recently.
“You see, Antwion loved people, and he had a way of making you feel like you were a member of his family. He had several families here. He loved his OBU football family and made deep and fulfilling bonds there. His influence on the lives of dozens of young men [and] several older ones will last deep into the future. Those influences are certain to reach into generations to come. He loved playing beside his brothers, and he was fiercely loyal to his football family. He also loved his Ouachita family. I observed this many times. Each one of you here today were lucky enough to be a part of his OBU family because he loved and valued each of us as one of his own, and we were. He loved this home away from home and each of you who became his OBU brothers and sisters. What joy you brought to his life and he to ours. He also loved his Clark County Foster Children’s family, where he gave of himself to make others happy and to let them know in some form what a family was like. He was a solid influence, reliable and a light to others in a dark and uncertain world. He just loved everyone and he always wore a million-dollar smile doing it. What a godly example that he set for each of us to strive for,” Dr. Kelly said.
Being there for others is what he based his life around, whether it was his teammates, his friends, or those at the Children’s Home.
“He spent a lot of time working with kids at the local Boys and Girls’ Club. He would bring them to Ouachita football games, and once the game was over, he would lead them onto the field for photographs with our current players. He had a soft place for children in foster care, or those who needed the support of the community in that way. He gave the most precious commodity anyone can give—his time—to make them happy,”said Dr. Casey Motl, associate professor of history.
He left a mark on each and every one of them. If you ask them about him, they’ll always tell you about his trademark smile. No matter what he was doing, whether work or play, you would never find him without a smile on his face. His friends noticed this, and so did his teachers.
“One of the things that people often cite about Antwion is how big his heart was. I think the primary reason for that is that, whenever he connected in a meaningful way with another person, his heart grew in size to embrace them. I think his ‘essential spark’ came from connecting with people. Having and caring for a family was the most important ambition of his life, and because he felt that way, he had a broad understanding of the definition of ‘family’ above and beyond kin. It included friends, professors, coaches, fans–anyone who touched his life in an affirming way, he saw as family and invested back in them. Wherever he went, light, warmth and joy traveled with him. I consider him a member of my family, and I’m humbled and honored to know that he felt the same way,” Dr. Motl said.
In caring about so many people, Antwion had a strong sense of family. It meant more to him than most anything.
“Antwion loved family. One of his life’s dreams was to be a father and husband and lead his own family one day. He loved each of his family members dearly and was so proud of those two beautiful little girls Addy and Aubree. A strong love for family was something you never doubted about this good young man. You, his family, blessed every single day of his life, and by doing so, you blessed each of us who knew him because Antwion shared his blessings with all of us in many special ways,” Dr. Kelly said of Antwion.
He also left a big smile and a huge impression on every single person on the team.
“Antwion had a huge impact on my life. The only reason I’ll probably be graduating in May is because of Antwion Patterson. I met him as a freshman while moving in the dorm; he came down and helped me move in. At the time I didn’t think anything of it, but as the years went by, that’s just who he was. He always helped, no matter what the situation was; he loved putting everyone before him. When I decided to leave school to chase after a football dream, Patterson told me to stop by on my way to Dallas so he could see me. Well when I got here, we talked, and he told me how much he wanted to see me make it to the NFL and other little things. Right before I got in the car, he gave me $300 ‘in case of emergency.’ He didn’t have to do it, I didn’t ask him; he did it because he just wanted to help people any way he can. He never asked for it back. So if I could think of one word to describe Antwion it would be ‘selfless,’“ said former teammate Chris Rycraw.
Impact. It’s not something that can be measured. If it could, we would still be counting up Antwion’s. For all the stats, the sacks and tackles, the terrified faces of opposing quarterbacks as they scrambled to get away from his incredible speed, he left more smiles and memories. Antwion is missed greatly, but he is not gone, rather he is gone ahead. We can all take solace in that amazing fact, because now he knows perfect peace and love, and we should celebrate for him all the more.
– By Ian Craft, Sports Editor
