Hall of Fame
As an athlete, one of the best honors of your career is to have a nickname bestowed upon you that recognizes your skill. For Washington State defensive end DeWayne Patterson, that moment came during his senior season again USC in 1994 when, following a sack, legendary television broadcaster Brent Musburger exclaimed, “He is sacked by DeWayne Patterson from Oakland, California…The Sackmaster!” It was a fitting tribute to one of the Cougars’ all-time great football players. Patterson arrived in Pullman in 1990 as a tight end but following a move to defensive end after one year, he began to rewrite the record book at WSU while becoming one the nation’s elite pass rushers. Thrust into the Cougar starting lineup in 1991 by then-defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer he became one of the anchors of the famed Palouse Posse. He earned Sophomore All-America second-team honors in 1992 before erupting in 1993. Patterson tore through Pac-10 offenses, recording multiple sacks in seven different games highlighted by a four-sack performance at Oregon, finishing the campaign with a WSU single-season record and Pac-10-leading 17 sacks, earning All-Pac-10 first-team accolades. He returned for his senior year already holding school records for single-season and career sacks, and his performance resulted in another brilliant season. Spearheading an 8-4 campaign that concluded with an Alamo Bowl victory over Baylor, Patterson posted season totals of 13.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles-for-loss en route to All-America First-Team honors by Football News and Second-Team honors by the Associated Press. He was one of five finalists for the 1994 Football News National Defensive Player of the Year. The two-time All-Pac-10 first-team selection, who later played four seasons in the Canadian Football League, finished his Cougar career with 52.5 tackles-for-loss and 37.5 sacks, which remain program records at the time of The Sackmaster’s induction.
