'Left my mark': Outgoing FAMU softball coach Camise Patterson bids farewell to Rattlers

Camise Patterson is the new head coach of Alabama State’s softball team.

However, her coaching career will always trace back to Florida A&M .

Patterson spent the better half of a decade as an assistant for FAMU softball, helping the Rattlers to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament Championship wins in 2016 and 2017 under hall-of-fame coach Veronica Wiggins .

In January 2023, Patterson’s dedication and commitment to FAMU materialized, and she was named the Rattlers’ new head softball coach .

In two seasons at the helm, Patterson coached the Rattlers to a 46-44 overall record and a 32-16 mark in Southwestern Athletic Conference play.

Patterson’s tenure at FAMU culminated with a SWAC East Division title and an appearance in the league’s championship game last spring, which were both program firsts.

Now, Patterson is off to her next task of leading the Alabama State Hornets , which also participates in SWAC sports. Alabama State announced Patterson as its eighth head softball coach last Friday.

“I’ve been at FAMU pretty much my whole career. I bleed Orange and Green,” Patterson told the Tallahassee Democrat Monday as she prepared to clear her office on campus.

“I’ve seen the program when we were successful and in a slump. Being the head coach to get it back on track was amazing. This is the real end of the Wiggins era. As adults, we always have to do our best for our careers, even if that means putting ourselves before others we love. That’s the choice I had to make.

“FAMU’s done what it was supposed to do ― got my career off the ground as an assistant and started my career as a head coach. I loved it here. I’m sad to leave, but it’s time for me to go.”

Nine of Patterson’s FAMU players earned All-SWAC honors in two seasons. The Rattlers also had the 2024 SWAC Pitcher of the Year , Zoryana Hughes . Additionally, six of Patterson’s Rattlers were named Minority Softball Prospects HBCU All-Stars.

Patterson was named the SWAC’s 2024 Co-Coach of the Year.

Patterson’s head coaching tenure at FAMU was short but still impactful.

Now, she’s tasked with upstaging the Rattlers with an Alabama State team that lost 8-0 to FAMU in five innings to clinch a spot in this May’s SWAC Championship round.

The Hornets finished 28-29 overall and 15-9 in the SWAC last season.

“I’m sad to leave my players. This is a championship team that I put together. Knowing I won’t be able to coach them to that championship game and opposing them, it’s a lot to think about,” Patterson said of leaving FAMU softball.

“The transition is going to be interesting. I know the team that I put together at FAMU and the team that I need to put together at Alabama State to beat the team FAMU. It’s a lot of work on my end.”

Former FAMU softball coach Camise Patterson discusses move to Alabama State

Patterson replaces Todd Bradley as Alabama State’s softball coach.

Bradley coached Patterson during her college softball career at Campbell University.

In June, Bradley stepped down as the Hornets coach to focus on his health, prompting Alabama State to launch a nationwide search and placed Patterson on the watchlist for head softball coach candidates.

While some would question why Patterson would move to another SWAC school months after a title game appearance, Patterson’s decision to leave FAMU for Alabama State was based on a shared vision with the Hornets’ Vice President and Director of Athletics, Dr. Jason Cable .

“When I first interviewed with Alabama State, Dr. Jason Cable showed me everything I’ve been looking for from a leadership standpoint,” Patterson said. “From the conversations with him and other administrators, the goals, languages, and ideas are universal across the board. Everybody understood what Dr. Jason Cable’s philosophy was.

“It felt like my next home and the place I’m supposed to be. Coach Wiggins and my parents taught me that the Holy Spirit will talk to you. So, when I was sitting back, meditating, and praying about my decision, it was clear it was time for me to move on and impact other lives in other ways at a different location.

“I’m very certain that I made the right decision. It’s time for me to spread my light somewhere else.”

Patterson’s first day at Alabama State is on Aug. 1.

However, she met with the team via Zoom last Friday to introduce herself and share her core coaching values.

“Discipline, accountability, service, leadership, and legacy” is what Patterson emphasized to her new players at Alabama State.

“Anytime there’s a change in leadership, there’s always some type of anticipation,” Patterson said.

“We want to set the gold standard across the SWAC and all of Alabama State Athletics. The team is ready for a change and something different. I’m excited for us to get to work there.”

Former FAMU head softball coach Camise Patterson: 'Always a member of the FAMULY'

Patterson often reflects on her time as an assistant on Wiggins’ FAMU staff.

Patterson says it taught her what it takes to be a good head coach and made her realize that “elevation takes greater requirements.” She hopes whoever FAMU taps as her successor will upkeep the framework she set over the last two seasons of coaching the Rattlers.

“I wasn’t here for 30 years like Coach Wiggins but left my mark on the program,” Patterson said.

“I pray that whoever comes in as the next head coach at FAMU does the program right, connects with alumni and Coach Wiggins, and keeps the legacy going ― except beating Alabama State.”

Patterson arrived at FAMU in 2016 as a fresh college graduate looking for coaching experience.

Now, at 31 years old, Patterson is stepping off the Highest of Seven Hills to head west to Montgomery, home of the Alabama State Hornets.

But Patterson is forever a Rattler.

“The word ‘FAMULY’ is real. And I will always be a member of the FAMULY,” Patterson said after collecting her thoughts.

“The community here has done nothing but embrace me, being a small-town girl from Fuquay Varina, North Carolina. I thought about how people who care about me in this community and those I care about would take [me leaving FAMU]. But it’s been nothing short of positive support. That solidified that I was supposed to be here these last eight years.

“To Tallahassee, Leon County, and FAMU ― all I can say is I love y’all, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.”

Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee .

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: 'Left my mark': Outgoing FAMU softball coach Camise Patterson bids farewell to Rattlers