“I am grateful that, for 36 years, David and I were able to implement our coaching philosophy of trying to develop well-rounded young women who are ready to make a difference in the lives of others upon their graduation from this University,” Patterson said. “Sarah Patterson is an extraordinary member of our University, not only as a coach, but as a mentor of young women and a champion for those in need in Alabama and beyond,” Dr. Bonner said. Alabama gymnastics has always said they stand on sisterhood, and they always say that they are the classiest program in the nation and they’re always for the community. There’s a lot of things that are inappropriate that I’ve been through with this program.”. Legendary Alabama Gymnastics Coach Sarah Patterson Steps Down. Patterson graduated from Union Endicott High School in 1974, Slippery Rock State College in 1978, and was named the head women's gymnastics coach at the University of Alabama by then Athletics Director Paul "Bear" Bryant later that year. — 88 All-SEC honors The College Gymnastics Association is rolling out the STRONGER TOGETHER CAMPAIGN, a nationwide fundraising program to help the college programs survive. She told AL.com late Wednesday that Bill Lorenz, who joined the program in 2015, made the comment. “I would like to thank Coach Battle, President Bonner and, of course, Marie Robbins, a member of our first national championship team in 1988 and now Alabama’s senior woman administrator, for their unconditional support during this time,” Patterson said. — 11 SEC Postgraduate Scholarships "When the complaint was received, it was immediately reported to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX Programs on campus as well as the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “As this chapter of her spectacular career comes to a close I, for one, am very much looking forward to the next chapter, which I know will be equally amazing.”. Kiaku said the events in the country the past several days influenced her decision to go public with her story this week. Coached 62 athletes to 277 All-American honors[1]. Register today by clicking below on the link! Coached 4 NCAA Top VIII Award winners “I know that Dana, along with Bryan Raschilla, will do an amazing job carrying on the championship tradition they have been a part of for so many years.”. Sarah Patterson was the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide women's gymnastics team from 1979 to 2014. Byrne was among Alabama leaders who issued statements earlier this week amid anti-racism protests in the country. Here is the text of Kiaku’s Instagram post in its entirety: "Do we stand together? Patterson will remain a part of Battle’s staff as a Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics. The Crimson Tide’s Champions Plaza, which bears Sarah Patterson’s name and was dedicated in October 2013, sits in front of Coleman Coliseum, the home of Alabama gymnastics since the mid-1980s. In fact, it should be unacceptable across the board! Kiaku, who indicated she decided to leave the program because of the incident, said the school conducted a Title IX investigation and deemed the comment a “bad joke," according to Kiaku. “I feel like she thought that her power was going to override who I was, and my voice. She will also begin her role as a member of the NCAA Gymnastics Committee in September. A member of the Crimson Tide family since her days as two-time individual NCAA Champion in the early 1990s, Duckworth will be introduced as the sixth head gymnastics coach in Alabama history at a press conference Tuesday at 5 p.m. “I would like to thank Coach Battle and President Bonner for offering me the opportunity to take a complete year of medical leave and then return to coaching but, in this climate of early recruiting commitments, having a staff that changes at least twice in the next two years is not in the best interests of the continued success of Alabama gymnastics,” Patterson said. This page was last edited on 25 June 2020, at 14:13. “We are limited by law on what we can speak about regarding equal opportunity matters, however we can elaborate on what steps were taken," Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne said in a statement released to AL.com on Wednesday. ", Kiaku shared other instances with AL.com of what she believed represented a wider problem with racism within the Alabama gymnastics program. So how are we standing together? That doesn’t seem to be a joke that’s appropriate, especially in a professional team setting. After initiating the Title IX investigation, Kiaku said other teammates shut her out and questioned why she remained with the team.