Patton is a chip off old block as athletic director
For many years, female athletic directors in the WPIAL were few and far between, but the times they are a changin’. There are currently three female athletic directors in the Observer-Reporter’s coverage area, and the WPIAL added another Monday night when Adrea Patton was hired as the AD at Avonworth High School.
Patton is the former Andrea Dalton, who was a standout basketball player at Trinity High School and in college at Pitt-Johnstown. She is the daughter of McGuffey athletic director and head football coach Ed Dalton. The duo is believed to be the only father-daughter combination ever to be active ADs in the WPIAL.
For Patton, it’s the final step in a long journey that led her across the country and then back to western Pennsylvania. And it keeps her involved in sports, something she seemed destined to be at an early age.
“I’ve always been watching my dad’s career,” Patton said. “Even some of my first memories were on a football field. I always looked up to my dad.
“When I was 18, I wanted to forge my own identity. … Now, I’m exactly where I want to be. Avonworth is the right place for me. I’m very humbled and excited about this opportunity.”
Patton was a three-time all-section basketball player at Trinity and twice was selected to the O-R’s all-district team. Patton’s game blossomed at UPJ, where she scored 1,417 career points, which ranked 11th in school history when she graduated in 2011. She also grabbed 611 career rebounds and was a two-time All-West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection.
She spent one year as an assistant coach at UPJ before embarking on an academic path that would eventually lead her to the career as a high school athletic administrator. Patton earned her master’s degree from the University of Washington, then served an internship in academic services at Florida Atlantic. After that, she worked in student support services at Tennessee Chattanooga and Utah State before returning to the local area to work on a PhD in Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology at West Virginia.
For Patton, who resides in Bridgeville, this will be her initial experience at running an athletic program and she knows, because of the global pandemic, this is not the easiest time to put a career in the starting blocks, especially one in athletics.
“The timing certainly isn’t ideal,” Patton said. “But everybody is experiencing these challenges. There’s no playbook for working in a pandemic but I like challenges. In these days, you certainly have to be capable of wearing multiple hats. Athletic directors don’t sign on to be health career professionals, but that’s where we’re at. The job’s more than just making out schedules.”
Patton said she is proud to add her name to the growing list of female athletic directors in the WPIAL. She said new WPIAL executive director Amy Scheunem has been influence an in her career.
“There’s only a handful of us and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Amy Scheunem,” Patton said. “She played a big role in my progress. I have been following her career and she is someone I’ve admired.
“I hope to use this opportunity to open the door for women of other diversities. I have to thank Avonworth. The superintendent did his homework and wanted to make a hire for the 21st century. There is a lot of change happening.”
One person who might have to change roles is Patton’s husband, Casey Patton, who helps McGuffey’s football program behind the scenes in support services.
“He’s a tech guy, which my dad is not,” Andrea Patton said. “It’s going to be a contentious battle over Casey. As soon as I was hired at Avonworth we were arguing over who keeps Casey.”