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James A. (Jim) Patterson The late coach Mike Peppe built a “diving dynasty” at Ohio State and Jim Patterson might be called the cornerstone. He was the first in a long line of Buckeye springboard greats. Jim, who learned to dive off the Santa Cruz, California fishing piers, led the junior competitors in the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair where he met Coach Peppe and accepted his invitation to visit Ohio State and instantly became a Buckeye. Jim became the Buckeyes first Big 10 and NCAA diving champion in 1936 and 1937 and was named to six All-American teams between 1936 and 1938. He served as co-Captain of the OSU team that became the first college team ever to win the National AAU championship (indoor and outdoor) in 1938. During his career, he never finished lower than second in Big 10 and NCAA championships. Jim originated eight dives during his OSU career, most of which were eventually placed in the NCAA rules book. In 1992, he was inducted into The Ohio State University Athletic Hall of Fame. After graduation, he dived professionally with Billy Rose’s Aquacade and was Director of Diving for the Minneapolis Aquatennial for thirteen years. From 1946-1980, he owned Patterson Pools in Columbus, Ohio. In that time, he was issued seventeen patents in swimming pool design and was the originator of stainless steel swimming pools that are still a standard for today’s designs. Jim and his wife Mary Ruth have been married 67 years and currently reside in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.