FSU names Eva Patterson-Heath its 12th Head Women's Basketball Coach
July 8, 2009
Fayetteville, NC - In a press conference held in Capel Arena,
Fayetteville State University introduced Mrs. Eva
Patterson-Heath as its 12th Head Women's Basketball
Coach. Women's Basketball officially began at Fayetteville
State in 1940. Since its inception, the Lady Broncos have won two
CIAA Championships (1979 & 2001) and have six NCAA postseason
appearances.
Coach Eva Patterson-Heath previously served as the Head Girl's
Basketball Coach at Red Springs High School in Red Springs, NC for
the past 13 years. Under her leadership, the Lady Devils had a
503-128 record. This outstanding record led her teams to 17
conference titles, 11 conference tournament championships, and 23
state playoff appearances with two State Championship
appearances.
Coach Heath's coaching ability allowed her to develop 21 collegiate
student-athletes, seven North Carolina East-West All Star players,
three Robeson County Players of the Year, and one Cape Fear Region
Player of the Year. Flourishing at Red Springs High School,
Coach Heath has brought home several awards. In 2009, she was
inducted into the Robeson County's Inaugural Sports Hall of Fame
and in 2006, she was chosen as the North Carolina High School
Athletics Association Female Coach of the Year.
Though a successful basketball coach, she has achieved success in
other venues as well. In 1992, she organized the Inaugural
Lady Devils Holiday Invitational Tournament which led to the
establishment of the Robeson County Girls Christmas Classic, which
has become a major tournament for the area. Basketball was
not the only sport on which Coach Heath was able to leave an
everlasting mark. In 1994, she established the boys and girls cross
country teams and in 2004 co-founded the Robeson County
Cross-Country Championships. Subsequently, she led her teams to ten
conference championships. Though active in sports, she has an
intense passion for education and community service.
Eva Patterson-Heath has served on the Board of Directors for
Communities in schools, as well as a volunteer coach for Robeson
County Special Olympics. In 2005, she received the Lumberton
Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Award for Community
Service. She was a two-time Red Springs High School Teacher
of the Year, and in 1999 she was awarded the Educator the Year
Award by the Robeson County Black Caucus.
Coach Heath's career began as an activities coordinator in 1977
with the Robeson County Parks and Recreation Department; she later
became an athletic director, which led her into her coaching
careers in basketball as well cross country and track. She
began her path into education at North Carolina A&T State
University where she received her Bachelor's of Science in History
with a concentration in Education. She later received her
certification from Fayetteville State University in Special
Education and her Master of Arts Degree in Education from the
University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
Coach Heath stated that, "A reciprocal expectation of absolutely
nothing less than the best is what drives the competitive
commitment to student excellence in my career." With her
skills and love for the game, her leadership will be an excellent
addition to our athletic department and the Bronco family.
