Home Cookin': Well-traveled K.C. Patterson ready to settle in at Akron

K.C. Patterson is a young man in perpetual motion. One school to the next.

But Patterson has a new home now – at Division I-A Akron in the heart of Ohio – and the quarterback grins at the notion of finally unpacking for more than a few months. Patterson is a vagabond athlete if the area ever has seen one, having experienced every bit of the business of football while getting a nifty tour of the country.

He started his academic and athletic career at Granite Bay High School, then switched to nearby Oakmont for a fresh start and a chance to start. He started as a senior in 2004. He was so motivated to get a head start on college, he graduated in December of that year, weeks after football and months before the rest of his class accepted diplomas. Patterson attended the University of San Diego and dreamed of playing for former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh.

That marriage didn't last long. After one season on the bench, Patterson departed for a better depth-chart situation and a chance to play at home at Sacramento State in 2006. He arrived as a walk-on and landed a scholarship under coach Steve Mooshagian. But he was on the move after Mooshagian was let go following the 2006 season.

Patterson and his father, Steve, scanned the Internet for a college that specialized in broadcasting (K.C. is a natural on the air with good looks, charm and vocal pipes). They found Akron, home of the Zips. Patterson sent game and workout film to the Akron coaches, who invited him to walk on, with the chance to land a scholarship in spring ball. He heads east next month.

"I've seen a lot and I don't regret it at all," Patterson said. "I've seen a lot of offenses already – the fly offense at Granite Bay, the West Coast at Oakmont, the spread at San Diego, a different spread at Sac State. It's been a huge dose of experience for me, to adapt to new systems and schools. I think I can learn a new offense in two weeks."

Patterson laughed when he said that. He'll be a redshirt junior, and at a hair under 6-foot-3 and 216 pounds, Patterson looks fit and motivated. He works out religiously at Velocity Sports Performance in Rancho Cordova with strength and conditioning coaches.

"I'm ready to go," he said.

Once again.

Wulff in coach's clothing

Paul Wulff is smiling now. He's the Washington State football coach, back in Pullman 22 years after playing there.

But life hasn't always been easy. It certainly has molded him, he admits.

His mother disappeared when he was 12; the case never was solved. He was a star at Davis High, a mainstay for a 10-0 team in 1983 that featured tailback sensation Marc Hicks. Wulff's senior season was lost because of a leg injury, though his long-snapping abilities earned him a scholarship to Washington State. While carving out a nice head-coaching career at Eastern Washington, where he was a three-time Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year, Wulff's wife, Tammy, endured a five-year battle with brain cancer. She died in his arms in 2002.

Wulff is remarried now, with two young children. He's a big guy with a soft spot and a lot of admirers. Monterey Trail football coach T.J. Ewing got to know Wulff when he played at Eastern Washington. They remain close today, with Ewing saying recently, "He's as good a man as I'll ever know."

Dave Whitmire coached Wulff at Davis and was one of the first people Wulff called after his Washington State appointment.

"I'm really excited for Paul," Whitmire said. "Gosh, that's quite an honor – Pac-10 football coach."

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