Cedric Patterson Leaves Coaching to Join Dallas ISD Athletics as Assistant Director 

DALLAS – After 11 years coaching boys’ basketball at Lincoln High School, Cedric Patterson has put down the whistle to become an assistant athletic director for Dallas ISD Athletics, Vince Reyes, assistant superintendent of athletics, announced Thursday.

Patterson also served as the assistant athletic coordinator at Lincoln High School since 2013. Now, as an assistant athletic director, he will oversee basketball and baseball and manage the department’s partnership with the NFHS Network. 

“We are excited about Coach Patterson joining the athletics department,” Reyes said. “We are adding  a state champion coach to the team. More importantly, anytime you can add a quality person and a well-respected educator to the team, your team can only improve.”

At Lincoln, he guided the Tigers’ boys’ basketball team to the 2016 UIL 4A State Championship and finished with a 24-14 record. The next year, in 2017, the Tigers advanced to the 4A regional semifinals after winning district 10-4A with a 14-0 record. The team was 29-6 overall. With Patterson on the sideline, Lincoln reached the playoffs all 11 seasons and won five district championships. His Tiger teams won 221 games against 159 losses. He was a four-time district coach of the year: 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Patterson has worked in Dallas ISD for all but one year of his career. Prior to Lincoln, he was the associate head boys’ basketball coach at South Oak Cliff High School (2010-2013). Patterson also served two middle schools in the district – Harold W. Lang (2008-2010) and Fred F. Florence (2006-2008). He was the head boys’ basketball coach at Lang. He got his start as a math teacher and athletic coach at Gateway Charter Academy (2005-2006).

"I am absolutely thrilled to embark on this new journey as an assistant director of athletics in Dallas ISD,” Patterson said. “This role not only aligns with my passion for sports but also opens doors to inspire and support our student-athletes in Dallas to reach their full potential."

Patterson attended Texas College in Tyler and earned a bachelor’s of science degree in mathematics education in 2005. He taught math throughout his career and was the Algebra I team lead at Lincoln. He also is a distinguished teacher and was Lincoln’s teacher of the year in 2016.

Patterson and his wife Ciera have four children: Jada (15), who was a starter on Lincoln’s girls’ basketball team that reached the state semifinals in 2024, Jordyn (12), Jai (6), and Jace (4).

His first day was Tuesday, July 23.