CHARLOTTE – The Atlantic Coast Conference has named veteran football official Gary Patterson as its new Supervisor of Football Officials, the league announced on Monday. 

Patterson brings more than three decades of collegiate football officiating experience, including 23 seasons in the ACC and assignments in some of the sport’s most prestigious postseason games. He succeeds Al Riveron, who recently announced he was stepping down after serving as the ACC’s Supervisor of Football Officials since 2022. 

“Gary Patterson has earned the trust and respect of coaches and his officiating colleagues throughout his more than 30-year career, including nearly 25 in the ACC,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “His extensive experience on the field has been defined by excellence, integrity and leadership, and his deep understanding of the game makes him uniquely qualified to lead ACC Football officiating. We are thrilled to welcome Gary into this critical role, and we continue our commitment to excellence in football officiating.” 

As Supervisor of Football Officials, Patterson will oversee all aspects of the ACC’s football officiating program, including recruiting, training, evaluation, scheduling, development and continued education of the league’s officials. He will also work closely with coaches, administrators and the NCAA to ensure consistency, transparency and the continued advancement of officiating throughout the conference. 

Patterson will continue building on the ACC’s partnership with ESPN related to enhanced instant replay access during selected TV broadcasts of ACC football games. The initiative has provided fans with unprecedented insight into the collaborative replay process. 

“I want to sincerely thank Commissioner Phillips for his confidence and the opportunity to lead the ACC’s Football officiating program,” Patterson said. “It is truly an honor to serve a conference that has meant so much to me throughout my career. I look forward to working with our outstanding officials, coaches and administrators to continue elevating the quality, consistency and integrity of ACC officiating.” 

A native of South Carolina, Patterson has officiated football since 1994, beginning in the South Atlantic Conference before advancing to the Southern Conference and eventually joining the ACC in 2002 as a back judge. He was promoted to referee in 2009 and has served in that role ever since. 

During his distinguished officiating career, Patterson has been selected to work numerous marquee postseason contests, including the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, the 2006 Army-Navy Game, four ACC Football Championship Games (2007, 2012, 2014 and 2021), and bowl games including the Insight.com Bowl, Outback Bowl (2016, 2021), Holiday Bowl, Texas Bowl, Alamo Bowl, LA Bowl and Music City Bowl. He also officiated in NFL Europe during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. 

Away from football, Patterson has enjoyed a successful 40-year career as a State Farm Insurance agent in Lugoff, South Carolina. A graduate of Wofford College with a bachelor’s degree in business and economics, Patterson was a three-year football letterwinner at quarterback for the Terriers.

–courtesy of ACC Communications