For Âé¶čÆÆœâ°æ ‘young’ 96-year-old fan, attending games is what ‘keeps him going’

December 7, 2025
Portrait of William Patterson, a 96-year-old UVA fan, takes in the Cavaliers’ ACC Football Championship Game against Duke alongside his grandson, Jeffrey Witt and in the background is George Jones, Witt’s cousin.

William Patterson, a 96-year-old UVA fan, takes in the Cavaliers’ ACC Football Championship Game against Duke University alongside his grandson, Jeffrey Witt. In the background is George Jones, Witt’s cousin. The trio, along with Jeffrey’s uncle, David Witt, attended both the UVA men’s basketball and football games in Charlotte on Saturday. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

His heavy, bright orange puffer jacket was unzipped, exposing a white undershirt and navy University of Virginia football hoodie. A navy Cavaliers cap rested on the right knee of his khaki pants. 

It was approaching noon Saturday and 96-year-old William Patterson, up since 2 a.m. and now seated in a wheelchair-accessible section of Charlotte’s Spectrum Arena ahead of the UVA men’s basketball game against the University of Dayton, was only getting started. 

“For later,” Patterson said, “I got long johns, got a scarf to go around my neck, I got gloves. I got Virginia gloves.”

Group portrait of Loyal UVA fans David Witt, George Jones and Jeffrey Witt stand around William Patterson ahead of the Cavaliers’ Saturday basketball game against Dayton at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center.

Loyal UVA fans David Witt, George Jones and Jeffrey Witt stand around William Patterson ahead of the Cavaliers’ Saturday basketball game against the University of Dayton at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center. (Contributed photo)

The marathon UVA sports day ended around midnight at nearby Bank of America Stadium. Patterson, bundled now from head to fingertips in Wahoo apparel, watched alongside his grandson, Jeffrey Witt, and other members of his extended family as the Cavaliers fell just short of capturing an Atlantic Coast Conference football championship with a 27-20 overtime loss to Duke University. 

“We don’t leave games early,” Witt said. “We always stay to the end.”

There are troupers – and there’s Witt’s orange-and-blue-clad crew. On Saturday morning, Witt, a statistics instructor at Price George High School and Richard Bland College, drove his grandfather; uncle, David Witt; and cousin, George Jones, from Dinwiddie County to Charlotte for the rare Hoo, out-of-state, basketball-football doubleheader. 

“I woke up at 2 o’clock this morning,” Patterson said before . “I went to bed around 8:30. I woke up and didn’t go back to sleep. I had to take my pills, eat my breakfast and get going. We left at 6 o’clock.”

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Patterson, as his closest Cavalier fans will tell you, is a “young 96.” He celebrated his birthday last Monday and continues to travel often, rarely missing opportunities to see his favorite team in action. Saturday marked the third road game he’s attended this season, on top of being a season ticketholder at Scott Stadium.

“His knees are better than ours,” Jones, 72, said while sharing a laugh with David Witt, 73. “He can walk better than both of us.”

Patterson is affectionally known as “Gigi” – pronounced “Gee-Gee” – to Jeffrey Witt. The two live together and are often leading UVA-related road trips. Some highlights include a 2018 journey to a rain-soaked football game at Indiana University and treks to Columbia, South Carolina, and Louisville, Kentucky, in March 2019 during the men’s basketball run to the NCAA title. 

Person showing Virginia gloves he packed specifically for the Cavaliers’ football game against Duke in Charlotte.

Patterson displays the Virginia gloves he packed specifically for the Cavaliers’ football game against Duke in Charlotte. The game-time temperature of 39 degrees was the coldest in ACC Football Championship Game history. (Photo by Andrew Ramspacher, University Communications)

“I’ll be honest with you,” Witt said, “traveling to these games is what keeps him going. It gives him purpose.”

Patterson’s passion for UVA sports stems from his late son-in-law, Marshall Witt, David’s brother. Members of the Witt family have been going to UVA football games since the 1940s, and, upon Jeffrey’s birth in May 1980, Marshall OK’d two familiar Cavalier basketball names for his son – “Jeffrey” after Jeff Lamp or “Ralph” after Ralph Sampson.

“My mom wanted to name me Jason,” Witt said. 

With roots that deep, it was only natural for Patterson, a University of Richmond alumnus, to shift loyalties to UVA. 

“Mr. Patterson’s a great fan,” said David Witt, who has only missed one home Cavalier football game since 1961. “I doubt there’s anyone here who’s older than him. I mean, we’re old. But we’re not 96!”

While Patterson, a retired hotel and greenhouse manager, cared for his sick wife, Jeanne, until she died in 2016, Jeffrey said his grandfather hardly left the house. 

“And then he got to his mid-80s,” Jeffrey said, “and he started wanting to do everything. In the last 10 years of his life, he’s done more traveling than he did in his first 86.”

Beyond UVA games, Jeffrey and his Gigi have been to numerous pro wrestling events throughout the country. Last summer, they went to Hawaii together so Patterson could finally see all 50 states. This spring, they’re going to Egypt, so Patterson can see the pyramids.

And, yes, next August, when , they’re already making plans to be there, too.

“I can relax traveling,” Patterson said. “I hate to sit at home and do nothing but twiddle my hands around.”

He’d rather use those hands – covered in Virginia gloves or not – to applaud the Hoos.

“We get a lot of enjoyment going to the games,” he said. “We always like to see them win. We’re happy when they win. We’re a little displeased when they lose. But they’re doing pretty good this year.”

Media Contacts

Andrew Ramspacher

University News Senior Associate University Communications

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