Legendary North Carolina Sports Fixture Passes Away

One of the greatest compliments that can ever be paid to you (IMHO) is that people always felt better about themselves when they were around you. Pat Doughty was one of those people. "Big Pat" was the public address announcer for the Charlotte Hornets for almost two decades. Yesterday, the team announced that Big Pat had passed away. He'd been dealing with health issues for some time. Scenes like this picture above make me think of him. When the lights were down in the Spectrum Center prior to a Hornets Game, you heard people cheering and Big Pat's voice booming throughout the arena. https://youtu.be/-0crFc1TtoQ What Kind Of Man Was Big Pat? For many years we had a sports radio station as part of our family of stations in the building. Several times a year, Big Pat would come up for a visit. Big Pat never forgot a person. Never forgot a name. And was one of those people that when he talked to you, you felt like you were the only person in the room. Beyond that, his enthusiasm for basketball in general and the Charlotte Hornets in specific was a joy to be around. And I mean for the vast majority of his time with the Hornets, the team has been a disaster. Yet, to listen to Big Pat, you'd have thought they were on the verge of becoming the next NBA dynasty. This kind of ambassador is next to impossible to replace. The Hornets Praise Big Pat WBTV released this statement regarding the passing of Big Pat from the team, “Big Pat’s vibrant voice was the backbone of our game experience and energized Spectrum Center every night. He was dedicated to our team and our fans, even as he fought health issues in recent years. He will be greatly missed by everyone associated with the Hornets organization. Our thoughts are with Pat’s family and his many friends.” Honoring Big Pat "He will be greatly missed." THAT, is the understatement of the year. I, nor you, can imagine anyone else's voice booming throughout The Spectrum Center during Hornets' games. Nothing has been announced yet, but I feel certain there will be something done by the team to honor the memory of Big Pat Doughty. Big Pat is a member of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hall of Fame. He was a legend in the basketball arena, and in the arena of life. https://twitter.com/hornets/status/1816186695852658839