He played college football for the Washington Huskies, earning first-team All-American honors in 1997.
Pathon was a student of Carson Graham Secondary School in North Vancouver, Canada from 1987 to 1992 and attended Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia for one year (1993–94), where he had 44 receptions and 868 receiving yards and was named Atlantic University Sport (AUS) and Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union (CIAU) Football Rookie of the Year.
His 73 receptions his senior year still ranks fifth all-time on the Huskies' single season record book.
On December 21, 2003, during his time with the Saints, he scored the touchdown in the famous play known as The River City Relay, which could have led to a tie game, but only for the extra point to be missed by John Carney.
Pathon and his attorneys allege that the League failed to properly treat head injuries in spite of prevailing medical evidence, leading the players to develop effects of brain injury ranging from chronic headaches to depression.