He played college football for the UCLA Bruins and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the eighth round of the 1990 NFL draft.
Patton was just 9-years-old when his father Raymond Hicks, an undercover detective in Los Angeles, was shot and killed in the line of duty.
Mother and son both played middle linebacker, with Barbara once breaking an opposing player's helmet.
Earning an academic scholarship, Patton was a walk-on at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Patton and his wife also created a children's apparel and book company, Girls Like Math, that promotes positive images for girls and challenges gender stereotypes with fun, hip clothing and entertaining books and games.