Accountant turned coach, Cory Patterson holds key to Illinois' recruiting turnaround
Wearing a suit and tie every weekday, Cory Patterson was on the path most expected from the finance major.
He worked on IRAs for major firms such as Bank of America and A.G. Edwards in St. Louis. Patterson, who grew up in a high-crime neighborhood in the city and was the first in his family to graduate from college, knew he had made it.
Only one thing.
"It just wasn't for me," he said.
Patterson worked with accounts that dealt with divorce and death.
"Everyone you talk to is mad and upset," he said. "I did well in school in (accounting), but it was really stressful for me. I didn't handle that stress well, that corporate stress. I was
