He started at third base for the Pepperdine baseball team from 2002 to 2005. Wearing No. 8 he hit .270 with 11 home runs and 126 RBI and was considered one of the elite defensive third basemen in the West Coast Conference during his four seasons as a Wave. He consistently worked to better himself at the game as well as provide a smile for anyone lucky enough to cross paths with him. He was a man of conviction – devoted to God devoted to his family and devoted to finding meaning in every second of his life. He was Patrick Rooney.
“I knew Pat not as a friend not as a baseball player not as a man a father nor a son … I knew Pat as all of those wrote Ryan Beglin, a friend and former teammate, in an e-mail. And I will say he was the best guy you will ever meet at filling all of those roles.”
Patrick was 26 when the single-engine plane his father Bill was piloting crashed near Steamboat Springs Colo. taking the lives of both men on the morning of Sunday Jan. 11. Bill54 had reportedly flown the plane out of Yampa Valley Regional Airport around 10 a.m. before it crashed one mile north of the runway.
As the Waves’ regular third baseman for four years Patrick earned a reputation of consistency and dependability on the diamond and could always be counted on to deliver exactly what was necessary to pick his team up during games.
“He would be able to focus on exactly what needed to be done Beglin said. No matter what the question was a late inning hit we desperately needed an amazing play at third base or just a look in his eyes that said ‘We are going to do this’ … Pat was the answer.”
In the clubhouse Patrick kept spirits high and attitudes motivated with a perpetual aura of optimism and resilient inspiration.
Friend and former teammate Cory Brightwell who was a sophomore when Patrick was a freshman said he could not help but take the younger player under his wing after witnessing the passion he had for baseball and life in general.
“As a teammate he was somebody you could always count on to be upbeat no matter what the circumstances were Brightwell said. He would never get down on you. He’d always be there to support you and back you up when you weren’t carrying your load.”
But Patrick’s enthusiasm went far beyond the reaches of Eddy D. Field Stadium. He was known for being someone who loved to smile and who had a knack for making others smile along with him.
Beglin who played right field and designated hitter for Pepperdine from 2004 to 2005 recalled how quickly Patrick and he were drawn together as friends.
“I first met Patrick in 2004 in the weight room at Pepperdine Beglin said. I had just transferred to the school and was going down to workout. Although neither one of us had baseball gear on we both knew that we played.
“Let me say that it took about five minutes for me to warm up to Pat because he was one of those guys. The type who seemed to always be smiling somehow even when lifting weights.”
According to Head Coach Steve Rodriguez Patrick was one of the university’s most active alums as he would return to Malibu for every Pepperdine baseball alumni event and fundraiser demonstrating the sense of commitment he felt toward his alma mater and the relationships he developed there.
“If my son turns out to be the person Patrick Rooney was I would consider myself a lucky father Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said Patrick, who is survived by his wife, Erynn, 1-year-old son, Will, mother, Debi, and brothers, Sean and Colin, was deeply committed to his family, and family first” is a recurring theme within the hearts and minds of all the Rooneys.
“Obviously it’s a huge tragedy for the family but when you talk to them it’s an amazing experience and an enlightenment to my own life Rodriguez said. They’re amazing people and there’s no doubt in my mind that they will grow even closer as a family and be even stronger for it.”
The abundant love Patrick had for his family was illustrated by an incident that took place in November during the baseball program’s annual Alumni Weekend.
“During [last] year’s Alumni Weekend Patrick and Erynn and several other people went to dinner at Wood Ranch Beglin said. He had his son Will sitting on his lap and Will really wanted to see what a lemon tasted like. So Pat warned him but let him have it.
“The look on Will’s face was hysterical and everyone started laughing. When Will turned to look at Pat he had a sad face. Pat kissed him and said ‘I told you so.’ Then Pat turned to Erynn and gave an ‘oops!’ face. That was Pat as a man father and husband – one in a million.”
Sean Patrick’s older brother plays catcher in the Washington Nationals minor league system. The Nationals drafted younger brother Colin last year after he played two seasons at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo Calif. but he opted to follow in Patrick’s footsteps and transferred to Pepperdine before the 2008-2009 academic year.
Colin a junior is ready to assume third base the position Patrick manned for four years. But that’s not the only way Colin will carry on his brother’s legacy-he will also be wearing No. 8 the same number that was stitched on Patrick’s jersey during his 242 games as a Pepperdine Wave. Senior infielder Bryce Mendonca who previously donned No. 8 will now wear No. 3.
A memorial service in honor of Bill and Patrick Rooney is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday Jan. 31 at Friends Church in Yorba Linda Calif.
“He lived a very blessed life and he did not take an ounce of it for granted Brightwell said. He enjoyed it. He lived every second of it to the fullest. Because of that we were all blessed to be around him.”