Matt Patanelli
Encyclopedia
Matthew L. "Matt" Patanelli (July 13, 1914 – May 27, 1992) was an American football
, baseball
and basketball
player and coach. He played and coached all three sports at the University of Michigan
and was selected as the Most Valuable Player
on the 1936 Michigan Wolverines football team
. He was also the first University of Michigan football player to be selected in an NFL Draft
. He was an assistant football coach at Western Michigan University
(1944, 1948–1951) and the University of Michigan
(1953–1958).
, in 1914. He was a star athlete at Elkhart High School
, earning 12 letters in football, basketball and track, and serving as the captain of the football and basketball teams. He was selected as an All State football player in 1931 and 1932, and graduated from Elkhart High School in 1933.
in the fall of 1933 and played for the Michigan Wolverines
football, baseball and basketball teams. He played on Michigan's freshman football team in 1933, and received the Chicago alumni award, also known as the Meyer Morton Award, during spring practice in 1934 as the most promising freshman prospect.
As a sophomore in 1934, Patanelli played at both the end and halfback
positions as a teammate of Gerald R. Ford.
He was a starter for Michigan at the end position in 1935 and 1936. In October 1935, Patanelli recovered an Indiana
fumble in the end zone
for the game's only touchdown, giving Michigan its first Big Ten Conference
victory since 1933. At the end of the 1935 season, Patanelli was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference
player. He was also elected by his teammates to serve as captain of the 1936 Michigan Wolverines football team
.
In 1936, Patanelli started all 8 games at the left end position for Michigan despite suffering from a strained ankle. The team finished with a record of 1-7, achieving its only victory against Columbia University
. Patanelli's play was one of the few bright spots for Michigan in the 1936 season, and he was selected as the team's Most Valuable Player
. At the time of his selection as the 1936 Most Valuable Player, Michigan head coach Harry G. Kipke
said, "He's a grand person and a great leader. He had courage and this year had to play under a handicap -- a bad ankle. I'm sorry for one thing and it is that Matt never had the privilege of playing on a winning football team. Had he had this chance he certainly would have been picked on some all star eleven." Kipke's belief that Patanelli would have been selected as an All-American if he played for a better team was shared by Associated Press
sports correspondent "Pap," who wrote:
Michigan's ends coach (and future College Football Hall of Fame
inductee) Bennie Oosterbaan
called Patanelli "the best blocking end he has coached."
Patanelli was voted by fans as a member of the Chicago Tribune
College Football All-American team that defeated the Green Bay Packers
6-0 in the College All-Star Game
in August 1937. He was also selected as a third-team All-American by the Associated Press
.
Patanelli was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers
in the 9th round (85th overall pick) of the 1937 NFL Draft
, making him the first University of Michigan football player selected in the NFL Draft.
. Among other coaching responsibilities, he was the ends coach and chief scout for the Western Michigan football
team in 1944 and from 1948 to 1951.
In July 1952, he returned to the University of Michigan as an assistant coach, assisting with the baseball, basketball and football teams. He was an assistant football coach at Michigan under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan
from 1953 to 1958. Patanelli was in charge of the defensive ends in 1953 and was the lead ends coach from 1954 to 1958. In that capacity, he helped develop All-Americans Ron Kramer
and Tom Maentz
.
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and coach. He played and coached all three sports at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and was selected as the Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
on the 1936 Michigan Wolverines football team
1936 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1936 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1936 college football season. The team's head coach was Harry G. Kipke. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium.-Schedule:-Letter winners:...
. He was also the first University of Michigan football player to be selected in an NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
. He was an assistant football coach at Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
(1944, 1948–1951) and the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
(1953–1958).
Early years in Elkhart, Indiana
Patanelli was born in Elkhart, IndianaElkhart, Indiana
Elkhart is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, northwest of Fort Wayne, east of Chicago, and north of Indianapolis...
, in 1914. He was a star athlete at Elkhart High School
Elkhart Central High School
-Vision:Elkhart Central High School is a place where all feel safe, welcome and aspire to learn, find their niche and pursue their dreams.-Mission:...
, earning 12 letters in football, basketball and track, and serving as the captain of the football and basketball teams. He was selected as an All State football player in 1931 and 1932, and graduated from Elkhart High School in 1933.
University of Michigan
Patanelli enrolled at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in the fall of 1933 and played for the Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
football, baseball and basketball teams. He played on Michigan's freshman football team in 1933, and received the Chicago alumni award, also known as the Meyer Morton Award, during spring practice in 1934 as the most promising freshman prospect.
As a sophomore in 1934, Patanelli played at both the end and halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
positions as a teammate of Gerald R. Ford.
He was a starter for Michigan at the end position in 1935 and 1936. In October 1935, Patanelli recovered an Indiana
Indiana Hoosiers football
The Indiana Hoosiers football program represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and in the Big Ten Conference.-Bowl games:...
fumble in the end zone
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
for the game's only touchdown, giving Michigan its first Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
victory since 1933. At the end of the 1935 season, Patanelli was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
player. He was also elected by his teammates to serve as captain of the 1936 Michigan Wolverines football team
1936 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1936 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1936 college football season. The team's head coach was Harry G. Kipke. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium.-Schedule:-Letter winners:...
.
In 1936, Patanelli started all 8 games at the left end position for Michigan despite suffering from a strained ankle. The team finished with a record of 1-7, achieving its only victory against Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Patanelli's play was one of the few bright spots for Michigan in the 1936 season, and he was selected as the team's Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
. At the time of his selection as the 1936 Most Valuable Player, Michigan head coach Harry G. Kipke
Harry G. Kipke
Harry George Kipke was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He was the head football coach at Michigan State College in 1928 and at the University of Michigan from 1929–1937, compiling a career record of 49–30–5...
said, "He's a grand person and a great leader. He had courage and this year had to play under a handicap -- a bad ankle. I'm sorry for one thing and it is that Matt never had the privilege of playing on a winning football team. Had he had this chance he certainly would have been picked on some all star eleven." Kipke's belief that Patanelli would have been selected as an All-American if he played for a better team was shared by Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
sports correspondent "Pap," who wrote:
"Capt. Matt Patanelli of Michigan, in the opinion of numerous Big Ten officials and coaches, would rate an end job on any mythical eleven if he were playing with a winner this season. Michigan's grid fortunes have been at a low ebb, but this hasn't prevented Matt from turning in great games, especially on the defense, each Saturday afternoon. Against Minnesota, when the Wolverines were routed 26-0, Patanelli broke into the Minnesota backfleld twice to throw runners for losses and his pass interception on the Michigan 7-yard line prevented another Gopher score."
Michigan's ends coach (and future College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
inductee) Bennie Oosterbaan
Bennie Oosterbaan
Benjamin Gaylord "Bennie" Oosterbaan was a three-time first team All-American football end for the Michigan Wolverines football team, two-time All-American basketball player for the basketball team and an All-Big Ten Conference baseball player for the baseball team...
called Patanelli "the best blocking end he has coached."
Patanelli was voted by fans as a member of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
College Football All-American team that defeated the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
6-0 in the College All-Star Game
College All-Star Game
The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played annually from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year...
in August 1937. He was also selected as a third-team All-American by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
.
Patanelli was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
in the 9th round (85th overall pick) of the 1937 NFL Draft
1937 NFL Draft
The 1937 National Football League Draft was the second draft held by the NFL. The draft took place December 12, 1936, consisting of 10 rounds, with 100 player selections two of which would later become members of the Professional Football Hall of Fame...
, making him the first University of Michigan football player selected in the NFL Draft.
Coaching career
Patanelli later served as an athletic coach at Western Michigan UniversityWestern Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
. Among other coaching responsibilities, he was the ends coach and chief scout for the Western Michigan football
Western Michigan Broncos football
The Western Michigan Broncos football program represents Western Michigan University in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I and the Mid-American Conference . Western Michigan has competed in football since 1906, when they played three games in their inaugural season...
team in 1944 and from 1948 to 1951.
In July 1952, he returned to the University of Michigan as an assistant coach, assisting with the baseball, basketball and football teams. He was an assistant football coach at Michigan under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan
Bennie Oosterbaan
Benjamin Gaylord "Bennie" Oosterbaan was a three-time first team All-American football end for the Michigan Wolverines football team, two-time All-American basketball player for the basketball team and an All-Big Ten Conference baseball player for the baseball team...
from 1953 to 1958. Patanelli was in charge of the defensive ends in 1953 and was the lead ends coach from 1954 to 1958. In that capacity, he helped develop All-Americans Ron Kramer
Ron Kramer
Ronald J. Kramer was a multi-sport college athlete and professional American football player. Before embarking on a career in the National Football League, he lettered in football, basketball, and track at the University of Michigan in the 1950s...
and Tom Maentz
Tom Maentz
Tom Maentz is a former American football player who played end for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1954-1956. Maentz played on offense and defense and also served as the punter for the Michigan football team...
.
Honors
Patanelli has been inducted into the Elkhart County Sports Hall of Fame and the Indiana Football Hall of FameIndiana Football Hall of Fame
The Indiana Football Hall of Fame is a sports museum and hall of fame in Richmond, Indiana. It honors persons associated with high school, college and professional American football in Indiana. It also works to establish scholarships and endowments to promote football in the state of Indiana...
.