Matt Patanelli
| Michigan Wolverines | |
Matt Patanelli, 1936
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| Date of birth | July 13, 1914 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Elkhart, Indiana |
| Date of death | May 27, 1992 (aged 77) |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | End/Halfback |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| College | University of Michigan |
| High school | Elkhart High School |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| 1944 | Western Michigan (assistant) |
| 1948–1951 | Western Michigan (assistant) |
| 1953 | Michigan (defensive ends) |
| 1954–1958 | Michigan (ends) |
| As player | |
| 1934–1936 | Michigan |
| Awards | Most Valuable Player, 1936 Michigan Wolverines football team |
Matthew Lewis "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).
Patanelli was born in Elkhart, Indiana, 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.
Patanelli enrolled at the University of Michigan 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.
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