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The team confirmed his death and said
pancreatic cancer was the cause.
After playing college football at Oregon, Patera was chosen by
the Baltimore Colts as the 44th overall pick of the 1955 NFL
Draft. He played both guard on offense and middle linebacker,
but a squabble with coach Weeb Ewbank about his position led to
him being cut in 1958. He later played for the Chicago Cardinals
and the Dallas Cowboys.
His player career done because of injuries, Patera became the
defensive line coach of the Los Angeles Rams in 1963, then moved
on to the Minnesota Vikings.
When Seattle gained an expansion franchise in 1976, he was hired
as the first coach. He was named NFL Coach of the Year when the
Seahawks finished 9-7, but the team never had a better record
than that under Patera, and he was fired in the 1982 season.
He finished with a 35-59 record.
"We didn't have the great success," Patera told the Seattle
Times later. "But we had an exciting team and good times. We had
some fun times."
Patera never coached again.
--Field Level Media
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