Jack Patera
Encyclopedia
John Arlen "Jack" Patera (born August 1, 1933 in Bismarck, North Dakota
) is a former American football
player and coach in the National Football League
. He played for the Baltimore Colts
, Chicago Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys
. He was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Rams
, New York Giants
and the Minnesota Vikings
. Patera was the first head coach of the Seattle Seahawks
. His career head coaching record is 35-59-0, all with the Seahawks.
in Portland, Oregon
. Upon graduation he enrolled at the University of Oregon
, where he played college football
from 1951-1954, earning All-Pacific Coast Conference
honors as a tackle in his senior year. Other honors included his selection to play in the 1955 East-West Shrine Game
, the Hula Bowl
, and the College All-Star Game
. Patera was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
in 1982 and the University of Oregon Hall of Fame in 2000.
in the fourth round of the 1955 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts
. Although he was initially drafted as an offensive guard, he was soon switched to the defense as a linebacker and played at that position for three seasons under head coach Weeb Ewbank. In 1958, he was traded to the Chicago Cardinals
and played there for two seasons under head coach Frank Ivy
. In 1960, he was selected by the Dallas Cowboys
in the 1960 NFL Expansion Draft
. Under head coach Tom Landry
, he was designated as the starting middle linebacker in the Cowboys 4-3 defensive scheme. Unfortunately Patera's playing career ended early when he suffered a knee injury in the fourth game of the 1960 season. Patera returned in 1961, but played in only two games and retired at the end of the season.
in 1963 as a defensive line coach. During his tenure with the Rams from 1963 to 1967, he was responsible for directing the Fearsome Foursome
, one of the most dominating defensive lines in the NFL during the sixties.
In 1968, Patera became an assistant coach for the New York Giants
, but left after one year to take an assistant coaching position with the Minnesota Vikings
under head coach Bud Grant
. As defensive line coach with the Vikings from 1969 to 1976, Patera worked with another very talented and dominant defensive line, nicknamed the Purple People Eaters
. During this period, the Vikings would go to three Super Bowl
s (IV
, VIII
, IX
).
expansion team. Shortly after arriving, he began the difficult task of building a competitive team from the ground up. Along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
, the Seahawks selected 39 players through the NFL expansion draft held on March 30-31, 1976. The other 26 NFL teams each protected 29 players on their rosters. Seattle and Tampa Bay alternated selections from the remaining pool of unprotected players. Acquiring quality veteran players via free agency was not an aspect of the league at that time. However, the Seahawks were awarded the 2nd overall pick in the 1976 NFL Draft
, a pick they used on defensive tackle Steve Niehaus
.
Since he would not have the player talent to compete with other NFL teams possessing superior power, speed and finesse, Patera resorted to a wide-open gambling style offense that was centered around a passing game using lots of creative gadget plays. "I had a team that could move the ball like hell, but couldn’t stop anybody," Patera said. "So I figured that to win more ballgames we’d simply have to gamble more often. I would much rather have beaten teams on muscle and execution, but we just didn’t have the talent."
Even with the lack of talent, Patera still found a way to win games. In 1976, the Seahawks would finish their first season with a 2-12 record, which was typical for a first year expansion team. The 1976 season also showed promise for the future with quarterback Jim Zorn
and wide receiver Steve Largent
beginning to develop into a potent offensive combination. Behind Zorn and Largent, the team improved their performance with a 5-9 record in 1977. When the Seahawks finished with an impressive 9-7 record in their third season, Patera was voted the NFL Coach of the Year in 1978 by the Associated Press
and Sporting News. The Seahawks finished with a 9-7 record again in 1979, but it was followed by disappointing losing seasons in 1980 and 1981.
As a head coach, Patera was considered to be a stern disciplinarian with strict rules of conduct. For example, he required players to hold their helmets a certain way on the sidelines during the playing of the national anthem. His players were required to wear coats and ties when traveling on the road. One of his most controversial rules was that he wouldn't allow players to have water breaks during practices at training camp in Cheney, Washington
where temperatures frequently reached into the nineties in July and August.
Patera's relationship with the local press in Seattle was stormy at times. He did not enjoy the constant questions about his coaching decisions and the dissection of his teams performance by the sports reporters. He once held a seven-second press conference after a particularly difficult loss in Seattle. After asking, "Any questions?", he left the room when reporters started giggling when none of them spoke up.
In 1982, the National Football League Players' Association
(NFLPA) was threatening to strike over deadlocked negotiations with NFL team owners to give a percentage of the gross revenues for player salaries. Patera's relationship with his players rapidly deteriorated when he first threatened and then fined players for participating in a union solidarity handshake with the opposing team at midfield during pre-season games (actually it was team management that made the decision; GM John Thompson was a former head of the NFL bargaining committee). When Sam McCullum
, a popular player and union representative, was cut from the team by Patera one week before the season started, it was speculated the release was done as retaliation for McCullum's union activities. The release was eventually ruled an illegal termination in an "Unfair Labor Practice
" lawsuit brought against the team by the NFLPA and McCullum.
After losing the first two games of the season, Patera was fired by the Seahawks on October 13, 1982 along with GM John Thompson. The announcement was made by John Nordstrom, representing the Nordstrom family as majority owners. The firing occurred during the 57-day NFL players strike which had started on September 21. He was replaced by Mike McCormack, who was the Seahawks director of football operations, as the interim head coach for the remainder of the 1982 season.
After being fired by the Seahawks, Patera never took another coaching position and is completely retired from football. He currently resides in Cle Elum, Washington
with his three dogs. He and his wife, Susan, are divorced after 44 years of marriage. They have four children.
Patera is the older brother of former Olympic weightlifter and professional wrestler Ken Patera
.
Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779...
) is a former American football
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...
player and coach in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He played for the Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, Chicago Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. He was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. Patera was the first head coach of the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
. His career head coaching record is 35-59-0, all with the Seahawks.
Early life
Patera attended Washington High SchoolWashington High School (Portland, Oregon)
Washington High School was a high school in Portland, Oregon, United States, described in 1950 as "Portland's finest high school." It was part of the Portland school district. Opened in September 1906, the school was originally named the East Side High School, but changed its name to Washington in...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. Upon graduation he enrolled at the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
, where he played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
from 1951-1954, earning All-Pacific Coast Conference
Pacific Coast Conference
The Pacific Coast Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pacific-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, the older league had a completely different charter and was disbanded in 1959 due to a major crisis...
honors as a tackle in his senior year. Other honors included his selection to play in the 1955 East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
, the Hula Bowl
Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl was an independently administered post-season invitational college football game held each year in Hawaii from 1947 to 2008. The game was last played at Aloha Stadium in the Hālawa district of Honolulu, Hawaii. At one point the longest-running sporting event in Hawaii, it had been...
, and 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...
. Patera was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...
in 1982 and the University of Oregon Hall of Fame in 2000.
NFL Player career
Patera's NFL playing career started when he was draftedNFL 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...
in the fourth round of the 1955 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
. Although he was initially drafted as an offensive guard, he was soon switched to the defense as a linebacker and played at that position for three seasons under head coach Weeb Ewbank. In 1958, he was traded to the Chicago Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and played there for two seasons under head coach Frank Ivy
Pop Ivy
Frank "Pop" Ivy was a football player and coach who holds the unique distinction of being the only person ever to serve as a head coach in the National Football League, the American Football League and the Western Interprovincial Football Union.A native of Skiatook, Oklahoma, Ivy was part Native...
. In 1960, he was selected by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in the 1960 NFL Expansion Draft
1960 NFL Expansion Draft
The 1960 NFL Expansion Draft was a National Football League draft in which a new expansion team, named the Dallas Cowboys, selected its first players. The NFL awarded Dallas, Texas a franchise to compete for revenue with Lamar Hunt's Dallas Texans of the upstart American Football League...
. Under head coach Tom Landry
Tom Landry
Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods...
, he was designated as the starting middle linebacker in the Cowboys 4-3 defensive scheme. Unfortunately Patera's playing career ended early when he suffered a knee injury in the fourth game of the 1960 season. Patera returned in 1961, but played in only two games and retired at the end of the season.
Assistant coach
His playing days over, Patera turned his attention to coaching and joined the Los Angeles RamsSt. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
in 1963 as a defensive line coach. During his tenure with the Rams from 1963 to 1967, he was responsible for directing the Fearsome Foursome
Fearsome Foursome (football)
The "Fearsome Foursome" was a title first used in reporting American Professional Football, when referring to the dominating defensive lines of the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League in the early 1960s, the New York Giants, Detroit Lions and most widely, the Los Angeles Rams of the...
, one of the most dominating defensive lines in the NFL during the sixties.
In 1968, Patera became an assistant coach for the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, but left after one year to take an assistant coaching position with the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
under head coach Bud Grant
Bud Grant
Harry Peter "Bud" Grant, Jr is the former longtime American football head coach of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League for eighteen seasons. Grant was the second and fourth head coach of the team...
. As defensive line coach with the Vikings from 1969 to 1976, Patera worked with another very talented and dominant defensive line, nicknamed the Purple People Eaters
Purple People Eaters
Purple People Eaters is a term for the defensive line of the Minnesota Vikings from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. The term is a reference to a popular song from 1958, the superb efficiency of the defense, and the color of their uniforms...
. During this period, the Vikings would go to three Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
s (IV
Super Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one to officially bear the name "Super Bowl"...
, VIII
Super Bowl VIII
Super Bowl VIII was a professional American football game played on January 13, 1974 at Rice Stadium. in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 1973 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Miami Dolphins defeated the National Football...
, IX
Super Bowl IX
Super Bowl IX was an American football game played on January 12, 1975 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1974 regular season. It would be the last pro game at legendary Tulane Stadium...
).
Head coach
In January 1976, Patera was hired as the first head coach for the new Seattle SeahawksSeattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
expansion team. Shortly after arriving, he began the difficult task of building a competitive team from the ground up. Along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
, the Seahawks selected 39 players through the NFL expansion draft held on March 30-31, 1976. The other 26 NFL teams each protected 29 players on their rosters. Seattle and Tampa Bay alternated selections from the remaining pool of unprotected players. Acquiring quality veteran players via free agency was not an aspect of the league at that time. However, the Seahawks were awarded the 2nd overall pick in the 1976 NFL Draft
1976 NFL Draft
The 1976 National Football League Draft was an annual player selection meeting held on April 8–April 9, 1976. It lasted 17 rounds, with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks making the first two selections. The expansion teams were also given a pair of extra picks at the end of...
, a pick they used on defensive tackle Steve Niehaus
Steve Niehaus
Steve Niehaus was a defensive lineman in the NFL. He was the first ever draft pick for the Seattle Seahawks and the second player taken in the 1976 NFL Draft. Niehaus was the 1976 NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year and holds the Seahawk rookie record for sacks in a season with 9½.He suffered multiple...
.
Since he would not have the player talent to compete with other NFL teams possessing superior power, speed and finesse, Patera resorted to a wide-open gambling style offense that was centered around a passing game using lots of creative gadget plays. "I had a team that could move the ball like hell, but couldn’t stop anybody," Patera said. "So I figured that to win more ballgames we’d simply have to gamble more often. I would much rather have beaten teams on muscle and execution, but we just didn’t have the talent."
Even with the lack of talent, Patera still found a way to win games. In 1976, the Seahawks would finish their first season with a 2-12 record, which was typical for a first year expansion team. The 1976 season also showed promise for the future with quarterback Jim Zorn
Jim Zorn
James Arthur "Jim" Zorn is an American quarterbacks coach in the National Football League. He was formerly the quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens and now holds that same position with the Kansas City Chiefs...
and wide receiver Steve Largent
Steve Largent
Steven Michael "Steve" Largent is a retired American football player, enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a former U.S. Congressman, having served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Oklahoma from 1994 until 2002...
beginning to develop into a potent offensive combination. Behind Zorn and Largent, the team improved their performance with a 5-9 record in 1977. When the Seahawks finished with an impressive 9-7 record in their third season, Patera was voted the NFL Coach of the Year in 1978 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...
and Sporting News. The Seahawks finished with a 9-7 record again in 1979, but it was followed by disappointing losing seasons in 1980 and 1981.
As a head coach, Patera was considered to be a stern disciplinarian with strict rules of conduct. For example, he required players to hold their helmets a certain way on the sidelines during the playing of the national anthem. His players were required to wear coats and ties when traveling on the road. One of his most controversial rules was that he wouldn't allow players to have water breaks during practices at training camp in Cheney, Washington
Cheney, Washington
Cheney is a city in Spokane County, Washington, United States. The full time resident population was 10,590 as of 2010 census. Eastern Washington University is located in Cheney, and its population grows to approximately 17,600 people on a temporary basis when classes at Eastern Washington...
where temperatures frequently reached into the nineties in July and August.
Patera's relationship with the local press in Seattle was stormy at times. He did not enjoy the constant questions about his coaching decisions and the dissection of his teams performance by the sports reporters. He once held a seven-second press conference after a particularly difficult loss in Seattle. After asking, "Any questions?", he left the room when reporters started giggling when none of them spoke up.
In 1982, the National Football League Players' Association
National Football League Players' Association
The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is the labor organization for the professional football players in the National Football League . It has been at times a professional association, as well as a labor union...
(NFLPA) was threatening to strike over deadlocked negotiations with NFL team owners to give a percentage of the gross revenues for player salaries. Patera's relationship with his players rapidly deteriorated when he first threatened and then fined players for participating in a union solidarity handshake with the opposing team at midfield during pre-season games (actually it was team management that made the decision; GM John Thompson was a former head of the NFL bargaining committee). When Sam McCullum
Sam McCullum
Samuel Charles McCullum is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for 10 seasons for the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings from 1974 through 1983. McCullum was raised in Kalispell, Montana.-References:...
, a popular player and union representative, was cut from the team by Patera one week before the season started, it was speculated the release was done as retaliation for McCullum's union activities. The release was eventually ruled an illegal termination in an "Unfair Labor Practice
Unfair labor practice
In United States labor law, the term unfair labor practice refers to certain actions taken by employers or unions that violate the National Labor Relations Act and other legislation...
" lawsuit brought against the team by the NFLPA and McCullum.
After losing the first two games of the season, Patera was fired by the Seahawks on October 13, 1982 along with GM John Thompson. The announcement was made by John Nordstrom, representing the Nordstrom family as majority owners. The firing occurred during the 57-day NFL players strike which had started on September 21. He was replaced by Mike McCormack, who was the Seahawks director of football operations, as the interim head coach for the remainder of the 1982 season.
After being fired by the Seahawks, Patera never took another coaching position and is completely retired from football. He currently resides in Cle Elum, Washington
Cle Elum, Washington
Cle Elum is a city in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,872 at the 2010 census. Only an hour and a half's drive from Seattle, Cle Elum is a popular area for camping and outdoor activities.-Early years and industries:...
with his three dogs. He and his wife, Susan, are divorced after 44 years of marriage. They have four children.
Patera is the older brother of former Olympic weightlifter and professional wrestler Ken Patera
Ken Patera
Ken Patera is a former professional wrestler, Olympic weightlifter, and Strongman competitor.-Weightlifting/Strongman career:Patera is a former Olympic weightlifter and American powerlifter...
.