| Joe Patanelli | |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 3 |
| Weight Lb: | 205 |
| Birth Date: | 18 September 1919 |
| Birth Place: | Elkhart, Indiana |
| Death Place: | Elkhart, Indiana |
| Nationality: | American |
| High School: | Elkhart (Elkhart, Indiana) |
| Career Position: | Forward |
| Years1: | 1946–1947 |
| Team1: | Toledo Jeeps |
| Years2: | 1947 |
| Team2: | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Years3: | 1947–1948 |
| Team3: | Kansas City Blues |
Joseph Mathew Patanelli (September 18, 1919 – August 18, 1998) was an American professional basketball and minor league baseball player.[1] [2] He played for the Toledo Jeeps and Minneapolis Lakers in the National Basketball League and averaged 3.6 points per game.[1] [3] He also played for the Kansas City Blues in the Professional Basketball League of America during the 1947–48 season.[2]
Patanelli was offered an athletic scholarship to play football for Indiana University but did not finish his education, having to return home following the death of his father.[2] He never played for the school's basketball team.[2]
In addition to basketball, Patanelli played minor league baseball for four years – three for Chicago White Sox-affiliated teams, and one affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds.[4] He competed for the Wisconsin Rapids White Sox (1946), Fall River Indians (1947), Superior Blues (1948), and Rockford Rox (1948).[4] In 368 career games, Patanelli batted .258 and hit 16 home runs.[4]
His older brother was Matt Patanelli, a standout football player for the University of Michigan.[2]