He played for the Baltimore Colts, Chicago Cardinals, and Dallas Cowboys, and was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, and Minnesota Vikings.

[1] Upon graduation in 1951, he enrolled at the University of Oregon in Eugene,[2] where he played college football for the Ducks from 1951 through 1954, earning All-Pacific Coast Conference honors as a guard in his senior year.

On September 17, 1958, Patera was signed by the Chicago Cardinals and played for two seasons under head coach Frank Ivy.

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.

[9] 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 many creative gadget plays.

"[10] Even with the lack of talent, Patera still found a way to win games, but in 1976, the Seahawks had a 2–12 record, typical for a first year expansion team.

The season showed promise for the future with quarterback Jim Zorn and wide receiver Steve Largent beginning to develop into a potent offensive combination and behind them, Seattle posted a 5–9 record in 1977.

When the Seahawks improved to 9–7 in their third season, Patera was voted the NFL Coach of the Year in 1978 by the Associated Press and The Sporting News.

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).

[11] The release was eventually ruled an illegal termination in an "Unfair Labor Practice" lawsuit brought against the team by the NFLPA and McCullum.

He was replaced by Mike McCormack, the Seahawks director of football operations, as the interim head coach for the remainder of the 1982 season.

On a morning deer hunt east of Eugene in 1954, Patera accidentally shot and killed former Oregon teammate Ken Sweitzer, a graduate assistant with the team.