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]