Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame: Everett's Henry Patino a 3-time state champ in 1964
Henry Patino never took himself too seriously as a runner.
His talent came naturally to him, and he displayed it as a track and field standout at Everett in the early 1960s.
Patino's accomplishments, which included winning state championships in 1964 in the high hurdles, low hurdles, and 880-yard relay, earned him a place in the 2023 class to be inducted into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday.
"It still hits me sometimes, that I'm getting an award for track so long ago," Patino said. "It's kind of nostalgic for me. It's a great honor and even though I'm so old now, it means a lot to receive this honor and award."
Patino's parents were from Mexico and couldn't read or write in English, so he had to learn the language on the go through school and extra-curricular activities. That didn't stop him from being an All-American in 1964, and Patino still holds the city record for both the high and low hurdles.
Patino won the races at the 1964 state finals with a time of 14.3 seconds in the 120-yard hurdles and 18.8 seconds in the 180-yard hurdles. His relay team posted a time of 1:30.9, making Patino a part of all three events in which Everett won state championships.
"I wanted to prove something to people, to show that this kid could do something," Patino said. "It was a really hot day, one of the hottest of the year during that state championship. I was under the bleachers for most of the day, and when I got up to the starting line, one of the better runners turned to me and said, 'Who the hell are you?'
"I told him he'd find out soon enough," Patino joked. "I had a bit of an attitude, too. But that day was awesome. The first event was high hurdles and I won it, even though I hit the last hurdle. I think that was the first time I actually hit a hurdle in competition."
Patino and his foursome in the 880-yard relay won the event pulling away. And then in Patino's final event, the low 180-yard hurdles, he vowed to show everyone why it was his best event.
"I promised myself I was going to do something special in the low hurdles, and I had this dream the night before I was going to do great," Patino said. "After running cross country too, 180 yards was nothing, even with jumping over hurdles. I ran an 18.8, the fastest time ever in MHSAA at that point, and people couldn't believe that I ran in the 18s. In the regional meet I think I ran an 18.9, and they couldn't believe it and gave me 19 seconds flat."
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott
47th Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame
When: Aug. 10; 4:30 — Welcome; 5:30 — Dinner; 6:30 — Induction ceremony
Where: Lansing Center
Tickets: $40 per person, call (517) 484-0677 or email everyb21@gmail.com for information.
2023 inductees: Christie Hursey, Desmond Ferguson, Melanie Miller, Henry Patino, Steve Schmidt, Bryan Smith, Jennifer Smith, 1985 Lansing Catholic Central football team, 1986 and 1987 Sexton boys track teams.
Sponsors: Dean Transportation, Applegate Home Comfort, Dan Henry Distributing, Shaheen Chevrolet/Cadillac, The Accident Fund, Gregory Eaton Associates, Edward Jones Inc., One North Restaurant, Auto Owners Insurance, The Bleacher Denizen, Roland Carter Enterprise, ASAP Printing, Magic Johnson Enterprises
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame: Henry Patino a 3-time state champ
