tribute to coach Patino: Coach Patino's legacy will last forever
By:Leilani Patino
El Rodeo Staff Writer
El Rodeo Staff Writer
Coach Larry Patino, the head SSO along with the head varsity baseball coach recently passed on September 3rd, 2020 due to Leukemia. Before coaching baseball, Larry Patino was a Chicano rapper known as “Slow Pain” starting in 1993 with a group named Street Mentality. After the deal fell through, he decided to go solo. He then met up with Tony G, “the godfather of Chicano rap”, working on two songs and the next thing he knew he was in Jerry Heller’s office getting ready to work with Eazy E. Slow Pain speaks in a youtube video, explaining the offer he got from Thump Records and he came out with the songs Money Maid' and ‘Saturday Night Ballin’. These songs took off in a heartbeat and he then started to tour across the globe. He had ‘Money Maid’ on “50 stations” getting radio play. He had a good run with Thump Records as he was doing shows with Keith Sweat, Faith Evans, Chris Cross, and performing at Super Bowl halftime parties. Then in 1997, Slow Pain toured Japan for three years and gained a huge fan base there. He loved touring in Japan and always had stories to tell about the people he met and the connections he made. His music career took off after that and I really couldn’t say too much about it.
His last album was recorded in 2008 but he then committed himself to do something else he was so passionate about, coaching. His coaching style wasn’t for everyone because he would get in a player’s face and teach them as he yelled. Coach Patino became one of the most controversial coaches in travelball. People either loved him or hated him, and what determined that was if you were playing with him or against him. He had a bullseye on his back and he knew it, but that’s what drove him to be the best. Coach Patino had the opportunity to coach baseball at Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary High School in Montebello, California. His first year there, he completely turned the baseball program around and took the team to the CIF finals. He won Coach of the Year in 2014, which was incredibly special because it was the first time he was named the Whittier Daily News High School Coach of the Year. After a few years of coaching at Cantwell, Coach Patino left to Whittier High School for one year and was again titled the Whittier Daily News High school Coach of the Year in 2016. Every year, new high schools would offer my dad the head varsity baseball coaching job because of the name he created for himself. In 2017, Coach Patino was so excited to be “Home”, at his alma mater here at The Ranch. He wanted to change the culture and turn around the baseball program as he has at other high schools in the past. Sure enough, he did everything he could possibly do to get it done. His first year coaching at El Rancho was the 2017-2018 season and the team was very successful as they finished in the CIF semi-finals. Coach Patino was then named the Whittier Daily News Coach of the Year for the third time in 2018. One of the very few coaches to ever do so. The baseball team went to the quarter-finals the next year which was the 2018-2019 season. He was also an SSO and loved to be around the students. He was a great mentor on campus, not only to the baseball boys but to most of the student body. Coach Patino was like a father figure to some of the baseball players he coached here at El Rancho. The boys say he helped them become the person they are today and steered them into becoming better men. Coach Patino was always there for the boys and always had their backs. Patino had such a big impact on so many people’s lives. He was an amazing coach and some of his players ended up getting drafted into the MLB or playing for D1 colleges. He saw potential in everyone he met. My dad loved to be on the sidelines at all the football games, always cheering on the boys, and tweeting about all the touchdowns. I know it had to have given him flashbacks to when he played every Friday night, on the Don Memorial Stadium. Working at El Rancho meant everything to my dad and he loved his job. Everywhere we went, whether it was the mall, the movie theater, a market, a restaurant, he was always so proud to say he worked and coached at El Rancho. My dad was all about the community and Pico Rivera, so he opened his own facility called Sandlot Customs in his home town. Sandlot Customs opened about the second week of August and he was so excited about having his own facility again. He was so passionate about coaching and giving back to the city that made him.
My eighth grade year was my dad’s first year working at El Rancho and I originally went to school in another district. I went to every football game with my dad that year and I loved the energy in the atmosphere. I stood by his side on the sidelines and I remember after every game, he was respected and included, even shaking the hands of the opposing team’s football coaches when he was not one himself. I told my dad I wanted to attend El Rancho High School because I wanted to be a part of his everyday purpose and I wanted him to be a part of mine. At first, I was scared to go to another school district with different people but at the end of the day, my dad was always there to pick me up on my worst days and always put a smile on my face with the jokes he made. I will always remember my first two years of high school with my dad. I loved to walk in and out of the gates with my dad because I am so proud to be his daughter. I would stay all day at school with him, from 6:30 in the morning to 6 in the afternoon. He would come into the baseball room after baseball practice and say “Lani let’s go, are you ready?”, but I didn’t even want to go home yet. I loved to watch him coach and do his thing. We went home and did the same every single day. My dad would want me to go back to school on campus with my head up high and a big smile on my face. He made a name for both of us. I can’t wait to make him so proud of me and graduate from the same high school my dad did.
Aaron Reyes, a senior at Saint John Bosco High School made a post with the caption: “Words cannot begin to express the feelings that have been going through my mind lately. I am absolutely honored and grateful to be able to say that I had the opportunity to play under your coaching. You have a contagious smile that would light up a room and brought positivity and power everywhere you went. [You’re] an amazing coach, but most importantly a good man. You believed in me when no one else did, saw me at my worst and did everything you could to help me. You also [were] right by my side at my best and made sure that I stayed there. You were the type of coach that made players want to work hard and I’m extremely grateful for the mindset you gave me. You treated me like I was your own and you were not only a coach, but a mentor to me. I wouldn’t be anywhere near the person I am today if it wasn’t for you. God put you in my life for a reason and I wouldn’t have it any other way. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from you, it is to always carry a positive attitude no matter what’s going on. You had so many reasons to be negative, yet you always carried a positive attitude. You were real to me, telling me I sucked when I sucked, and praised me when I deserved it. You are the greatest coach I’ve ever played for and I can’t thank you enough or what you’ve done for me on my journey. Thank You for believing in me, taking a chance with me, and allowing me to trust the process. I love you Coach, Thank you for being in my life and giving me everything you’ve had when you coached me. Rest in peace “dirty”, you will be missed forever and I know I will see you again someday down the road.”
This is one of many tributes.
Daniel Avila, a 2020 graduate who was also the starting catcher for the varsity baseball team this year wrote “Words cannot describe what I felt when I found out the news of Patino’s passing. It was out of nowhere and unexpected. I didn’t stop crying for a good 5 hours and I just wished that it was a nightmare. I can remember the first time I met him, at first sight he looked intimidating. He was very strict and expected the best out of everyone and that’s why I loved him as a coach. Him and I started becoming close my junior year and he helped me become a better person. He taught me life lessons. Sometimes after practice, we would just talk about baseball and what was going on in our life. I was thankful for having a coach that cared about me. He was like a father figure to me. When I would have my bad days, just by talking to him when it was passing period it would make it a better day. I loved how we had such a good relationship. We would joke around with each other and we could take it because we knew that we loved each other. He treated me like a son and sometimes he would call me his own son. My senior season didn’t end the way we wanted. During the summer, we would stay in touch and talk about the issues in our lives. Then, he started working at the middle school so everytime I would see him I would buy him a Pepsi and give each other a hug. The last time I texted him, it was about him rapping again and it brought a smile to my face that he was happy.”
The tributes go on.
Two things my dad has always said were: “make people remember your name” and “work for what you want”. My dad accomplished so many things in his life and his hard work always paid off in the end. He was a huge role model in so many peoples’ eyes, including mine. Many people called him Coach, Dirty, Savage, Slow Pain, but to me he was DAD. My dad had such a major influence on my life, and I can’t thank him enough for everything he did for my mom, my siblings, and me. We will miss him more than words will ever explain and his legacy will live on - forever.
Blue pride on 3, family on 6.
His last album was recorded in 2008 but he then committed himself to do something else he was so passionate about, coaching. His coaching style wasn’t for everyone because he would get in a player’s face and teach them as he yelled. Coach Patino became one of the most controversial coaches in travelball. People either loved him or hated him, and what determined that was if you were playing with him or against him. He had a bullseye on his back and he knew it, but that’s what drove him to be the best. Coach Patino had the opportunity to coach baseball at Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary High School in Montebello, California. His first year there, he completely turned the baseball program around and took the team to the CIF finals. He won Coach of the Year in 2014, which was incredibly special because it was the first time he was named the Whittier Daily News High School Coach of the Year. After a few years of coaching at Cantwell, Coach Patino left to Whittier High School for one year and was again titled the Whittier Daily News High school Coach of the Year in 2016. Every year, new high schools would offer my dad the head varsity baseball coaching job because of the name he created for himself. In 2017, Coach Patino was so excited to be “Home”, at his alma mater here at The Ranch. He wanted to change the culture and turn around the baseball program as he has at other high schools in the past. Sure enough, he did everything he could possibly do to get it done. His first year coaching at El Rancho was the 2017-2018 season and the team was very successful as they finished in the CIF semi-finals. Coach Patino was then named the Whittier Daily News Coach of the Year for the third time in 2018. One of the very few coaches to ever do so. The baseball team went to the quarter-finals the next year which was the 2018-2019 season. He was also an SSO and loved to be around the students. He was a great mentor on campus, not only to the baseball boys but to most of the student body. Coach Patino was like a father figure to some of the baseball players he coached here at El Rancho. The boys say he helped them become the person they are today and steered them into becoming better men. Coach Patino was always there for the boys and always had their backs. Patino had such a big impact on so many people’s lives. He was an amazing coach and some of his players ended up getting drafted into the MLB or playing for D1 colleges. He saw potential in everyone he met. My dad loved to be on the sidelines at all the football games, always cheering on the boys, and tweeting about all the touchdowns. I know it had to have given him flashbacks to when he played every Friday night, on the Don Memorial Stadium. Working at El Rancho meant everything to my dad and he loved his job. Everywhere we went, whether it was the mall, the movie theater, a market, a restaurant, he was always so proud to say he worked and coached at El Rancho. My dad was all about the community and Pico Rivera, so he opened his own facility called Sandlot Customs in his home town. Sandlot Customs opened about the second week of August and he was so excited about having his own facility again. He was so passionate about coaching and giving back to the city that made him.
My eighth grade year was my dad’s first year working at El Rancho and I originally went to school in another district. I went to every football game with my dad that year and I loved the energy in the atmosphere. I stood by his side on the sidelines and I remember after every game, he was respected and included, even shaking the hands of the opposing team’s football coaches when he was not one himself. I told my dad I wanted to attend El Rancho High School because I wanted to be a part of his everyday purpose and I wanted him to be a part of mine. At first, I was scared to go to another school district with different people but at the end of the day, my dad was always there to pick me up on my worst days and always put a smile on my face with the jokes he made. I will always remember my first two years of high school with my dad. I loved to walk in and out of the gates with my dad because I am so proud to be his daughter. I would stay all day at school with him, from 6:30 in the morning to 6 in the afternoon. He would come into the baseball room after baseball practice and say “Lani let’s go, are you ready?”, but I didn’t even want to go home yet. I loved to watch him coach and do his thing. We went home and did the same every single day. My dad would want me to go back to school on campus with my head up high and a big smile on my face. He made a name for both of us. I can’t wait to make him so proud of me and graduate from the same high school my dad did.
Aaron Reyes, a senior at Saint John Bosco High School made a post with the caption: “Words cannot begin to express the feelings that have been going through my mind lately. I am absolutely honored and grateful to be able to say that I had the opportunity to play under your coaching. You have a contagious smile that would light up a room and brought positivity and power everywhere you went. [You’re] an amazing coach, but most importantly a good man. You believed in me when no one else did, saw me at my worst and did everything you could to help me. You also [were] right by my side at my best and made sure that I stayed there. You were the type of coach that made players want to work hard and I’m extremely grateful for the mindset you gave me. You treated me like I was your own and you were not only a coach, but a mentor to me. I wouldn’t be anywhere near the person I am today if it wasn’t for you. God put you in my life for a reason and I wouldn’t have it any other way. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from you, it is to always carry a positive attitude no matter what’s going on. You had so many reasons to be negative, yet you always carried a positive attitude. You were real to me, telling me I sucked when I sucked, and praised me when I deserved it. You are the greatest coach I’ve ever played for and I can’t thank you enough or what you’ve done for me on my journey. Thank You for believing in me, taking a chance with me, and allowing me to trust the process. I love you Coach, Thank you for being in my life and giving me everything you’ve had when you coached me. Rest in peace “dirty”, you will be missed forever and I know I will see you again someday down the road.”
This is one of many tributes.
Daniel Avila, a 2020 graduate who was also the starting catcher for the varsity baseball team this year wrote “Words cannot describe what I felt when I found out the news of Patino’s passing. It was out of nowhere and unexpected. I didn’t stop crying for a good 5 hours and I just wished that it was a nightmare. I can remember the first time I met him, at first sight he looked intimidating. He was very strict and expected the best out of everyone and that’s why I loved him as a coach. Him and I started becoming close my junior year and he helped me become a better person. He taught me life lessons. Sometimes after practice, we would just talk about baseball and what was going on in our life. I was thankful for having a coach that cared about me. He was like a father figure to me. When I would have my bad days, just by talking to him when it was passing period it would make it a better day. I loved how we had such a good relationship. We would joke around with each other and we could take it because we knew that we loved each other. He treated me like a son and sometimes he would call me his own son. My senior season didn’t end the way we wanted. During the summer, we would stay in touch and talk about the issues in our lives. Then, he started working at the middle school so everytime I would see him I would buy him a Pepsi and give each other a hug. The last time I texted him, it was about him rapping again and it brought a smile to my face that he was happy.”
The tributes go on.
Two things my dad has always said were: “make people remember your name” and “work for what you want”. My dad accomplished so many things in his life and his hard work always paid off in the end. He was a huge role model in so many peoples’ eyes, including mine. Many people called him Coach, Dirty, Savage, Slow Pain, but to me he was DAD. My dad had such a major influence on my life, and I can’t thank him enough for everything he did for my mom, my siblings, and me. We will miss him more than words will ever explain and his legacy will live on - forever.
Blue pride on 3, family on 6.