Being involved in sports my entire life and being fortunate to have a long-running sports show on local cable television, it was a distinct pleasure to be able to videotape a truly memorable event Jan. 30 at St. Joseph High School in Westchester.

That was the night Gene Pingatore was honored after another St. Joseph basketball victory with a surprise event that commemorated his becoming the winningest boys basketball coach in Illinois high school basketball history. Coach Pingatore broke the old record Jan. 16, when his team won his 827th game, and on Jan. 30, after Ping’s 830th victory, nearly 100 of his former players returned to St. Joseph from across the country to surprise him and honor him for his lifelong dedication to his school, his players and their families.

I’ve known Ping since 1961, when I was playing semi-pro baseball for a Cicero team. Ping was a great softball player as well as an outstanding high school and college basketball player. We used to meet at a Cicero establishment after our games and talk about sports and about life. We grew up in the area. Ping’s from Cicero and I’m from Berwyn. We lost track of each other for many years, but a few years ago, I contacted him and asked him to appear on my TV show.

You may remember a popular movie a few years ago that featured Ping and St. Joseph High School. It was called “Hoop Dreams,” and it was a documentary that followed the lives and basketball fortunes of two young men from the inner city of Chicago who were fortunate to have the opportunity of playing at St. Joe under Ping.

Here are some quotes from some of the people who came to honor Ping: David McCreery, president of St. Joseph: “You can’t find many people in this world who care as much as he does about making a positive influence on young men’s lives. He’s an amazing human being and he’s the face of St. Joseph. We love him.”

State Rep. Michael Conley: “I played for Coach Pingatore and will never forget him. I’m here to present him with a unanimous, bipartisan resolution from the Illinois House of Representatives congratulating him on his outstanding accomplishment.”

Deryl Cunningham, St. Joseph class of ’89, All-American who played at DePaul and Kansas State: “Coach, congratulations on this unbelievable milestone ... you’ve been great to all of us for all your 49 years of coaching.”

Isiah Thomas, St. Joseph class of ’79, one of the top 50 players in NBA history with the Detroit Pistons and executive of the New York Knicks: “Thank you, coach, for being a father, brother and everything I needed when I was growing up. You dedicated your entire life to making men of your players. Thank you for being the man you are. We love you.”

If you have access to Comcast Cable TV, you can watch the event on “The Pro-Sport Report” at 8:30 p.m. on channel 19, Feb. 13, 20 and 27.

One more thing: Ping, I had a tear in my eye, too. Congratulations, old friend.