One of the first Black student-athletes to compete for Valparaiso University, Mike Urio was a key member of some of the best cross country teams in program history.

A native of Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania), Urio earned top-50 finishes at the NCAA Championships in each of his final two seasons, helping Valpo finish fourth nationally as a junior in 1963 and seventh as a senior in 1964. Both of those teams were inducted into the Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.

Urio helped Valpo claim its first Indiana Collegiate Conference championship — finishing sixth individually — and its first Little State title as a junior. A two-time team MVP, he twice led Valpo at the ICC Championships, placing fourth as a sophomore and seventh as a senior, and also paced Valpo as it repeated as Little State champions in 1964.

Urio set a then-school record in the four-mile run during his senior season. Also a member of the track & field squad, he finished second as a senior at the ICC Championships in the two-mile run.

A 1965 graduate of Valparaiso University, Urio passed away in 2010.