It was 4PM of Sunday, February 11, 2018, when Rey, Lito and I met at a doughnut shop in Blue Bay along Macapagal Avenue. The interview went well, except that we had to cut it short as the two will be attending the FEU Tamaraws basketball team grand reunion at Vikings Buffet at the MOA. They invited me to come, and with hesitation, I went with them, not knowing what to expect.
Turned out to be a surreal moment for this writer. You see, when I was 7 years old, I stumbled on several newspaper articles of the exploits of FEU in the UAAP. It not only became my favorite school in the UAAP at that time - I actually wanted to study there for college! My first favorite amateur player growing up was Renato "Etok" Lobo, a pudgy, barrel-chested forward capable of shooting the lights out from anywhere. As a young kid, I was particularly partial to these type of players - guys like Jun Papa, Estoy Estrada, Botchok Delos Santos, among others, caught the eyes of this kid. Lobo was also the reason why my first favorite amateur team was Solid Mills, a contrast to my male siblings who cheered for Toyota and naturally gravitated towards Crown Motors / MAN Diesel / Frigidaire.
When Rey introduced me to Lobo, he even teased me, telling Etok, "pare, nagseselos ako. Akala ko, ako idol nitong si Jay, yun pala, ikaw yun pinaka-idol niya talaga!" Etok gave a genuine smile I will never forget. It wasn't much because I was warmly received by an idol, it was also the face of amusement and acceptance. Hearing how I followed his exploits way back in the mid-70's, Lobo warmly accepted me like a long-lost younger brother. Or at least, that's how I felt....
The surrealism increased when I started seeing familiar faces. Bay Cristobal (who, after Lobo, was the one I followed closely at FEU), Jojo Valle, Rad Pasco, Glenn Capacio, Vic Pablo, Andy De Guzman, Vic Pablo, even coach Turing Valenzona, the man responsible for giving the Tamaraws at least three championships from 1976-1980 - just seeing them in one gathering already made my Sunday night.
But there were two faces that I didn't recognize - I even had to ask Lito (who himself was also a member of the 1980 and 1981 Tamaraws team) who these guys were for validation. The first was Nicanor Bulaong (FEU, '73 champions), perhaps the most popular bench player from the Toyota franchise. As a Crispa fan, Bulaong broke my heart when he sank the go-ahead buzer-beating basket that gave Toyota a 120-119 victory against the Redmanizers in the second game of the opening night of the 1983 season. Bulaong wasn't as popular as his teammates but he was one of the fan favorites, always capable of providing quality minutes while spelling the great Ramon Fernandez. Bulaong remained tall and imposing with a ready smile, but he just looked, uh, more "mature."
The other was Federico "Bokyo" Lauchengco. Older fans would remember Lauchengco as perhaps the longest-serving national team player during his time. Lauchengco was already donning the national team colors as early as 1976 and was still part of the pioneer group that made up the NCC Training Team formed by then Ambassador Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco, Jr. in 1980. Once described by the late Joe Cantada as "Prince Valiant" for his moptop hairdo, it's almost impossible to recognize Bokyo today, minus the bangs. He's a very cheerful person, extremely amiable, and pleasant to talk to. Donning a red bullcap may be his vain attempt to conceal the receding hairline, but no one will ever forget his exploits.
How can I not admire this FEU team? They were the UAAP titlists in 1972, 1973, 1976 (led by the dominant duo of Etok Lobo and Tony Dasalla (+)), and a majestic 3-peat from 1979 to 1981. In 1980 and 1981, they ended up unbeaten in the eliminations. That's 24 straight wins! Give me a chance to repeat that, 24 straight wins with no loss.
They had a dominant American player who was taking up Medical Technology at FEU - his name is Anthony Williams, now a retired Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer. He was 6'4 and was an absolute beast. No one held a candle against him - not even the 6'5 Ed Cordero of the UST Glowing Goldies. To date, when many younger fans would claim Ben Mbala being the most dominant player in UAAP history, I would always beg to disagree. It was Williams, who averaged close to 25 points and 15 boards a game who led the Tamaraws to that 24-win run. Williams had teammates like Chris McGarry, the sweet shooting Valle (himself a former National Youth team member back in 1980), and wily point guard Danny Manalastas to help him out. Cristobal was still with the 1979 team, while Alfred Amador and Glenn Capacio joined in 1980.
Anyway, back to the event - the party started around 6:30PM with Rey doing the opening remarks. All the players got their chance to introduce themselves. A couple of wisecracks here and there, Cristobal waxing nostalgia while honoring Valenzona, never-ending "groufie" photos, plus a live band getting everyone to sing along "We Are The Champions" by Queen with them, it was goosebumps galore. They even showed old photos on the widescreen of FEU's past accomplishments, most of the photos courtesy of Valle.
But the night belonged to the venerable Valenzona. A multi-titled coach in the MICAA, National Seniors, UAAP, NCAA and the PBA, Turing deserved every single accolade he got from his ex-players that night. When Turing was younger and playing for the Tamaraws against the likes of Robert Jaworski, Danny Florencio and Jimmy Mariano, he was already known to be a rugged, physical defender willing to exchange faces with his opponent just to snatch the ball away from him. He feared no one, just as he feared no coach when he was already giving FEU their multiple titles.
It was Valenzona who coached Solid Mills when the team won a couple of titles in the MICAA in 1976 and 1978. He was also the catalyst behind the formation of the multi-titled APCOR Financiers team owned by Herminio Disini. When APCOR was formed in 1979, Disini "pirated" Valenzona from Solid Mills, a team made up mostly of Valenzona's players at FEU. He brought some of these players to APCOR - guys like Lazaro, Cristobal, Pasco, Marte Saldaña, and others like Yoyoy Villamin, Gerry Samlani, Zaldy Latoza, Alex Clariño, Mon Cruz, Padim Israel, among others. The Financiers were the undisputed MICAA titlists from 1979 to 1981, beating opponents like the YCO Painters, MAN Diesel, Imperial Textile Mills (ITM), Bax Jeans, and yes, Solid Mills.
The party went on until the restaurant's closing time with the live band providing musical entertainment, churning out hits from the 70's and 80's. But it was the conversations, the jokes, the laughter, and the memories shared that made this night unforgettable for these once star cagers. While many can only reminisce their past exploits with their colleagues - the stories shared, the friendships forged, and the rekindled memories - all these were recaptured on that one night when the FEU Tamaraws took a nostalgic trek back history lane when they stood together as one, chanting in unison, "We Are The Champions!"
They truly were...
My name is Tony Cruz FEU member 1979-82. Staring point guard 3 times champion 80,81and 82
ReplyDeleteThank you Tony! Were you there at the reunion?
ReplyDeleteNo I'm not. But thank you for remembering my beloved FEU tamaraws.
ReplyDeleteSir where is Victor Pablo now?
ReplyDeleteGood morning ser, do you know of anyone that have team photos of the FEU years in the 70s when they were doing really well?
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