THE PBA family lost another of its pioneer member.
Olympian and original Toyota stalwart Orlando Bauzon died Saturday night after suffering a cardiac arrest.
He was 75.
The 6-foot guard out of University of Santo Tomas and a member of the 1968 Philippine team to the Mexico Olympics was part of the powerhouse Toyota Comets when the pro league inaugurated in 1975.
Known for being a staunch defender, Bauzon won back-to-back championships with the Delta Motors franchise that same year. The Comets' bid for a record grand slam however, was foiled when rival Crispa Redmanizers claimed the third and final conference of the season (All-Philippine Championship).
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Four-time MVP Ramon Fernandez and Gil Cortez, the league's first ever Rookie of the Year, were among his former Toyota teammates who extolled the native of Calasiao, Pangasinan on social media.
Cortez described Bauzon as a 'close friend throughout the years,' adding that the man was 'quiet, gentle, and unassuming.'
Fernandez meanwhile, remembered Bauzon's heroics during Toyota's first ever MICAA (Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association) tournament after converting the game-winning shot that clinched for the Comets a berth in the finals. They eventually beat the Concepcion Motorolas for the championship.
Bauzon played three seasons with Toyota before taking his act to Mariwasa in 1978, where he eventually retired.
In all, he won three titles with his original pro team.
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Other than Toyota, Bauzon also suited up for the Meralco Reddy Kilowatts in the MICAA, helping the team win its first and only title in the league in 1971.
Aside from the 1968 Olympics, Bauzon's other stint with the national team came in the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok, and the 1967 ABC (Asian Basketball Confederation) in Seoul, South Korea where the country regained the title by defeating the legendary Shin Dong-pa and the Sokors in the finals.
In his retirement, Bauzon tried his hands in coaching.
He once called the shots for his alma mater (UST), briefly handled University of the Philippines, and coached the Adamson Falcons to the 1992 UAAP men's basketball finals, losing to the Johnny Abarrientos-led Far Eastern University side.
The former national team mainstay was married to the late Josie Bauzon, the first ever lady Philippine Sports Commissioner.
The PBA held its All-Star weekend last year in Calasiao, where Bauzon's nephew Joseph Bauzon, is the municipal mayor. (RG)
