San Miguel is one of nine companies who broke away from the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association in 1975 due to their dismay with the Basketball Association of the Philippines. This led to the formation of the first professional basketball league known as the PBA.

TIME LINE

MICAA days

Even at the very start, San Miguel Brewery had a team in the pre-war MICAA. And it was similar to the UAAP or the NCAA where basketball was but one of the sports the employees played. There was MICAA competition for baseball, volleyball, football, among other games. But as always it was basketball which became prominent.

San Miguel Braves
  • 4. Belmonte
  • 5. Worley Cuevas
  • 6. Rolando Marcelo
  • 7. Wilfredo Velasco
  • 8. Orlando Castelo
  • 9. Richard Palou
  • 10. Alejandrito Miego
  • 13. Manuel Paner
  • 14. Rosalio Martirez
  • 15. David Regullano
  • 18. Ernesto Estrada
  • 19. Ernesto Morales
  • Coach: Ignacio "Ning" Ramos

Royal Tru-Orange

In their first PBA season, they were known as Royal Tru-Orange, an orange juice soda of their parent company San Miguel Corporation under the Coca-Cola brand. Royal finished third place in all three conferences in 1975.

Royal was bannered by center Manny Paner, forward Estoy Estrada and point guard Yoyong Martirez. Both Paner and Estrada made it to the Mythical Team. [1]

That was the time when the team had two imports of unlimited height playing together - these were the 6'9 Otto Moore and the 6'7 Larry Pounds. They faced Toyota in the Finals of that best of five series which they won in four games. Moore and Pounds were backstopped by a crew made up of a lot of Visayan cagers like Tony Torrente, Yoyong Martirez, Jess Migalbin, Salvador Ramas, Melchor Ravanes plus a host of others like Rudy Lalota, Leo Paguntalan, and Marlowe Jacutin. The team was coached by ironically, future Toyota coach Ed Ocampo.

Royal Tru Orange was the second team in PBA history to break the Crispa-Toyota stranglehold as far as winning championships were concerned. The year before, in 1978, UTex was the first team to do so when they beat Crispa for the title

San Miguel Beermen

San Miguel won the 1982 PBA Invitational tournament, defeating the Crispa Redmanizers in three games with Tommy Manotoc as head coach. Marte Saldana won Rookie of the Year honors that year after coming over from the MICAA ranks. He complemented well with Best Import Award winner Norman Black and was instrumental in San Miguel's winning its second championship in 1982 Invitationals against Crispa. Another Saldaņa, Antero or Terry of Toyota was also favored to win the Rookie of the Year award but he instigated a free-for-all against the national team of South Korea and by way of penalty, Terry Saldaņa was taken out of the Rookie of the Award race.[3]

After Manotoc left to coach Crispa for the 1983 season (which later resulted in a grand slam), San Miguel (was also known as Gold Eagle Beer) managed to win just one third place finish for the next two seasons. In 1985, Gold Eagle changed its name to Magnolia Quench Plus, a product of an SMC subsidiary, but despite the efforts of import Norman Black, Magnolia failed to enter the championship chase.

Disbandment

Magnolia folded after the 1985 season, this was due to the political climate that happened at the height of the first EDSA Revolution, which led to the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos. Chairman Danding Cojuangco, a well-known Marcos crony fled the country.

Following its disbandment, the former Magnolia players were absorbed by a new PBA team in Alaska Milk for the 1986 season. But the San Miguel franchise emerged under the Magnolia Cheese banner during the final months of the season.

Return to the league

In 1985, the famed Northern Consolidated team won several international basketball tournaments with Samboy Lim, Allan Caidic and Hector Calma, including the PBA Reinforced Conference. The NCC team was funded by Cojuangco, but the program was halted a year later due to the change in government.

With Magnolia's return in 1987, the team absorbed Lim, Calma, Franz Pumaren, Elmer Reyes, Yves Dignadice, Alfie Almario, Franz Pumaren, Pido Jarencio from the core of the NCC team. Magnolia's prized catch, however, was former Crispa, Manila Beer and Tanduay stalwart Abet Guidaben. Import Norman Black began his coaching career at this time.

Magnolia finished third in the Open and All-Filipino Conferences. By the Reinforced tournament, the team reverted back to its old name San Miguel Beer. While the Beermen would later wear their traditional red and white jerseys, they wore a green and white color during the conference.

With Bobby Parks as import, San Miguel was able to win the conference and the franchise's first in five years defeating the Hills Bros Coffeemakers, led by the Bruise Brothers' trio of Yoyoy Villamin and Ricky Relosa, in five games.

Guidaben was named season MVP but not without controversy. Many people thought that Villamin was more deserving than Guidaben.

Grand Slam era

San Miguel continued its winning ways in the 1988 PBA season season by winning the Open Conference that year. After placing fourth in the next conference, San Miguel traded Guidaben to Purefoods for Ramon Fernandez. The trade was executed in the height of a disagreement between Fernandez and Purefoods management. Ricardo Brown was also added from the squad after acquiring the former MVP from Great Taste.

With Fernandez, the Beermen regained won another championship by defeating Shell Rimula-X in the finals of the Reinforced Conference. Fernandez won his fourth and last Most Valuable Player Award.

In 1989, San Miguel began one of the greatest seasons in league history. The Beermen defeated Shell led by Benjie Paras and Ronnie Magsanoc in the Open Conference, 4-1. In the All-Filipino Conference, San Miguel defeated a young but hungry Purefoods team in six games. At season's end, San Miguel completed the PBA's third grand slam by trouncing Robert Jaworski's Anejo Rhum 65 in five games with the enlistment of quality import and former Chicago Bull Ennis Whatley.

At the time, San Miguel joined Crispa (1976, 1983) as the only squads to win the coveted grand slam.

"El Presidente" was a prime candidate to win his fifth MVP, but Fernandez was denied by Paras, who became the first and still the only player to win the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in the same season.

Early 1990s

San Miguel went titleless for the next two seasons, but in 1992, San Miguel defeated Purefoods in seven games to capture the All-Filipino Cup. Ato Agustin became a star on the San Miguel lineup winning the Most Valuable Player Award. However, some believe that San Miguel is one of nine companies who broke away from the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association in 1975 due to their dismay with the Basketball Association of the Philippines. This led to the formation of the first professional basketball league known as the PBA.

TIME LINE

MICAA days

Even at the very start, San Miguel Brewery had a team in the pre-war MICAA. And it was similar to the UAAP or the NCAA where basketball was but one of the sports the employees played. There was MICAA competition for baseball, volleyball, football, among other games. But as always it was basketball which became prominent.

San Miguel Braves
  • 4. Belmonte
  • 5. Worley Cuevas
  • 6. Rolando Marcelo
  • 7. Wilfredo Velasco
  • 8. Orlando Castelo
  • 9. Richard Palou
  • 10. Alejandrito Miego
  • 13. Manuel Paner
  • 14. Rosalio Martirez
  • 15. David Regullano
  • 18. Ernesto Estrada
  • 19. Ernesto Morales
  • Coach: Ignacio "Ning" Ramos

Royal Tru-Orange

In their first PBA season, they were known as Royal Tru-Orange, an orange juice soda of their parent company San Miguel Corporation under the Coca-Cola brand. Royal finished third place in all three conferences in 1975.

Royal was bannered by center Manny Paner, forward Estoy Estrada and point guard Yoyong Martirez. Both Paner and Estrada made it to the Mythical Team. [1]

That was the time when the team had two imports of unlimited height playing together - these were the 6'9 Otto Moore and the 6'7 Larry Pounds. They faced Toyota in the Finals of that best of five series which they won in four games. Moore and Pounds were backstopped by a crew made up of a lot of Visayan cagers like Tony Torrente, Yoyong Martirez, Jess Migalbin, Salvador Ramas, Melchor Ravanes plus a host of others like Rudy Lalota, Leo Paguntalan, and Marlowe Jacutin. The team was coached by ironically, future Toyota coach Ed Ocampo.

Royal Tru Orange was the second team in PBA history to break the Crispa-Toyota stranglehold as far as winning championships were concerned. The year before, in 1978, UTex was the first team to do so when they beat Crispa for the title

San Miguel Beermen

San Miguel won the 1982 PBA Invitational tournament, defeating the Crispa Redmanizers in three games with Tommy Manotoc as head coach. Marte Saldana won Rookie of the Year honors that year after coming over from the MICAA ranks. He complemented well with Best Import Award winner Norman Black and was instrumental in San Miguel's winning its second championship in 1982 Invitationals against Crispa. Another Saldaņa, Antero or Terry of Toyota was also favored to win the Rookie of the Year award but he instigated a free-for-all against the national team of South Korea and by way of penalty, Terry Saldaņa was taken out of the Rookie of the Award race.[3]

After Manotoc left to coach Crispa for the 1983 season (which later resulted in a grand slam), San Miguel (was also known as Gold Eagle Beer) managed to win just one third place finish for the next two seasons. In 1985, Gold Eagle changed its name to Magnolia Quench Plus, a product of an SMC subsidiary, but despite the efforts of import Norman Black, Magnolia failed to enter the championship chase.

Disbandment

Magnolia folded after the 1985 season, this was due to the political climate that happened at the height of the first EDSA Revolution, which led to the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos. Chairman Danding Cojuangco, a well-known Marcos crony fled the country.

Following its disbandment, the former Magnolia players were absorbed by a new PBA team in Alaska Milk for the 1986 season. But the San Miguel franchise emerged under the Magnolia Cheese banner during the final months of the season.

Return to the league

In 1985, the famed Northern Consolidated team won several international basketball tournaments with Samboy Lim, Allan Caidic and Hector Calma, including the PBA Reinforced Conference. The NCC team was funded by Cojuangco, but the program was halted a year later due to the change in government.

With Magnolia's return in 1987, the team absorbed Lim, Calma, Franz Pumaren, Elmer Reyes, Yves Dignadice, Alfie Almario, Franz Pumaren, Pido Jarencio from the core of the NCC team. Magnolia's prized catch, however, was former Crispa, Manila Beer and Tanduay stalwart Abet Guidaben. Import Norman Black began his coaching career at this time.

Magnolia finished third in the Open and All-Filipino Conferences. By the Reinforced tournament, the team reverted back to its old name San Miguel Beer. While the Beermen would later wear their traditional red and white jerseys, they wore a green and white color during the conference.

With Bobby Parks as import, San Miguel was able to win the conference and the franchise's first in five years defeating the Hills Bros Coffeemakers, led by the Bruise Brothers' trio of Yoyoy Villamin and Ricky Relosa, in five games.

Guidaben was named season MVP but not without controversy. Many people thought that Villamin was more deserving than Guidaben.

Grand Slam era

San Miguel continued its winning ways in the 1988 PBA season season by winning the Open Conference that year. After placing fourth in the next conference, San Miguel traded Guidaben to Purefoods for Ramon Fernandez. The trade was executed in the height of a disagreement between Fernandez and Purefoods management. Ricardo Brown was also added from the squad after acquiring the former MVP from Great Taste.

With Fernandez, the Beermen regained won another championship by defeating Shell Rimula-X in the finals of the Reinforced Conference. Fernandez won his fourth and last Most Valuable Player Award.

In 1989, San Miguel began one of the greatest seasons in league history. The Beermen defeated Shell led by Benjie Paras and Ronnie Magsanoc in the Open Conference, 4-1. In the All-Filipino Conference, San Miguel defeated a young but hungry Purefoods team in six games. At season's end, San Miguel completed the PBA's third grand slam by trouncing Robert Jaworski's Anejo Rhum 65 in five games with the enlistment of quality import and former Chicago Bull Ennis Whatley.

At the time, San Miguel joined

CREDIT: www.wikipedia.com