1975 Crispa Redmanizers season
# 1975 Crispa Redmanizers season

The 1975 Crispa Redmanizers season was the maiden season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

## Colors

Crispa-Floro Redmanizers (dark) (light)

## First Conference

The Crispa-Floro Redmanizers did not start out with a very strong lineup, the team was fielding in such names as Cesar Ijares, Eric Leano, Alex Azurin, Joel Gomez, Reynaldo Vallejo, Jesus Sta. Maria, Reynaldo Pages, Cristino Calilan and Rey Franco. The Redmanizers lost their very first game to Mariwasa-Noritake, 108-131 on April 13. That time, the big names were held in the amateurs as a concession to BAP president Lito Puyat, who said he was taking in the stars to the national team, but due to the inaction of Puyat, Crispa team manager Danny Floro took in his stars to the pro team and some were dropped from the roster.

After three straight defeats, the Crispa Redmanizers beat CFC Presto for their first victory with Atoy Co, Abet Guidaben, Philip Cezar, Bernie Fabiosa, Freddie Hubalde and Rudy Soriano joining the team. On April 27, William "Bogs" Adornado finally had his pro debut by scoring 32 points to lead Crispa past Tanduay, 122-100, at the Loyola Center.

On May 10, the first official Crispa vs Toyota game was played at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. The Redmanizers won, 139-133.

## Championship & Rivalry with Toyota

Crispa advances to the best-of-five title series with Toyota by defeating U-Tex in the first-ever playoff for a finals berth, 121-113 on July 22. The Redmanizers won Game One of the finals series but lost to the Comets in four games.

The two teams met again in the second conference finals and with the Comets leading the series, 2-1, the Redmanizers did not show up for Game Four and forfeited the championship in favor of Toyota when the management's request for a change in choosing referees was denied by PBA Commissioner Leo Prieto.

In the third conference called All-Philippine Championship, the Redmanizers finally won over Toyota Comets in five games for their first-ever PBA crown. The Crispa Redmanizers got the nod of the year end "Seven-Up All-Filipino Sports Award" for the team of the year.

## Roster

| Roster | # | Position | Height |
| - | - | - | - |
| Abet Guidaben | 5 | Center | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Fortunato Co, Jr | 6 | Guard | 6 ft 1.5 in (1.87 m) |
| Rodolfo Soriano | 7 | Center-Forward | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Eric Leano $^{Playedin1stConference}$ | 8 | Guard | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Freddie Hubalde | 10 | Forward | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| William Adornado | 11 | Forward | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Virgilio Dela Cruz | 12 | Guard | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Bernie Fabiosa | 15 | Guard | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Johnny Revilla $^{Playedin1stConference}$ | 16 | Guard | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Jesus Sta. Maria | 17 | Forward | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Reynaldo Pages $^{Playedin2nd&3rdConference}$ | 16 & 8 | Forward | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Philip Cezar | 18 | Forward-Center | 6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m) |
| Reynaldo Franco | 19 | Guard | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Cristino Calilan | 23 | Guard | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Johnny Burks $^{Import}$ | 24 | Center-Guard | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Pete Crotty $^{Import}$ | 25 | Center | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Alex Azurin $^{Releasedafter3games}$ | 14 | Forward-Guard | 5 ft 11.5 in (1.82 m) |
| Joel Gomez $^{Releasedafter4games}$ | 22 | Guard | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Cesar Ijares $^{MovedtoTanduayafter5games}$ | 9 | Forward-Center | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Reynaldo Vallejo $^{MovedtoTanduayafter3games}$ | 4 | Guard | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
