Most number of seasons with no PBA titles
I mean past or present PBA players who retired with the most number of playing years without ever winning a championship, not to be mentioned with Jun Limpot and Sonny Cabatu, which won at least a PBA title after more than 11-12 years, some of those I noticed were marginal players that's hard to imagine they never even became a member of a PBA champion team.
Rey Lazaro (1981-1990) - playing his first four years with Tanduay, finally got a chance to play in a finals with Shell in 1985, he moved to Alaska in 1988 and spent his final three years with the milkmen, what's disheartening on one of the top forwards in the 1980s was in his final conference, his team, Alaska, was one win away from winning a championship, and could have been Rey's first. but lost the final three games to Purefoods in the 1990 third conference.
Dennis Abbatuan (1984-1991) - the guy popularly known to have scored 51 points in his rookie year with Tanduay, Abbatuan never won a title with all his stops from Shell, Alaska and Presto, when the Tivolis won the All-Filipino crown in 1990, Abbatuan was already playing for expansion team, Pepsi.
Jesse Sullano (1975-1982) - This is easy to find out since Sullano was one of the originals of the PBA from 1975 and a loyalist cager playing for Mariwasa until 1982.
From the 1990s when titles were equally distributed from each teams, I could only think of former Sta.Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez, who never won a championship as an active player for more than 10 seasons, currently, I believe Wynne Arboleda already broke the record, having been in the PBA since 2000 and Gary David is closely following suit, unless these two can become part of a champion team until they retires.
Did the following won a regular pba title?
- ej feihl
-manny victorino
-jack tanuan
There are a host of pioneer players that didn't win any PBA title. Most of these came from teams that didn't win a title. Mike Bilbao would probably be one of them, having played from 1975 to 1984.
Manny Victorino won a couple of titles for GTC in 1984 and 1985. Jack Tanuan suited up for Swift when they won the title in 1992. I don't think EJ Feihl ever won a title in his career while playing for Ginebra, Purefoods, Alaska, Red Bull and Welcoat...
Wynne Arboleda though may be the most prominent active player not having won a PBA title at this time. I'm not sure if Boyet Fernandez was part of the Alaska Milkmen in the 1995 season.
i think (not sure tho that) feihl was with alaska when they won the 2003 invitationals (for others this was not a regular championship but reamily will disagreeOriginally Posted by Jay P. Mercado
).
I was already thinking of Mike Bilbao but wasn't sure what year he started in the PBA, so he's also one of the pioneers in the pro league, Boyet Fernandez had his finals stint with Alaska in 1997 Commissioner's Cup, but was traded to Pop Cola when the milkmen won the following conference, I dont think he was part of the Purefoods team in 2002 that won the Governor's Cup.
technically he was and he probably received a championship bonus.but he did not suit/play for d team as he was with rp-hapee then.
This is a good topic for discussion. PBA players do take note of this. I remember Zandro Limpot finally winning one with Purefoods after more than ten years in the league and saying, while being interviewed that it was a great relief that he finally won one and feeling how sweet it is.
For original PBA players, I really can not think of other players like Bilbao who played for ten or more years without winning a PBA championship. The list has to be a long one considering that Crispa and Toyota dominated the PBA in the beginning. Rene Canent never won one but I know that he was long retired when Bilbao was still active in 1984 before he met that accident that prematurely ended his career. They even held a charity game billed as "For the Love of Mike" spearheaded by Don Ramon Fernbandez to help Bilbao with his medical expenses.
Yeah thats part of our 13 rings. Also the last title of Tim Cone with an All Filipino lineupi think (not sure tho that) feihl was with alaska when they won the 2003 invitationals (for others this was not a regular championship but reamily will disagree
Wynne will be having the longest drought or maybe he will never get it.. but maybe Gary would be the most famous longest championship drought experiencing player eversince Papa Jun. I think Gary would be playing in a pba champion team a year or two from now..
Last edited by reamily; 01-18-2013 at 07:09 AM.
Boyet Fernandez was part of the 15-man squad to the 2002 Busan Asian Games. He was a reserve player along with Chris Jackson and Andy Seigle.
FOUR-ward for the Big Red Machine
this...
technically he was and he probably received a championship bonus.but he did not suit/play for d team as he was with rp-hapee then.
Can we include imports with most number of PBA stints without a PBA championship in this thread? If so, JPM fire at will.
FOUR-ward for the Big Red Machine
Was Abet Gutierrez part of the Tanduay team that won two conferences in the 1986 season and the 1987 Open? Or was he still suited up for the Shell Azodrin Bugbusters during this time? We all know that Gutierrez established a certain form of bond with Ramon Fernandez during their Beer Hausen days so I won't be surprised if he was part of the mid-80's Tanduay squad.
If not, then he might be the longest-tenured player of the early PBA years not to have won a title. Not sure what year Gutierrez joined the PBA as a player for the Tanduay Esquires but I'm thinking 1977. He may have played in the PBA until 1987 making him stay for at least 11 seasons in the PBA without a title.
But of course, Wynne Arboleda may already possess this record. He joined the PBA in 2000 for the Pop Cola Panthers, moved to Tanduay Gold in 2001, later taken in by Air 21 owned by his father-in-law, and stayed on with the team without a title to boot. That's 12 seasons of futility.
Not really that easy because the number of stints would obviously be limited because of their inability to win championships - hence, we will have a multiple set of choices here. It would probably be safe to have 3 stints as a minimum to limit the number.Can we include imports with most number of PBA stints without a PBA championship in this thread? If so, JPM fire at will.
1. Francois Wise - probably the most in PBA history with 5. He played for U/Tex alongside Darrel Allums in the 1981 Open, Tanduay in the 1983 Reinforced, Tanduay in the 1983 Open, Manila Beer in the 1986 Reinforced and Alaska in the 1987 Reinforced.
2. Lew Massey - had 3 stints in the PBA - once with Presto in 1981, and two for Gilbey's Gin in 1982 and 1983.
3. Larry McNeil - 4 stints - with Gilbey's Gin in the 1979 Open, 1980 Open, 1982 Open and with the Winston Kings in the 1983 Open.
4. Gene Moore - 3 stints for Tanduay from the period of 1979 to 1981
I don't think he was part of that Tanduay team in 1987 which had imports Rob Williams and Andre McCoy.
FOUR-ward for the Big Red Machine
Feihl won one with Alaska. In an invitational tournament in 2003. Fernandez never won a title as a player.
Wasn't he with the 1986 team then? The same year when the Rhum Makers nearly won a grandslam but lost the Open Conference when they got eliminated from the Finals won by Ginebra?
Gutierrez became close to Ramon Fernandez which was why he found himself gravitating towards the Elizalde franchise. In 1986, with McKoy and Williams around, they won the Reinforced Conference crown. Note that they won the 1987 Open (their only title that season) with David Thirdkill around. Tanduay had Freeman Williams in the 1987 Reinforced.
I'm not sure if he was with the team. If he was with the team, he probably rode the bench. I recall those Tanduay teams in 86 and 87. In one of the championship series in those years against Great Taste, Freddie Hubalde shot the 2nd 4-point play in PBA history. At least that what I recall the commentators said on TV. Aside from Hubalde, Tanduay had another stellar shooting forward in Itoy Esguerra. This would probably the reason I can only think of why I can't recall seeing the 6'1 (#13) Abet Guttierez in a Tanduay uniform, they're loaded with SFs (Hubalde and Esguerra)
FOUR-ward for the Big Red Machine
I'm sure Abet Gutierrez went full circle by going back to Tanduay. He was with the team already since the 70's then surprisingly left the team to play for Beer Hausen in 1984. Another surprise player to move to the Brewmasters' camp was Bert Dela Rosa, another notable Tanduay loyalist. Note that it wasn't uncommon to see players stick long with one team, particularly in the YCO camp since many of their players have stayed long with them, some even dating back in the 60's.
My best recollection was that Gutierrez played for the Lucio Tan empire until 1985 and rejoined Fernandez with Tanduay in 1986. Note that Itoy Esguerra also played for Beer Hausen only to join Fernandez at Tanduay in 1986.
McKoy and Williams actually first played together for Tanduay in the 1986 Reinforced, which the team won. They also teamed up in the 1986 Open, only to find themselves not tall enough to beat the likes of Billy Ray Bates and Michael Hackett, and Michael Young and Harold Keeling.
Gutierrez went on to play for the Shell franchise. I'm not sure if this was in 1987 or 1988. He was out of the Shell team before the start of the 1989 season, or during the Benjie Paras years.
But then, I may have mixed up the timeline, as usual!
Since Freddie Webb was the first coach of the Shell Azodrin Bugbusters, it may have also been possible for Gutierrez to suit up for Shell in their maiden 1985 season. Note that Webb was Gutierrez's long-time coach at Tanduay in the early 80's. So after a one-year sojourn with Beer Hausen, he moved to Shell, then moved back to Tanduay for a reunion with Don Ramon.
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