1979 PBA season

1979 PBA season
Duration	April 1, 1979 – December 15, 1979
Number of teams	9
TV partner(s)	GTV
Conferences
All-Filipino Conference champions	Crispa Redmanizers
Open Conference champions	Royal Tru-Orange
Invitational Championship champions	Toyota Tamaraws
Awards
Season MVP	Fortunato Co, Jr
Seasons
< 1978 1980  >

The 1979 PBA season was the fifth season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Season highlights

• After a two-year absence of playing against each other in the championship between the league's most noted rivalry, Crispa and Toyota played again in the finals during the All-Filipino Conference. Crispa prevailed in five games, winning the deciding game, 118-111 on July 7.
• On September 4, the visiting Washington Bullets, which lost to Seattle SuperSonics in the 1979 NBA Finals, played against a PBA All-Star Selection at the Araneta Coliseum in an exhibition game attended by Philippines First Lady Imelda Marcos, the Bullets with the line-up of hall of famers Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld and among others, Greg Ballard, Dave Corzine and coach by Dick Motta, won the match, 133-123. The PBA selection were coach by Baby Dalupan and played with five imports and one locals from each of the nine ballclubs.
• Royal Tru-Orange won their first PBA title in the Open Conference, defeating Toyota Tamaraws, 102-101 in Game 4, for a 3-1 series win. The Orangemen, led by imports Otto Moore and Larry Pounds, became the fourth team to win a championship in the 1970s.
• The Toyota Tamaraws avoided a third runner-up finish in the season by winning the Invitational championship against rival Crispa Walk Tall Jeans. The 3-1 series win was their first finals victory over Crispa, after losing five straight in their previous title showdown, as three different teams emerge champions in the league's fifth season.^[1]

Opening ceremonies

The muses for the participating teams are as follows:

Team	Muse
Crispa Redmanizers	Pearl Razon
Filmanbank	Regina Prada
Gilbey's Gin	Chris Stuttard and Ann Rose Blas
Great Taste Discoverers	Carolina Lacap
Honda Wildcats	Beth de Mesa
Royal Tru-Orange	Joanna Paras
Tanduay Esquires	Bessie Badilla and Diane Benisano
Toyota Tamaraws	Alicia Cuenca
U/Tex Wranglers	Janet Bordon

Champions

• All Filipino Conference: Crispa Redmanizers
• Open Conference: Royal Tru-Orange
• Invitational Championship: Toyota Tamaraws
• Team with best win-loss percentage: Toyota Tamaraws (44-18, .710)
• Best Team of the Year: Toyota Tamaraws (3rd)

Individual awards

• Most Valuable Player: Atoy Co (Crispa)
• Rookie of the Year: Arnie Tuadles (Toyota)
• Mythical Five:
  • Robert Jaworski (Toyota)
  • Atoy Co (Crispa)
  • Ramon Fernandez (Toyota)
  • Arnie Tuadles (Toyota)
  • Philip Cezar (Crispa)

Board of governors

• Leopoldo Prieto (Commissioner)
• Domingo Itchon (President, Elizalde and Co.)
• Dante Silverio (Vice-President, Delta Motors Corporation)
• Walter Euyang V (Treasurer, Universal Textile Mills)
• Jose Castro, Jr. (Executive Secretary)
• Pablo Carlos (Delta Motors Corporation)
• Valeriano "Danny" Floro (P. Floro and Sons)
• Emerson Coseteng (Honda)
• Leonardo "Skip" Guinto (San Miguel Corporation)
• Porfilio Zablan (Consolidated Food Corporation)
• Carlos Palanca III (La Tondeña Incorporada)

Cumulative standings

Team	GP	W	L	PCT
Toyota Tamaraws	62	44	18	.710
Crispa Redmanizers/Walk Tall Jeans	62	42	20	.677
Royal Tru-Orange	47	28	19	.596
U/Tex Wranglers	44	23	21	.528
Tanduay ESQ	47	24	23	.511
Great Taste Discoverers	47	21	26	.447
Filmanbank	47	16	31	.340
Gilbey's Gin	44	13	31	.295
Honda Wildcats	36	7	29	.194

References

1. Looking back:The PBA's history, Manila Standard

External links

• www.pba-online.net