1976 Toyota Tamaraws season

Last updated
1976   Toyota Tamaraws season
Head coach Dante Silverio
Owner(s) Delta Motor Corporation
First Conference results
Record206
(76.9%)
Place2nd
Playoff finishFinals
Second Conference results
Record206
(76.9%)
Place2nd
Playoff finishFinals
All-Philippine Championship results
Record63
(66.7%)
Place2nd
Playoff finishFinals
Toyota Tamaraws seasons
  1975
1977  

The 1976 Toyota Tamaraws season was the second season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Contents

Names and colors

Toyota Comets (First and Second conferences)
    (dark)
    (light)

Toyota Silver Tamaraws (All-Philippine Championship)
    (dark)
    (light)

NOTE: Toyota changed their monicker from the Comets to the Silver Tamaraws during the 1976 PBA Second Conference finals, but would still wear the Comets uniform used during the first and second conferences of the 1976 season.

Off-season transactions

TRANSACTIONS
Gil Cortez Rookie; [1] former national team mainstay
Rollie Marcelo Acquired from Royal Tru-Orange
Elias Tolentino Rookie; acquired from Yco Painters in the MICAA

Finals stint

Toyota placed runner-up to Crispa in all three contested championships for the season. In the first conference finals, the Comets won the series opener but were beaten three straight by the Redmanizers.

In the second conference, Crispa and Toyota meet again in the final series. The Redmanizers took the first two games but the Silver Tamaraws avoided a sweep by taking the third game. Two nights later on November 18, Crispa clinch its third straight crown with a 3-1 series victory.

In the All-Philippine championship, Toyota led the series, two games to none, but Crispa came back and win the final three games to capture the league's first Grandslam as the Tamaraws ended up bridesmaid for the third time in the year and had lost to their archrivals in the last four conferences. [1]

Roster

Roster#PositionHeight
Rolando Marcelo6Forward-Guard5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Robert Jaworski 7Guard6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Francis Arnaiz 8Guard5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Orlando Bauzon 9Guard6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Ramon Fernandez 10Center6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Rodolfo Segura 15Forward6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Virgilio Cortez16Center-Forward6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Fort Acuña 17Forward6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Elias Tolentino 21Center-Forward6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Joaquín Rojas 22Guard5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Aurelio Clariño23Center6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Byron Jones Import 33Center6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Howard Smith Import 35Forward6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 "Classic PBA finals showdowns from the 1970s". ESPN.com. 2020-04-01. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  2. "Gil Cortez, PBA's first Rookie of the Year, recalls fierce Toyota-Crispa rivalry in the 1970s". ESPN.com. 2020-10-15. Retrieved 2025-06-01.