It's that time of the year once again when we celebrate the lives of those who made a difference in the Philippine sports landscape.
In 2018, the world mourned the passing of legendary runner Roger Banister, champion golfer Bruce Lietzke, baseball icon Willy McCovey, NFL star Dwight Clark, NBA stalwarts Rasual Butler and Clifford Rozier along with basketball greats Hal Greer and Jo Jo White, Lakers' "Showtime" architect Jack McKinney, Triangle Offense creator Tex Winter, and dozens of notable individuals who left their stamp in the sporting world.
What is probably most tragic is that six athletes who died this year were under the age of 30 and had their rise to greatness cut short.
Ulysses "Buboy" Tanigue, 43 (January 28) - Former PBA Player (Leukemia)
When he was on fire, we broadcasters would usually quip that he was "Sizzling" Tanigue. This three-time NCAA MVP who helped the San Sebastian Stags to their historic five-peat in the 1990s was a spitfire on the hardcourt. He used his speed and vision to diffuse would be defenders and find his favorite target, Rommel Adducul, underneath for easy scores beneath the basket. The Butuan native eventually brought his game to the PBA in 1998 as a second round selection by Purefoods. In 2010, Tanigue was diagnosed with leukemia and fought it until just three days shy of what would have been his 44th birthday in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental. The PBA honored his life with a moment of silence.
Joaquin Rojas, 79 (January 30) - Basketball Olympian (lingering illness)
One of the early basketball players who put the province of Cebu on the map, Rojas rose to prominence as the heady point guard of the University of the Visayas Green Lancers squad that upset the heavily favored Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles during the 1957 National Intercollegiate Championship. He went on to showcase his game in the now defunct Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Assocation (MICAA) for Yutivo and later on the iconic Ysmael Steel club before playing in the PBA for its first two seasons for Toyota, helping the Tamaraws win the first ever league title. Rojas was a member of the 1968 Philippine team to the Tokyo Olympiad and also saw action in the 1966 Asian Games, the 1967 and 1969 ABC Championship.
Barry Pascua, 55 (February 2) - Sportcaster/Columnist (complications due to diabetes)
Perhaps the wittiest, sharpest and most outspoken sportscaster in the ESPN5 broadcast team, Pascua battled diabetes for nearly a decade and finally succumbed to numerous complications in February. He was a 35-year veteran in the sportswriting industry and entered the PBA radio broadcast team in 1997-the same year as this writer. Pascua had an encyclopedic knowledge of all the sports he has been involved with, whether it be darts, boxing or even horseracing -- which was his prime passion. A former president of the PBA Press Corps, he also helped propagate wisdom in the broadcasting realm by being among the founders of the Center for Sports Communication (CSC) in 2001 - an organization that spearheaded the training of those who wanted to break into the sportscasting industry. Among the CSC products are ESPN5's Charlie Cuna, Magoo Marjon, Richard del Rosario, Chuck Araneta and Rizza Diaz. Pascua went on to don many hats in the broadcasting industry-as a script writer for the early coverage of the PBA D-League, a floor director for the Shakey's V-League (now the Premier Volleyball League) and was among the pioneers who did the PBA on ESPN in the late 1990s (the predecessor of today's PBA Rush). His infectious laughter, succinct anecdotes and inimitable style of humanizing PBA broadcasts for a radio audience is among the indelible marks this former Mapua Cardinal leaves the industry with.
Danny Florencio, 70 (February 24) - PBA Hall of Famer (stroke)
Long before Samboy Lim, Vergel Meneses and Scottie Thompson wowed PBA fans with their aerial antics, this 5-foot-10 former Olympian was thrilling audiences with his improbable shot making abilities in the paint and his knack for scoring. Florencio first burst into the scene as a collegiate standout from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) just years ahead of another future Hall of Famer in William "Bogs" Adornado. He was responsible for the key free throws down the stretch in the Gold Medal match of the 1967 Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) Championship (later known as the FIBA Asia Championship) when the Philippines defeated host nation South Korea 83-80 to complete a sweep of the competition. Florencio, nicknamed "Daredevil Danny", went on to play for four teams in the PBA from 1975 to 1983 and along the way became the first local player to breach the 60-point barrier by coming away with 64 markers on November 5, 1977, the year he averaged a ridiculous 32.3 PPG which remains the highest scoring average in PBA history. Florencio made his mark by infiltrating defenses and executing acrobatic shots in the lane that befuddled even the imports. Lim later claimed that he idolized Florencio as a youth and mimicked his moves when he later turned pro. Named to the PBA's 25 Greatest Players in 2000, Florencio spent his finals years working in a hospital in San Francisco, California. He succumbed to a stroke in his home in Pittsburg.
Julpha "Maya" Villa, 21 - Champion Arnis Athlete (Leukemia)
The first of our six youngsters we honor, Villa was an Arnis champion who earned a full scholarship at Rizal Technological University (RTU) but was later found to have Mylogenous Leukemia -- also known as cancer of the blood -- in early 2017 just a few weeks before she was to graduate with her degree in physical education. The disease advanced rapidly and Villa, who had won numerous titles in the sophisticated Filipino martial art for the Blue Thunder, had to retreat to her native Cagayan de Oro to continue her treatment. Knowing that Stage 4 of the sickness had already set in, RTU officials held a special graduation ceremony for her hoping to uplift her spirits in her fight a good two months before the actual commencement exercises were to be held in the school's premises in distant Mandaluyong City. A Facebook community was even set up called "Fight Maya" with hundreds of people donating, encouraging and offering prayers after her graduation was shown in a news item on national television. Villa finally lost her battle a little over a year later, ironically on the birthdate of national hero Jose Rizal for whom her school was named after. She was only 21.
Bryan James Gonzales, 21 (June 30) - Collegiate Volleyball Player (vehicular accident)
Just a few days after Villa died, another student athlete's life was cut short. Gonzales was reportedly involved in a car accident that claimed his life in Zambales. The skipper of the San Beda University (SBU) Red Lions volleyball team was said to have been the motivating force of the squad and was about to rejoin his squad. Messages of shock, disbelief and prayers flooded the Bedan community and the NCAA.
Joey Mente, 42 (August 22) - former PBA player and Slam Dunk champion (brain and lung tumor)
Known best for being the 2001 PBA Slam Dunk champion, this 5-9 former Lyceum of the Philippines (LPU) product captivated basketball fans with his high-flying, gung-ho drives that left fans in awe of his innate leaping ability. Mente made his pro debut for the Iloilo Megavoltz in the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) in 1998. He joined the San Miguel Beermen in 2001 and helped the franchise to two titles before being traded to the fledgling Welcoat Dragons in 2006 and eventually retiring in 2012 after a stint with the Indonesia Warriors in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL). Mente went on to become a professional poker player and even took down a Pokerstars Live tournament in 2013. He was slowly establishing himself as one of the best grinders in the metropolis when he was diagnosed with two tumors (one in the head and one in the chest) in the early portion of the year. Despite undergoing surgery and chemotherapy Mente died in August. An outpouring of support from San Miguel and the PBA followed and he goes down in history as the shortest player listed to have won the Slam Dunk title and the only PBA player to come out of Capul, Northern Samar.