By JONAS TERRADO
Orlando “Orly” Bauzon, an Olympian and one of the pioneer players of the fabled Toyota franchise in the MICAA and PBA, passed away Saturday due to cardiac arrest. He was 75.
His nephew, Calasiao, Pangasinan Mayor Joseph Bauzon and former Toyota teammate Ramon Fernandez were among those who paid tribute to Bauzon, who represented the country in the 1968 Mexico Olympics.
Bauzon also won three titles with Toyota in the 1973 MICAA and the PBA’s first two conferences in 1975.
He was best remembered for his defensive effort during the Philippines’ run to the 1967 ABC Championship in South Korea under coach Caloy Loyzaga.
The victory earned the country a slot in the 1968 Mexico Games, with Bauzon playing a part in the team that placed 13th overall.
Back home, Bauzon was part of Meralco’s 1971 MICAA Open title run, defeating the Crispa Redmanizers in the finals. It was the Reddy Kilowatts only championship before the franchise was disbanded the following year.
Bauzon was part of Toyota’s ’73 Cinderella title run on its first foray in the MICAA fold. In fact, Fernandez recalled that Bauzon’s last-second shot in the semifinals helped the Comets reach the finals against Concepcion Motorolas.
He also donned the Toyota jersey when the Comets beat the archrival Redmanizers in the first and second conferences of the 1975 PBA season. Bauzon played two more seasons before wrapping up his career with Mariwasa in 1978.
