The legendary Crispa Redmanizers, who lorded it over Philippine basketball from the late 50s to the 80s, are coming back.
This after Allessandro Lorenzo ‘Enzo’ Floro Herbosa, third of four sons of Dr. Valerie Floro Herbosa – youngest daughter of the late Redmanizers owner Danny Floro – announced that the family is reviving the famed Crispa brand.
If plans do not miscarry, Enzo said they are also going to revive the basketball team that produced several greats – both in the amateur and pro.
Reviving the company’s basketball team is also one way of preserving the legacy of the “Boss,”regarded as the best basketball pro club owner ever.
Floro’s generosity is legendary. In fact, his kindness has been copied, but his down-to-earth nature has made him unparalleled to those whose lives he had touched.
“Yeah, why not?” said the young Herbosa when asked if there are plans to put up a basketball team. “We realize naman that the Crispa brand became famous because of our basketball team.”
“For a start, though let us – my brothers Angelo, Valerio, and Regino, our cousins, and friends first – reintroduce the Crispa brand in the market as a quality T-shirt brand proudly made in the Philippines,” said Enzo. “Yung basketball team, susunod na.”
The formal relaunching of Crispa T-shirt is on Tuesday via social media.
Crispa was one of the 9 founding teams of the Philippine Basketball Association and won 13 titles, including two Grand Slams – the first under the Maestro Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan. Tommy Manotoc was the architect of the team’s second Grand Slam.
Among the greats who played for Crispa are Bogs Adornado, Fortunato Co, Philip Cezar, Abet Guidaben, and Freddie Hubalde.
