POWER RANKINGS: TOP PBA PLAYERS FROM 1975 TO 1981 | NUMBERS 11 TO 20
- Syd Salazar
- May 1, 2022
- 5 min read
Updated: May 7
Work has made me despise .doc files, and honestly, these days, I’d rather rest than overthink. But every once in a while, I dive headfirst into content and just let loose. Sure, I’m a bit of a procrastinator, but when it comes to basketball stats and history? You can bet I’m all in.
I’m a huge fan of the PBA Records and Oddities blog. It’s such a relief to see blogs out there doing what the official PBA blog doesn’t, especially when it comes to finding pioneer stats, even if they’re incomplete. PBA RO has this amazing post where he managed to screenshot player averages from 1975 to 1981, which was a huge help.
But, of course, I still crave the numbers for guys like Rudy Kutch, Larry Mumar, Jimmy Mariano, Estoy Estrada, and Freddie Webb. And don’t even get me started on the full stats for some of the Hall of Fame pioneers.
But hey, beggars can’t be choosers, right?
9.1ppg | 7.1rpg | 1.0apg | 0.9bpg | 101 games
I have to admit, I wasn’t familiar with Eusebio “Bing” Del Rosario at first. But after doing a bit of research, I found out he was part of the PBA Select squad that faced the Washington Bullets in 1979. Del Rosario spent his entire career with Gilbey’s Gin and had the chance to play alongside Robert Jaworski and Francis Arnaiz when the two moved to the La Tondena franchise after Toyota disbanded.
9.8ppg | 3.0rpg | 3.1apg | 1.5spg | 371 games
Confession time: Bernie Fabiosa is ranked 22nd on this list. He got bumped down in favor of Hall of Famers Tony Torrente and Fritz Gaston, and even Bing Del Rosario takes a step back for The Sultan of Swipe. I know it’s tough to believe that Fabiosa is this far down, but hear me out.
Throughout their PBA run, the Crispa Redmanizers were either champions or contenders. A big part of their success was having five MVP winners on the roster. Add to that a series of stellar imports, and it’s easy to see how Fabiosa could afford to play the supporting role and let his teammates shine, especially when it led to so many championships.
But that’s also why Fabiosa ranks this high. He played 371 games. Many MVPs and Mythical First Team players have been ranked highly based on their longevity and games played, and Bernie is no different.
12.1ppg | 5.5rpg | 1.2apg | 0.7bpg | 138 games
It’s hard to picture the San Miguel Beermen with anything less than a star-studded roster, especially with how they dominate the talent pool in the current PBA landscape. Jess Migalbin, however, remains one of the more underrated players of his generation. Spending most of his career with the Beermen, Migalbin’s numbers were at their peak during this time. Unfortunately, he finished his career with an average of 7.5 points per game, which is both puzzling and unfortunate, considering he once boasted a career average of 12.1 points per game.
17 | ELY CAPACIO
9.3ppg | 8.1rpg | 1.5apg | 0.7spg | 119 games
For a time, Glenn Capacio’s older brother was a double-double machine for Tanduay Rhum. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what happened, but the late PBA governor ended his career with averages of 5.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, suggesting that injuries might have played a role. Still, these numbers aren’t bad at all, especially considering that most centers from that era were primarily import stoppers. The most likely explanation, though, is that he was transitioning into a bench role, as seen in the various roles he took on with the Purefoods franchise.
9.7ppg | 6.5rpg | 1.1apg | 1.1bpg | 253 games
Abe King is another player whose numbers didn’t always reflect his talent, largely due to playing alongside a host of PBA greats. It’s impressive when you consider that King once dropped 60 points during this stretch of his career. While I’m not sure if his "Chairman of the Board" nickname still sticks, King had to compete for attention with heavyweights like Ramon Fernandez, a triple-double machine in Robert Jaworski, and Toyota’s imports of the conference. After his time with Toyota, King would go on to become an above-average scorer.
11.8ppg | 6.7rpg | 1.2apg | 0.8bpg | 374 games
It’s funny to see The Pride of Camiguin ranked so low, considering he’s a fixture on many all-time records lists. Similar to the Fabiosa situation, Crispa simply had too many options. In some ways, Guidaben could be compared to Poch Juinio in his grand slam squad. Now, this isn’t a knock on Guidaben or Juinio—it’s more about the four MVPs on Baby Dalupan’s roster. Guidaben is one of just two pioneer MVPs to win the award after the 1981 PBA season, with his first MVP coming just two seasons later. By the way, the other pioneer MVP? That’s going to surprise you.
11.3ppg | 3.0rpg | 4.2apg | 1.3spg | 230 games
One of the reasons I created this blog was to highlight the biggest names from that era. While it’s disappointing that I missed out on a lot of players I’d love to learn more about—like Rudy Kutch, Estoy Estrada, Larry Mumar, Freddie Webb, Ompong Segura, and others (I’m still searching for their season-by-season numbers)—there’s one name I’m glad to feature: Jesse Sullano. Known for his scoring ability and efficient playmaking, Sullano stands out as one of those players who made a big impact despite not coming from the powerhouses of Crispa, Toyota, or U/Tex.
7.7ppg | 3.8rpg | 4.1apg | 2.3spg | 265 games
Here’s one player I feel should have made it to the 25 Greatest Players list. In fact, Vic Sotto’s former sidekick, Yoyong Martirez, was even part of the league’s top ten players in its first decade. If I were to compare Martirez to an NBA player, he’d probably be a mix of Hal Greer and Lenny Wilkens—guys who had all the tools to succeed but, unfortunately, weren’t part of the Toyota or Crispa dynasties. Being on those teams could have earned him at least a spot on the Mythical First Team or more than two championships. Nonetheless, the original #14 of San Miguel Beer remains the league's undisputed steals leader with 611 swipes, despite playing 106 fewer games than Bernie Fabiosa.
15.7ppg | 4.5rpg | 1.7apg | 0.5spg | 177 games
One of the league’s top non-pioneers of the 80s, the 1978 PBA Rookie of the Year started his career with Tanduay Rhum and quickly became the team’s go-to scorer. He entered the league during an era still dominated by pioneers, but Manansala clearly wasn’t content to just blend in. That said, the intense Crispa-Toyota rivalry at the time often reduced other teams to footnotes in PBA title history. This narrative began to shift when Manansala joined the Great Taste Coffee Makers—winners of two consecutive near-grand slams and arguably the most dominant PBA franchise of the mid-80s.
14.6ppg | 4.9rpg | 2.2apg | 0.7spg | 0.7bpg | 158 games
Honestly, I’m still unsure what his real position was. As a '90s kid, I only saw the tail end of his career where he played power forward. But dig into articles from the 70s and 80s, and you’ll find that he was a versatile small forward who could even slide into the shooting guard role. Tuadles had a deep bag of tricks, but despite his talent, his numbers were somewhat muted because of Toyota’s stacked roster. In the seasons that followed, he finally broke out as a bona fide star, though his tendency to hop from one team to another didn’t exactly help cement his legacy.
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