Atoy Co

Fortunato G. Co, Jr.
Mapua Cardinals
Position Head Coach
League NCAA
Personal information
Born (1951-10-15) October 15, 1951
Pasig, Rizal, Philippines
Nationality Philippines Filipino
Listed height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight 168 lb (76 kg)
Career information
College Mapúa Institute of Technology
PBA draft 1975 / Elevated
Selected by the Crispa Redmanizers
Playing career 1975–1988
Coaching career 1989–present
Career history
As player:
1972–1984 Crispa Redmanizers
1985–1986 Manila Beer Brewmasters
1987–1988 Great Taste/Presto Ice Cream
As coach:
1989-1991 Crispa 400 (PBL)
2012-present Mapua Cardinals (NCAA)
Career highlights and awards

As player:

  • PBA Hall of Fame Class of 2005
  • PBA's 25 Greatest Players
  • PBA Mythical First Team (1975–1977, 1979–1984)
  • Top 10: Scoring Average
  • Top 25: 3-Point Percentage
  • Top 25: Free Throw Percentage
  • 4x Season Champion: Total Points
  • Season Champion: Scoring Average
  • 2x Season Champion: 3-Points Made
  • 3x Season Champion: 2-Points Made

As head coach:
Championships (2):
* 1990 PBL Challenge Cup (Crispa 400)
* 1991 PBL Maharlika Cup (Crispa 400)
As commisioner:

Fortunato G. Co, Jr. (born October 15, 1951), better known as Atoy Co, is a Filipino actor and current head coach of the Mapua Cardinals in the NCAA. He is also a former politician and a retired professional basketball player who played 11 seasons in the PBA, mostly with Crispa Redmanizers. He is known as Fortune Cookie during his playing days, being notable for his trademark turaround fadeaway jump shot.[1]

Collegiate and amateur career

Co joined the Mapua Cardinals in 1970 and played for the Mapúa team for three years. He was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) during his first and second years.[2] He also brought his wares with the old Crispa team in the MICAA.

Professional career

Co first played in the PBA on April 22, 1975, scoring 34 points and leading Crispa to a 113-102 win over CFC, the team's first victory after starting the season with three (3) straight defeats.

During his PBA stint, he played for the two-time grand slam champion Crispa Redmanizers from 1975 to 1984, with him as one of the team's top scorers. In 1976, he received the All-Filipino Sports Award for Basketball.

He was part of the fabled Crispa ballclub that won two Grand Slams, in 1976 and 1983. He won the Most Valuable Player award in 1979 and was a 9-time Mythical First Team Member.

In 1979, he was the first player to score 5,000 points, and in 1984, he also became the first player to score 10,000 points in PBA history. After his stint with Crispa, he then suited up for Manila Beer (1985-1986) and Great Taste (1987-1988).

He ended his career as the PBA's No. 4 in All-Time Scoring with 12,994 points behind Ramon Fernandez, Abet Guidaben and Alvin Patrimonio. He was also career 78.6% free-throw (FT) shooter, having converted 1549 out of 1970 free-throw attempts and dished-off 2,640 assists (3.5 apg) in a grand total of 749 games in 24395:05 minutes.

In 2000, he was named as one of the 25 Greatest Players in PBA History in an elaborate awards ceremonies that highlighted the 25th year anniversary of the league.

In 2003, he took part in the Crispa-Toyota Reunion Game that kick-started the PBA's 2003 All-Star Weekend.

In 2005, he played for the Baby Dalupan-coached TM PBA Legends that defeated the TM PBA Greats, 96-92, in an exhibition match as the featured event of the league's 30th year anniversary festivities. The two (2) teams were made up of the 25 Greatest Players that were chosen by coaches Dalupan and Robert Jaworski. Later that same year, Co was part of the twelve (12) initial inductees to the PBA Hall of Fame alongside fellow Crispa players Bogs Adornado and Philip Cezar, and Toyota stalwarts Jaworski, Francis Arnaiz and Fernandez together with former PBA Commissioners Leo Prieto, Emerson Coseteng and Rudy Salud as well as legendary Crispa coach and team manager, respectively, Dalupan and Danny Floro, and the late anchorman Joe Cantada.

Post-PBA career

Acting career

Co ventured into the showbiz after his playing days were over, first as a co-host for the noontime show Student Canteen over at RPN (now Solar TV), and started as sidekick to action stars such as Phillip Salvador. He made a career mostly out of playing supporting roles in movies and teleseryes.

Politics and other interests

Co became a politician when he served as a long-time city councilor of Pasig City from 1998 to 2007.[3] In 2010, he ran again as councilor and was successful in his reelection bid.[4]

He also operates a sports bar named Atoy's at Metrowalk, Pasig City.[5]

Coaching career

In 1989, Co became the coach of the Crispa 400 in the PABL, leading the team to two titles in 1990 and 1991. Currently, he serves as the head coach of his alma mater, the Mapua Cardinals, a position he has held since 2012.[6]

Commissioning career

In 2013, Co became the first commissioner of the UNTV Cup which is the first charity game dedicated for public servants and celebrities in the Philippines an original concept by Mr. Public Service Daniel Razon.

Trivia

Quotes

References

  1. Velasco, Bill. "Atoy's stories". www.philstar.com. Philippine Star. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  2. "Atoy Co is Mapúa Cardinals' new head coach". http://www.mapua.edu.ph/. Mapua Institute of Technology. Retrieved 29 December 2014. External link in |website= (help)
  3. Gorospe, Marjorie. "Life after PBA for the "Fortune Cookie"". www.inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  4. Joble, Rey. "Guiao, 5 other sports celebs headed for victory in political bids". www.gmanetwork.com. GMA News. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  5. Henson, Joaquin. "Atoy rebuilds Mapua for future". www.philstar.com. Philippine Star. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  6. Payo, Jasmine. "Cards set to name Atoy Co as mentor". www.inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
Preceded by
NCAA Seniors' Basketball Most Valuable Player
1971
Succeeded by
Philip Cezar
Preceded by
Chito Victolero
Mapua Cardinals men's basketball head coach
2013
Succeeded by
(incumbent)
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 16, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.