By
Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA--A legendary figure in Philippine basketball bid the hoop-crazy nation goodbye.
Coach Baby Dalupan, who won a bunch of championships in the collegiate and the professional scene, died on Wednesday night. He was 92.
Ricky Brown, one of the players Dalupan handled when he was with Great Taste in the PBA, first broke the news early Thursday.
Aside from the Coffee Makers, the former Ateneo Blue Eagle who played in three sports (basketball, football, athletics) also won titles as the coach of his alma mater, the Star Hotshots, formerly the Purefoods Hotdogs, and more importantly the UE Red Warriors, whom he led to seven straight UAAP championships from 1965-1971 and 12 overall, and the Crispa Redmanizers, whom he gave a total of 13 pro league titles, four in the MICAA and nine in the PBA, including a Grand Slam in 1976.
Dalupan, who retired with 15 PBA championships, was the league's winningest coach title-wise before current Ginebra coach Tim Cone, who idolizes him, scored his record-breaking 16th title in 2014 with the Purefoods franchise, which coincidentally was the team where Dalupan won his last PBA plum in 1990.
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