Olympian, PBA pioneer Orly Bauzon dies at 75

Orlando Bauzon, the stalwart guard who played for the national team before ending his career as a pioneer in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), died Saturday, September 5. He was 75.

Bauzon died of cardiac arrest, his eldest daughter Dodjee said in a phone interview with Rappler. He lies in state at Arlington, Sta Mesa. 

“We brought him to the Quezon City General Hospital but he was declared DOA (dead on arrival),” she said. 

“It was so sudden. He didn’t complain of anything,” she added, noting that except for a minor heart attack 10 years ago, her father regularly exercised and took his maintenance medicines.

The muscular Bauzon’s calm and stoic defense served national teams and helped power the Toyota Comets to the 1975 PBA First and Second Conference championships.

But the 1968 Olympian, along with teammates Gil Cortez and Ompong Segura, eventually left for Mariwasa where he ended his playing career in 1978.

“He had very good timing in defense. It wasn’t rough but it was effective,” Cortez, the 1976 PBA Rookie of the Year, said of the 6-foot Bauzon. 

“He was like a father figure to me as he guided me in my first year in the PBA,” Cortez added in a phone interview. “He can shoot but he preferred to pass.”

Arturo Valenzona, one of the few coaches to win titles in the NCAA, UAAP and PBA, described Bauzon’s defense as not flashy but workmanlike. 

“He was cool in defense and dependable,” he said.

Olympian Gerry Cruz, who like Bauzon played for Ysmael, also described him as a ”very good guard and point maker.” 

“He was cool when he played and can play all positions,” said Cruz.

Bauzon, born in Calasiao, Pangasinan, came to UST in 1962. The muscular recruit, who also competed in shotput, ably defended the middle and studied opponents well. 

“If I am playing against a different team after a few minutes, I have an idea how to stop my man,” he said once.

One of Bauzon’s best games was in the finals of the 1967 Asian Basketball Conference championship versus South Korea. 

Shooting a rare double-digit with 12 points, Bauzon also held the fort defensively but he joined 6 other teammates who fouled out stopping Shin Dong Pa’s South Korean team, which the Philippines beat to reclaim the ABC title.

In the 1970 Asian Games, Bauzon was injured early, depriving coach Baby Dalupan’s Philippine team of needed defensive muscle.

Bauzon carved a niche in UST women’s basketball as he steered the Lady Goldbelles to the UAAP championship in 1985. The squad settled for 2nd the following season, but reclaimed the top spot in 1987 and 1988.

He also piloted the Adamson Falcons to a runner-up finish the 1992 UAAP men’s championship, falling to the FEU Tamaraws in the title series.

He was married to Philippine Sports Commissioner Josie Bauzon, who passed away in 2011, leaving 6 children and 5 grandchildren. – Rappler.com