Carlos "Caloy" Loyzaga y Matute (August 29, 1930 – January 27, 2016) was a Filipino

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player, coach and politician. He was the most dominant basketball player of his era in the Philippines and is considered as the greatest Filipino basketball player of all time. As a member of the Philippine national team. Loyzaga was a two-time Olympian (

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

) and led the Philippines to bronze at the

1954 FIBA World Championship The 1954 FIBA Basketball World Cup, FIBA World Championship (also called the 2nd World Basketball Championship – 1954) was the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. It was held by the International Basketball ...

, where he was named to the All-Tournament second team. On June 2, 2023, he became the first Filipino player to be inducted into the

FIBA Hall of Fame The FIBA Hall of Fame, or FIBA Basketball Hall of Fame, honors players, coaches, teams, referees, and administrators who have greatly contributed to international competitive basketball. It was established by FIBA in 1991. Originally built in ...

, which was done in the lead up to the

2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 19th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams, held from 25 August to 10 September 2023. The tournament was the second to feature 32 teams and was hosted by multipl ...

, which the Philippines co-hosts.

Early life

Loyzaga was born on August 29, 1930. He was the fourth child of Joaquín de Loyzaga Martínez and María del Carmen Matute y Sequera. His father was a football player and a member of the Philippine national team which competed and won medals at the

Far Eastern Championship Games The Far Eastern Championship Games (also known as the Far Eastern Championships, Far Eastern Games or Far East Games) was an Asian multi-sport event considered to be a precursor to the Asian Games. History In 1913, Elwood Brown, president of ...

. Loyzaga survived the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

together with his mother, sister, and two brothers. He studied at the Padre Burgos Elementary School in Santa Mesa, Manila and

National University A national university is mainly a university created or managed by a government, but which may also at the same time operate autonomously without direct control by the state. In the United States, the term "national university" connotes the highe ...

for high school until 1948.

Basketball career

Loyzaga learned to play basketball in the neighborhood TERVALAC (Teresa Valenzuela Athletic Club) basketball courts in Teresa Street,

Santa Mesa Santa Mesa is a district in Manila, Philippines. It is surrounded by the Pasig River on the southwestern side, and by the San Juan River on its southern and eastern side. Land borders include the districts of San Miguel to the west and Sampalo ...

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

. It was in the very same TERVALAC court where he was discovered by Gabby Fajardo, one of the Philippines' leading coaches of the time. Fajardo saw promise in Loyzaga and offered to train Loyzaga for his junior PRATRA (Philippine Relief and Trade Rehabilitation Administration) team. In 1949, Loyzaga quit high school to play for PRATRA, winning the

MICAA The Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA) was a sports association which existed in Manila, Philippines from 1938 to 1981. Throughout its existence, it staged various sports and was participated by prominent Philippine c ...

junior crown that year.

San Beda Red Lions

Loyzaga wanted to enroll at Letran, but backed out at the last minute when the coach gave him a cold shoulder. He was about to enroll at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

, but this also did not materialize after Fely Fajardo (older brother of Gabby), coach of the

San Beda Red Lions The San Beda Red Lions and Lionesses are the collegiate varsity teams of the San Beda University, best known for their basketball section.Malonso, J. ''"NCAA: A HISTORY''". NCAA(Phils) Homepage. Online. Internet. Accessed 23 May 200NCAA Philippi ...

, recruited him. In the NCAA cage wars for the coveted Zamora Trophy in the 1950s, San Beda lost its title bid when Loyzaga did not see action due to scholastic reasons. During the spirited rivalry between the

and the

Ateneo Blue Eagles The Ateneo Blue Eagles are the collegiate varsity teams of the Ateneo de Manila University that play in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the premiere collegiate league in the Philippines. The Ateneo collegiate ...

, the sports moderator of San Beda discovered that, under the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) rules, Loyzaga had one year of eligibility left. He was allowed to play for that one year specifically for the Red Lions to capture the Zamora Cup, the prize for the team that had three NCAA championships. The only eligible teams were San Beda (Champions, 1951 and 1952) and Ateneo de Manila (Champions 1953, 1954). Loyzaga successfully helped San Beda clinch the Zamora Trophy. Following San Beda's triple championships (1951, 1952 and 1955), the Zamora Trophy was retired. That moment in time earned Loyzaga the legendary title of "The Big Difference".

YCO Painters

Loyzaga joined the fabled

YCO Painters The YCO Painters were the multi-titled Filipino basketball team of the YCO Athletic Club that was active from the late 1940s to 1981 in the now-defunct Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA). YCO Athletic Club was founded ...

in 1954 after powering PRATRA, and its successor team, PRISCO (Price Stabilization Corporation), to the National Open championship in 1950 and 1953, respectively. He helped the Painters achieve a 49-game winning streak from 1954 to 1956, including several MICAA titles and ten straight National Open titles. Loyzaga took over as the Painters' head coach after retiring in 1964.

Philippine men's basketball team

Loyzaga was a two-time Olympian -

(9th place) and

(7th place) - as a member of the

Philippines men's national basketball team The Philippines men's national basketball team (), commonly known as Gilas Pilipinas, is the basketball team representing the Philippines. The team is managed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (Basketball Federation of the Philippines or s ...

. He helped the Philippines become one of the best in the world at the time, winning four consecutive

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

gold medals (

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

) and two consecutive

FIBA Asia Championship The FIBA Asia Cup (formerly the FIBA Asia Championship and ABC Championship) is an international basketball tournament which takes place every four years between the men's national teams of Asia and Oceania. Through the 2015 edition, the tourna ...

s (

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

). His finest moment was at the

where he led the Philippines to a bronze finish. It was the best finish by an

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

n country and the Philippines have remained the only Asian medalist in the tournament. He finished as one of the tournament’s leading scorers with a 16.4 points-per-game average and was named in the All-Tournament second team.

Coaching career

Loyzaga started as player-coach for YCO during the early 1960s. After retiring as a player in 1964, he became the head coach of YCO and the Manila Bank Golden Bankers in the MICAA; and the

UST Glowing Goldies The UST Growling Tigers, Tigresses, Tiger Cubs and Tigress Cubs are the collegiate and high school men's and women's varsity teams of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. They hold the ...

in the

UAAP The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), established in 1938, is an athletic association of eight Metro Manila universities in the Philippines. The eight-member schools are Adamson University (AdU), Ateneo de Manila Univer ...

. He coached the Philippine men's basketball team that won the

1967 ABC Championship The 1967 Asian Basketball Confederation Championship for Men were held in Seoul, South Korea. Results Final standing Awards References Resultsarchive.fiba.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Abc Championshi ...

(now known as the FIBA Asia Cup and formerly FIBA Asia Championship). In the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines, composed of twelve company-branded Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...

, he coached U/Tex (1975-1976) and

Tanduay Tanduay Distillers, Inc. () is a Philippine alcoholic beverage company founded in 1854. It is a subsidiary of LT Group, a conglomerate owned by Filipino business magnate Lucio Tan. As of 2021, it is the world's largest rum brand. History ...

(1977-1979).

Personal life

He was born to Filipino football legend

Joaquín Loyzaga Joaquín Loyzaga Sr. (born ''Joaquín de Loyzaga Martínez''; April 18, 1898 – July 3, 1935) was a Filipino international footballer who has covered both the roles of defender and goalkeeper making himself known, in modern day terms, as a util ...

and Carmen Matute. Loyzaga was married to Vicky Cuerva on 21 May 1957; the couple's children include basketball players Chito and

Joey Joey may refer to: People *Joey (name) Animals * Joey (marsupial), an infant marsupial * Joey, a blue-fronted Amazon parrot who was one of the Blue Peter pets Film and television * ''Joey'' (1977 film), an American film directed by Horace ...

, Princess, and actresses

Bing Bing most often refers to: * Bing Crosby (1903–1977), American singer * Microsoft Bing, a web search engine Bing may also refer to: Food and drink * Bing (bread), a Chinese flatbread * Bing (soft drink), a UK brand * Bing cherry, a varie ...

and Teresa. He was the grandfather of

Diego Loyzaga Carlos Diego Loyzaga Manhilot (born May 21, 1995) is a Filipino model, actor and video jockey. He is known as one of the members of the male group ''Kapamilya'' Cuties. Biography Early life Loyzaga was born in San Juan, Metro Manila to actress ...

. Loyzaga died on January 27, 2016, at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...

. He suffered a stroke in Australia in 2011 prior to returning to the Philippines in 2013. As a posthumous commemoration, the

San Beda College San Beda University () is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution run by the Order of Saint Benedict in San Miguel, Manila, Philippines. It was founded by the Benedictines in 1901. The main campus is situated ...

officially retired the #14 jersey used by Loyzaga during the opening ceremonies of the

NCAA Season 92 NCAA Season 92 was the 2016–17 collegiate athletic year of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the Philippines. It was hosted by the San Beda College. The turnover ceremony of the NCAA flag from Mapua to San Beda was held at the Pear ...

basketball tournament on June 25, 2016, at the

Mall of Asia Arena The SM Mall of Asia Arena, also known as the Mall of Asia Arena or the MoA Arena, is an indoor arena within the SM Mall of Asia complex, in Bay City, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. It has a seating capacity of 15,000 for sporting events and ...

. Members of the Loyzaga family attended the jersey retirement ceremony.

Achievements

As player: NCAA *1951 NCAA Basketball Champions (

) *1952 NCAA Basketball Champions (

) *1955 NCAA Basketball Champions/Zamora Cup (Retirement Red Lions San Beda College) MICAA * 1954 National Basketball Champions (

) * 1955 National Basketball Champions (

) * 1956 National Basketball Champions (

) * 1957 National Basketball Champions (

) * 1958 National Basketball Champions (

) * 1959 National Basketball Champions (

) * 1960 National Basketball Champions (

) * 1964 MICAA Champions (

) Philippine national team *

1951 Asian Games The 1951 Asian Games, officially known as the First Asian Games (), were a multi-sport event celebrated in New Delhi, India from 4 to 11 March 1951. The Games received names like First Asiad, 1951 Asiad, and New Dehli 1951 (). A total of 489 athl ...

champions *

1952 Olympic Games 1952 Olympics refers to both: *The 1952 Winter Olympics, which were held in Oslo, Norway *The 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were a ...

, ninth place *

1954 Asian Games The 1954 Asian Games (), officially known as the Second Asian Games – Manila 1954, were a multi-sport event held in Manila, Philippines, from May 1 to 9, 1954. A total of 970 athletes from 19 Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) competed in ...

champions *

bronze medalist ** FIBA World Championship All-Star Mythical Five (1954) *

1956 Olympic Games 1956 Olympics refers to both: *The 1956 Winter Olympics, which were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy *The 1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were ...

, seventh place *

1958 Asian Games The 1958 Asian Games, officially the Third Asian Games () and commonly known as Tokyo 1958 (), were a multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan, from 24 May to 1 June 1958. It was governed by the Asian Games Federation. A total of 1,820 athletes repr ...

champions * 1959 FIBA World Championship, eighth place * 1960

champions ** FIBA Asia Championship All-Star Mythical Five (1960) *

1962 Asian Games The 1962 Asian Games () also known as the 4th Asian Games, IV Asiad, and Jakarta 1962, were the fourth edition of pan-Asian multi-sport event sanctioned by the Asian Games Federation (AGF). The games were held from 24 August to 4 September 1962, ...

champions * 1963 FIBA Asia Championship champions As head coach: * 1967 FIBA Asia champions * 1968 Olympic Games, 13th place

Honors

* Philippine National Basketball Hall of Fame (1999) * Philippine Sportswriters Association Athletes of the 20th Century award (2000) *

Philippine Olympic Committee The Philippine Olympic Committee Inc. (POC) is the National Olympic Committee of the Philippines. The POC is a private, non-governmental organization composed of and serve as the mother organization of all National Sports Associations (NSAs) in ...

Presidential Olympism Award (2016) * FIBA Hall of Fame (2023)

Publications

*Bocobo, Christian and Celis, Beth, ''Legends and Heroes of Philippine Basketball'', (Philippines, 2004) *Dela Cruz, Juan, ''Book of Pinoy Facts and Records'', (National Bookstore, Mandaluyong, Philippines, 2004)