Part of the Tanduay core absorbed by Purefoods during its inaugural season in 1988. Played in only one season with the team. Never got the expected playing time during his stint with the team as coach Cris Calilan opted to use younger players Al Solis, Jojo Lastimosa and Glenn Capacio. Was ditched to Shell the following season where he played his last PBA season. Known as a hot shooting swingman during his days with Crispa and Tanduay. He was MVP of the 1977 PBA season. Named as a member of the elite PBA's 25 Greatest Players of All-Time in 2000. Played college ball for the Mapua Institute of Technology, before eventually moving on to play professional basketball in the PBA.

Third round pick of Purefoods in the 1989 PBA Draft. Played only one season with the team and didn't make much dent. Known as a torrid outside shooter in the amateurs but on a team that had Al Solis, Jojo Lastimosa and Glenn Capacio, there was simply not enough room to showcase his talents on the playing court.

In 1988 All-Filipino Conference finals against Anejo Rhum, Purefoods, although only with a one conference experience in the PBA, was the favorite to bring home the crown what with the likes of super rookies Alvin Patrimonio, Jerry Codinera and Jojo Lastimosa, veterans Ramon Fernandez and other ex-Tanduay stalwarts providing enough firepower to the rookie team. Only one game turned the season around for the Hotdogs. One bad game. It was Game 1 of the championship. El Presidente couldn’t get his game going and rookies Patrimonio and Codinera were left to carry the show for the beleaguered Hotdogs. Purefoods President Rene Buhain accused Fernandez of fixing the game and ordered him benched for the rest of the series. Fernandez cried foul and took his act to court. Without their leader and playing coach, Purefoods lost the series to Anejo Rhum 1-3. They traded Fernandez to San Miguel Beer the following conference for Abet Guidaben who was then the early MVP leader. This was the second time both veterans were traded for each other. Both times, Guidaben would lose his chance of an MVP plum after leading the race. A visibly frustrated Guidaben played lacklusterly for Purefoods and they wound up last in the Third Conference. Fernandez took home the MVP award, his fourth and Guidaben, well, was a free agent at season end and signed up with Alaska Milk. Fernandez gave SMB a grand slam the following year falling just short of a fifth MVP. So for Fernandez, Purefoods asked for only a conference of Abet Guidaben. They should have asked for at least a first round pick. Benjie Paras turned pro a conference later after making that controversial trade.

Derrick Brown. Two-time Best Import awardee. Carried Purefoods to the 2002 Championship. Nicknamed "The Flight" for his high-flying ways and explosive offensive game.

Kenny Redfield. Also a two-time Best Import awardee. Like Derrick Brown, led Purefoods to a championship. Do-it-all, very versatile playmaker. Can effectively play all five positions on the floor.

Darren Queenan. Gave Purefoods its first ever crown in 1990, while teaming up with Robert Paul Rose. Scored a career-high 82 markers in a triple OT game against Hill Bros.

David Thirdkill. Former Best Import awardee with Tanduay and had hoped to do the same in his stint with Purefoods. Was a monster in the eliminations up to the semifinals, making mincement of all his defenders. Disappeared in the Finals against SMB though. Back-to-back sub-par games in Games 6 and Game 7 throw out the team's championship hopes but still will be considered one of the best imports of all-time.

Mike Jones. Played for Purefoods in 2001, displaying incredible enthusiasm on the playing court. Led the Hotdogs to the Finals only to be derailed by Swift. Still, his energy on the court, was a sight to behold.

This was a long time coming. Who do you think are the best players to ever grace the Purefoods uniform. Before we start with the discussion, let us first make some rules in order not to spur any hard-heated debates between Purefoods fanatics till the wee hours of the morning. First, we will not include here all the ACIIVE Purefoods players, so in essence, a vote for James Yap and Kerby Raymundo will not be included. Second, we will consider only the exploits or performances of players WHILE playing for the Purefoods team, so Abet Guidaben, who played for one listless conference with Purefoods will not be on the list since his best playing years were not with Purefoods but with Crispa, Manila Beer and San Miguel. Thirdly, the player must have a positive impact on the Purefoods' franchise, and did not violate Philippine laws during his tenure. This will scratched off fil-sham Al Segova from the list. Lastly, the player must have played for Purefoods for a minimum of 5 years to establish enough credibility for the assessment of his contribution to the team and loyalty, which also means a vote for Jojo Lastimosa, will not count. Ditto with Ramon Fernandez who played for less than a season with the Purefoods team.

Okay, now that we've laid down the cards, let's begin.

Best players by position:
Center. I couldn't remember who protected the interior better than The Defense Minister himself Jerry Codinera. Together with Alvin Patrimonio, they were two of the most dominant tandems not only in team history but also in league history. He still holds the record of 11 blocked shots in a single game.

Power Forward. This is the easiest one to evaluate. Four-time league MVP Alvin Patrimonio is the hands-down choice as the best power forward in franchise history. No one comes even close.

Small Forward. Rey Evangelista, during his time, was one of Purefoods' staples on the defensive end. The many-time defensive team member plays no-nonsense and can be counted upon on both offense and defense. A terrific rebounder, he once had a 20 rebound game.

Off-Guard. Like Rey Evangelista, Glenn Capacio can lay claim as one of the best defenders of all-time. He's guarded the likes of Allan Caidic, Samboy Lim, Paul Alvarez and Boy Cabahug and gave them fits. Holds one of the best all-time performances of an individual player in a single game - a perfect six out of six conversion from 3-point range that remained unsurpassed until now.

Point Guard. No one handled the point for Purefoods better than "The Bullet" Dindo Pumaren. The 5-8 speedster was the epitome of a pure point guard. In fact, I can't picture an all-time Purefoods roster without his name on it.

Honorable Mention:

Noy Castillo. One of the best shooters of all-time. Carried the guns for Purefoods in the pre-James Yap days.

In the 21-year existence of the Purefoods' franchise (from Ayala to Cojuangco era), the team used only nine monickers, each depicting various Purefoods brand. Please check below pictures depicting the old to present team monickers.

1) Coney Island Ice Cream
2) Purefoods Oodles Noodles
3) Purefoods Chicken Nuggets
4) Purefoods Hotdogs
5) Purefoods Corned Beef Cowboys
6) Purefoods Carne Norte
7) Purefoods TJ Hotdogs
8) Purefoods Chunkee Giants
9) Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants

Season in review:
Before the start of the 2008-2009 KFC PBA Philippine Cup, the TJ Giants and their fans once again got into trouble with the Singapore Slingers audience during an exhibition game. The Giants lost to the Slingers in that heated match, but ironically, they signed Slinger Al Vergara for a single conference contract for the 2009 Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference.

In the off-season, Purefoods overhauled its roster by bringing in rookies Beau Belga, Jonathan Fernandez and Richard Alonzo. They also acquired veterans Topex Robinson and Paolo Bugia from Red Bull and Aaron Aban from Alaska. These moves, however, were all futile attempts at establishing team chemistry as the team failed to excel at the classification phase, even after acquiring Rich Alvarez in mid-conference and having Rommel Adducul back from cancer treatment.

Having to play in yet another wildcard phase, the Giants continued their stuggle in the 2008-2009 Philippine Cup. During a timeout in a knockout game against Air21, James Yap and Purefoods assistant coach Koy Banal exchanged harsh words which caused a stir in the team's huddle. Moments later, Kerby Raymundo rushed to the other side of the court to confront Air21 fans. The Express went on to win the game, ending the Purefoods campaign.

To settle the issue between James Yap and Koy Banal, the team's officials called for an emergency meeting right after the loss to Air21. The whole team stayed up late to talk things over, and the two eventually reconciled.

Before the start of the 2009 Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference, the team made a move in a three-way trade with Ginebra and Burger King, they let go of the young players remaining in their roster---Beau Belga, Richard Alonzo and Chico Lanete. In return, they got grizzled veterans Don Allado and Niño Canaleta. They also signed free agent Al Vergara of the Singapore Slingers for a one-conference contract.

With resident import Marquin Chandler still playing in Korea, the Giants brought in Brian Hamilton, who led them to an impressive 2-0 start but was eventually replaced by Jhamar Thorpe after a mediocre showing. Thorpe also turned out to be sub-par and was thus replaced by the original choice Chandler, who led the team to three straight victories upon his return, only to see it lose the next three.

Just before the All-Star break, the management continued to tinker with the team's roster. In another transaction involving the Gin Kings and the Whoppers, the Giants acquired veteran point guard Celino Cruz and gave up Aaron Aban. To make room for Cruz in its roster, the team released Al Vergara from his duties.

During the All-Star break, James Yap won the three-point shootout. Niño Canaleta, who won the Slam Dunk competition three times when he was with Air21, failed to get back the title. Kerby Raymundo and James Yap were key performers for the Powerade-Team Pilipinas in their three-game exhibition match with the PBA All-stars. Enrico Villanueva and Peter June Simon played for the North and South All-Stars respectively.

With a 7-7 win-loss card, the Giants faced the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in a knockout wildcard duel. Even with Chandler fouling out in the fourth quarter, the Giants' local crew kept the game close, trailing by only three points, 97-100, with seven seconds left. Kerby Raymundo was fouled while shooting a desperation three-pointer that tied the game at 100-all, but he missed the potential game-winning free throw with 1.7 seconds left. In the extension period, Purefoods appeared to have sealed the victory with Roger Yap sinking two free throws to increase their lead to twelve, 114-102, with less than two minutes remaining. But Mark Cardona and Ren-Ren Ritualo made four consecutive triples for the Tropang Texters to force another overtime. The Giants, however resilient the Tropang Texters were, prevailed at the end behind the heroics of James Yap and Roger Yap. The victory earned Purefoods the last ticket to the quarterfinals against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.

With tired players, Purefoods lost to the Elasto Painters in game 1 of the quarterfinals. In game 2, they came back strong, leading by as much as 24 points late in the third. Nonetheless, Rain or Shine did not readily gave up, shutting the Giants' offense down and eventually tying the game with 22 seconds to go. Jai Lewis missed the possible go-ahead free throw, giving the Giants a chance to score the winning basket with the shot clock turned off. Marquin Chandler drove to the basket, got fouled, and drained two free throws with 1.2 seconds left. Off the timeout, Rob Wainwright missed the jumper and the Giants tied the series.

Game 3 saw the Giants leading most of the second half, behind Peter June Simon's high scoring game. Import Marquin Chandler was benched after letting his emotions get the best of him in the first half. He never saw action again in the second half, where Rain or Shine kept the game close. This paved the way for TY Tang to sink the go-ahead three-pointer with 31.2 seconds left. With the loss, the Giants were denied a slot in the semifinals and their long off-season began.

Roster:
Enrico Villanueva
Topex Robinson
Paolo Bugia
Kerby Raymundo
Roger Yap
Jondan Salvador
Peter June Simon
James Carlos Yap
Chico Lanete
Beau Belga
Jonathan Fernandez
Chad Alonzo
Aaron Aban
Rommel Adducul
Richard Yee
KG Canaleta
Celino Cruz
Rich Alvarez
Don Carlos Allado

Season in Review:
With no picks in the 2007 PBA Draft, the TJ Giants welcomed back Raymundo and Pingris to the team, while trading Paul Artadi to the Air21 Express for virtually nothing after a feud with the coaches (Artadi ended up playing in Ginebra). The Giants then had a 7-0 start at the 2007-08 PBA Philippine Cup with Yap having a banner conference. Despite losing the Christmas Day game against the Barangay Ginebra Kings, the Giants clinched the semifinals berth and the #1 seed on their next game thanks to a win against the Tigers. In the semifinals, they were up against Red Bull, the winner over the Magnolia Beverage Masters (new name of the Beermen) in the quarterfinals series. The Giants drew first blood in the semifinals by routing Red Bull but needed to win the 7th game to finally clinch their 12th AFC finals stint (the most by any team in history) against Sta. Lucia.

Purefoods Lost a controversial 7 game series with Yap serving a suspension in game 5 after the Giants had come back a 0-2 deficit to tie the series at 2-2. They managed to level the series at 3-3 thanks to a classic fourth quarter performance by James Yap, nailing 5 of 6 Three point Attempts and scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter. Game 7 was almost a carbon copy of game number 6. Purefoods struggled in the third quarter with key players in foul trouble, and in the end it was Sta. Lucia who made the crucial shots down the stretch and won the game 100-88.

Before the start of the succeeding Fiesta Conference, Rommel Adducul was dignosed with cancer and had to take a leave of absence. Lacking a starting center, Purefoods was forced to make a deal for Enrico Villanueva and sacrifice Marc Pingris, who went to the Magnolia Beverage Masters in a four-team, multi-player transaction. For their reinforcement, they tapped the services of 6'11" Darius Rice. Rice was a prolific scorer but was not able to lead the team to enough wins for the Giants to keep him. He was replaced by Moroccan Reda Rhalimi, who was decent enough on both ends of the floor, but was also unable to lead the Giants to an impressive finish. They ended up with a 7-11 win-loss card in the classification phase.

The knockout wildcard match-up against Talk 'N Text accentuated the frustrations that have marked the Giants' campaign. With the team trailing by 16 points halfway through the fourth, Jondan Salvador got involved in an altercation against the Phone Pals' import Terrence Leather. After the import threw the ball at Salvador, James Yap retaliated with a kick, which in turn caused players from both benches to join the fray. With the situation almost resulting in a disastrous brawl, cooler heads eventually prevailed, penalties were given and the game came to an end---as well as the Giants' season.

The controversial blow-out loss at the Ynares center turned out to be the last game of Noy Castillo and Rey Evangelista as professional basketball players. Castillo retired while Evangelista joined the Giants' coaching staff. Evangelista played his entire career with the Purefoods franchise that drafted him second overall in 1994. He won four championships with Purefoods and was known as a solid defender and rebounder. Castillo, on the other hand, was dreaded for his clutch baskets and was a consistent marksman thoughout his career. He won a championship with the team in 2006 PBA Philippine Cup.

Roster:
KERBY RAYMUNDO
ROMMEL ADDUCUL
BRANDON CABLAY
ROGER YAP
JONDAN SALVADOR

TITO CASTILLO
RICH YEE
ROB SANZ
ARDY LARONG
OMANZIE RODRIGUEZ

MARC PINGRIS
CHICO LANETE
REY EVANGELISTA
JYAP
JUN SIMON

Season in Review:
Purefoods managed to end up with a 10-8 win-loss record. In a playoff game for the second outright quarterfinals berth, the Giants came-from-behind to beat Sta. Lucia to avoid going further down to the grueling wild-card phase.

In the best-of-five quarterfinals, the Chunkee Giants lost to the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals, 3-1. After Marc Pingris got injured in game 2, Purefoods lost the next three games, thus failing to repeat as champions of the Philippine Cup.

Purefoods has renamed its team to the Tender Juicy Giants for the 2007 PBA Fiesta Conference. However, the team paraded with a depleted line-up. Forward-centers Kerby Raymundo and Marc Pingris were loaned to the national team and placed on injured list, respectively. James Yap was also facing issues regarding his marital problems with wife Kris and being snubbed from the National Team. Although Marquin Chandler returned for a second tour of duty with Purefoods, the team had a badly depleted front line that saw them only Richard Yee and Arnold Gamboa manning the slot. Although James Yap successfully removed the distractions affecting his game following the birth of his first son James Jr., the Giants decided to get the next big man available in the PBA to help the team. As a result, they acquired Rommel Adducul from San Miguel Beermen thru a three-team trade with Red Bull Barako which also saw Enrico Villanueva donning a Beermen jersey. Reserve Don Camaso was the casualty of the trade as he was sent to Red Bull. Some PBA teams denounced the trade transaction because of the "restricted player" trade rule in which only top players could be traded for one another to avoid imbalance in the league. But the protests quickly subsided after the PBA approved the said trade after learning that Villanueva was removed from the restricted list and Adducul was finally allowed to play for the Giants.

Purefoods was able to escape early elimination after beating the Welcoat Dragons in the last elimination round game. "Big Game" James Yap scored 41 points to lead the Giants to the wildcard phase, only to be knocked out by the Coca-Cola Tigers where he scored 40 points, which equalled former PBA player Nelson Asaytono's record of scoring 40+ points in back-to-back games, but failed to deliver the win for the team. For his efforts, Yap was picked by Chot Reyes to be part of the national team to play for the FIBA Asia Championship 2007 in Tokushima, Japan where the Philippines ranked ninth out of 16 teams.

Roster:
Kerby Raymundo
Rich Yee
Boyet Bautista
Jun Limpot
Jondan Salvador
Marc Pingris
Roger Yap
James Yap
Paul Artadi
Rey Evangelista
Celedonio Camaso
Noy Castillo
Rommel Adducul

Season in Review:
Prior to the start of the 2005-06 Fiesta Conference, Purefoods replaced their TJ Hotdogs moniker with the Chunkee Giants. The Chunkee Giants was a reference to the company's new chunky corned beef product Purefoods Chunkee Corned Beef. Purefoods selected PBL MVP Jondan Salvador with the fourth pick in the first round of the draft. To further strengthen its line-up, the team traded future draft picks to the Air21 Express to acquire Marc Pingris and Egay Billones. They also hired Marquin Chandler as import and went on to record a 10-6 first place finish in the classification phase, earning them an outright semis berth.

The Giants beat the up and coming Air21 Express in six games of the semi-finals. They lost in the finals of the tournament to Red Bull in six games. But their runner-up finish was the best since winning the 2002 Governor's Cup. Chandler won Best Import honors while Kerby Raymundo lost to Enrico Villanueva for Best Player of the Conference honors.

In the 2006 PBA Philippine Cup, the Chunkee Giants finished with a 12-4 record and a first-place finish in the classification phase, earning them an outright semi-finals berth for the second consecutive time. However, on May 14, in a game against Red Bull Barako, Eugene Tejada suffered a freak injury, which resulted to his paralyzation. In the semifinals, Purefoods won the series in seven games after trailing the Alaska Aces 1-3, becoming only the second team since the 1991 Ginebra San Miguel team to come back from a 1-3 deficit in a PBA best-of-seven series. In six games, the Chunkee Giants won the 2006 Philippine Cup, 4-2, over Red Bull. It was Purefoods' first title since the 2002 Governors Cup, and the first All-Filipino Cup title since 1997. Marc Pingris was named as the Finals Most Valuable Player.

James Yap became the second Purefoods player to win season MVP award and was included in the Mythical Team. Kerby Raymundo and Roger Yap were also named to the mythical team

2005-2006 PBA season

San Mig Coffee PBA Fiesta Conference

Crownless for three years, the title hunt begins for Purefoods Chunkee when they clashed with the Red Bull Barako in the lone opening game of the 2005-06 PBA season. From Hotdogs to Chunkee Giants, Purefoods hopes the change in name would bring a new lease of life to the franchise entering its first full season in the post-Alvin Patrimonio era. With the former four-time league MVP now fully retired, the mantle of stardom has been passed on to young guns Kerby Raymundo and sophomore James Yap, whom coach Ryan Gregorio considers as the team's newest 1-2 punch. The youthful mentor also added to the mix power forward Jondan Salvador, the former PBL MVP and this year’s No.4 overall pick who's expected to add size, heft, heart and talent to the Purefoods frontcourt. The team were also able to acquired Jean Marc Pingris from the FedEx Express and Roger Yap from the disbanded Shell team. The Giants emerged as the No.1 team in the double-round qualification phase with their 10-6 (win-loss) record which awarded them an outright passage into the semifinals. Purefoods Chunkee went through some agonizing moments during the Final Four as they wrapped up their semis series in six games opposite Air21 Express.

After eight straight conferences, Purefoods Chunkee is back in the Finals of the Philippine Basketball Association. Red Bull used its drive and will to come up with a fiery windup and beat the Purefoods Chunkee Giants for the San Mig Coffee PBA Fiesta Conference crown. The Barakos wrap up the best-of-seven series, 4-2, and win the title. The spotlight of the series was on Giants star center Kerby Raymundo and Red Bull skipper Enrico Villanueva, who have turned the series into a personal duel. Gregorio confessed to sports scribes that Raymundo was disappointed after losing to Villanueva for the Best Player of the Conference award. Raymundo was heavily favored to win, only to lose it against long-time rival Enrico Villanueva. Entering the Finals, the 6-foot-6 Purefoods slotman was ahead in statistical points over Air21's RenRen Ritualo, the third running Villanueva, Barangay Ginebra's Mark Caguioa and teammate James Yap. But banking heavily on the media votes, Villanueva turned the tide and pulled off a big upset in one of the league's closest voting ever. The Red Bull center, who gave Ateneo a championship during his high school and college days, amassed a total of 2,074 points as against Raymundo's 1,848. Although Raymundo beat out Villanueva in statistical points, 504-471, the biggest discrepancy came in the media votes – which included the block vote of the PBA Press Corps - where the Red Bull center garnered 1,123 out of the 1,440 possible points. Purefoods’ import, Marquin Chandler, won the Best Import award.

Gran Matador Brandy PBA Philippine Cup

Purefoods join San Miguel Beer, Ginebra and Alaska as the only teams to win at least 500 games in the league’s 32-year history and also the fifth team to have played in at least 1,000 games in the league. Eugene Tejada, the team’s reserve power-forward, had a bad fall while going for a rebound with 5:43 left in their game against the Red Bull Barako during the second round of the classification phase. Down on the floor, his condition was further aggravated when the full force of Mick Pennisi’s body fell on top of him. Tejada laid on the floor for about 30 minutes, complaining of numbness from the waist down. He was later taken to the Makati Medical Center for further examination. Although short in manpower, the Giants still managed to find ways to win and close out their classification round campaign with a 12-4 (win-loss) record that propelled them on top of the leaderboard. The Giants wore blue patches on the right side of their jerseys bearing the No.33 of Tejada.

The Giants, who were given up for dead in the semifinals after losing three of the first four games of the best-of-seven series, weathered a belated rally by the Alaska Aces for a 90-89 decision in the deciding seventh game of their semifinal series to advance to the Finals of the Gran Matador Brandy PBA Philippine Cup. The Giants did what everyone thought was unimaginable, winning Games 5, 6 and 7 to reach their second straight conference Finals. It marked the second time that Gregorio had beaten Cone in the playoffs after losing the first two games of the series. It was only the second time that a team came back from a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-seven series in the PBA. The Giants also stretched their all-time league-most Final appearances in an all-Filipino tourney to 11.

Purefoods Chunkee’s miraculous recovery in the semifinals did not go for naught as the Giants came up with one big game in Game 6 to subdue the Red Bull Barakos, 90-83, and capture the Gran Matador Brandy PBA Philippine Cup title. But the victory was most definitely the sweetest for veteran and 1993 No. 1 overall pick Jun Limpot, who went 13 years in the PBA without a title until the Giants’ title-clinching win. After Red Bull won Game 5 to keep their victory party on hold, the Giants took Eugene Tejada’s No. 33 off their jerseys and changed it with the letters “ET” because it meant End Tonight. Pingris emerged as the Finals’ MVP from the PBA Press Corps. Purefoods won their fourth All-Filipino title and seventh PBA title. Ryan Gregorio became the 15th PBA coach to at least won two PBA titles.

James Yap of Purefoods was named Most Valuable Player for the league’s 2005-06 season and was joined on the Mythical First Team by teammates Kerby Raymundo and Roger Yap together with Red Bull’s Enrico Villanueva and Lordy Tugade. Likely fueled by his loss in last year’s Rookie of the Year race to Shell’s Rich Alvarez, the 6-foot-1 ½ shooting guard out of UE was like a man on a mission this season, topping the statistical points, which led to more-than-enough media votes and the nod of the 4-man MVP committee to run away with the league’s most prized individual trophy, becoming only the second sophomore to win the award and only the second guard to do so in the last nine seasons after Willie Miller in 2002. James Yap won it in runaway fashion, accumulating a total of 7,863 equivalent votes, almost 5,000 more than Raymundo who had 2,960. Villanueva tallied 2,108. The MVP trophy was presented to him by PBA legend and special guest Sonny Jaworski, himself a former UE Warrior and league MVP in 1978. Curiously, James Yap and the rest of the members of the Mythical First Team members are first-timers on the either the Mythical First or Second Teams, something which has not happened in the league’s 31-year history since 1975. And no player who entered the league in the 1990s is part of the Mythical First Team for the first time. Marc Pingris was named to the Mythical Second Team. He was also named Most Improved Player and also formed part of the season’s All-Defensive Team. He was the Philippine Cup’s leading shotblocker and fifth-best rebounder.

Roster:
1ST CONF transition

JONDAN SALVADOR
EGAY BILLONES
MARC PINGRIS
KERBY RAYMUNDO
NOY CASTILLO
BROTHER EDDIE LAURE
MIKE HRABAK
JUN LIMPOT
ROGER YAP
ARTADI
YEE
YAP
SIMON
MARQUIN CHANDLER]


2005 < 2006 ALL FILIPINO
MARC PING PINGRIS
REY EVANGELISTA
EUGENE TEJADA
NOY CASTILLO
EGAY BILLONES
JUN LIMPOT
KERBY RAYMUNDO
ROGER YAP
YEE
YAP
ARTADI
ARNOLD GAMBOA

INJURED LIST
JONDAN BUDYONG SDLVADOR

Season in Review:
During Patrimonio's birthday celebration on November 26, 2004 (Patrimonio's birthday was on November 17), he announced his retirement in an emotional speech, ending his illustrious 16 year career to concentrate his role as team manager.

His number was retired in December, becoming the first Purefoods player to have his jersey retired. Purefoods was the only team Patrimonio played for in the PBA.

The rebuilding process began for Purefoods despite a dismal showing in the 2004 PBA Fiesta Conference. In the 2004-05 Philippine Cup, Purefoods was eliminated by the Shell Turbo Chargers in the quarterfinals. Same can be said in the 2005 Fiesta Conference, when Shell eliminated them in the same predicament.

Roster:
Kerby Raymundo
Rey Evangelista
Ibet Demape
Zaldy Realubit
Rysal Castro
Tony Boy Espinosa
Yap James
Artadi
Ervin Sotto
Mike Hrabak
Eddie Laure
Alvin Patrimonio
Richard Yee
Papa Jun Limpot
Jun Simon

Season in Review:
In March, 2003, Alvin Patrimonio marked another milestone in his career as he played his 800th game against Federal Express. Patrimonio overtook Alberto Guidaben in career minutes played and is now second in the all-time list behind Ramon Fernandez. Patrimonio became only the sixth player in league history to play at least 800 games after Guidaben (1,081), Fernandez (1,074), Robert Jaworski Sr. (957), Philip Cezar (918), and Yoyoy Villamin (871). Patrimonio has not missed a game for the Hotdogs since October 20, 1992.

Roster:
Alvin Patrimonio
Andrew John Seigle
Kerby Raymundo
John Billy Mamaril
Gilbert Demape
Rodney Santos
Noy Castillo
Boyet Fernandez
Christopher Cantonjos
Richard Yee
Rey Evangelista
Egay Echavez
Ronald Magtulis
Jenkins Mesina

Season in Review:
In 2002, while their original coach Eric altamirano was assigned to be one of the assistant coaches for the National Team, Purefoods, under interim coach Ryan Gregorio and with the help from Best Import Derrick Brown and Kevin Price, win the Governor's Cup in Game 7 against the Alaska Aces. Brown won the first title of his checkered Philippine Basketball Association career with a dominating Game 7 victory over Alaska for the Samsung Governors Cup watched by a sea of humanity at the Araneta Coliseum. Kerby Raymundo won Finals Most Valuable Player honors from the PBA Press Corps after winding up as the leading local scorer and rebounder for the series. Traded at the start of the season by Red Bull, Raymundo played the breakout series of his young career, standing out as a pillar of strength for this team that always looked up to Patrimonio in the past. Rey Evangelista was named Best Player of the conference.

Roster:
Noy "Toy" Castillo
Alvin Patrimonio
Jolly Escobar
Bonnel Balingit
Roger Yap
Kerby Raymundo
Cris Cantonjos
Marc Stevens Victoria
Richard Yee
Junel Mendiola
Paul Guerrero
Rey Evangelista
Ronnie Magsanoc
Boyet Fernandez

DINO MANUEL
MARC VICTORIA
EJ FEIHL
RICH YEE
ANDY SEIGLE
PAUL GUERRERO

NOY CASTILLO
REY EVANGELISTA
BOYET FERNANDEZ
RONNIE MAGSANOC
ROGER YAP
ALVIN PATRIMONIO

Alvin patrimonio
dindo pumaren
andy seigle
rey evangelista
boyet fernandez
ej feihl
richard yee
rommel daep

ALVIN PATRIMONIO
JERRY CODINERA < ANDY SEIGLE
REY EVANGELISTA
EDMUND REYES
RICHARD YEE
EJ FEIHL

DINDO PUMAREN
ROMMEL DAEP
DONKING SASUMAN
JESSIE CABANAYAN
HENRY FERNANDEZ

rey evangelista
alvin patrimonio
jerry codinera
ej feihl
dindo pumaren

elmer lago
ulysses tanigue
henry fernandez
donking sasuman
jojo martin
william freche ang

Season in Review:

In 1997, Purefoods, now known as the Purefoods Corned Beef Cowboys, traded Rodney Santos to Alaska for Cris Bolado and hired Eric Altamirano as their coach and went on to win the All-Filipino Cup. Purefoods starting center Jerry Codinera was allowed by his doctors to play in the PBA All-Filipino Cup championship series but he will be wearing a transparent mask, especially ordered from the United States, to protect his face from getting jarred throughout the best-of-seven title play-offs. Three-time MVP Alvin Patrimonio described the All-Filipino Cup series as a classic clash between two teams with diverse philosophies. His Purefoods squad is a stickler for pressing defense, while their rival Gordon’s Gin is this conference’s top offensive team. For the first time in 10 years, it’s not just Alvin Patrimonio and Jerry Codinera who carried most of the load for the Cowboys. There were other figures which if not for their consistent and excellent performances, may not have wrapped up the series in Purefoods’ favor. The likes of Ferdinand “Bong” Ravena, Dindo “The Bullet” Pumaren and Rey Evangelista really played heads-up basketball throughout the series. Ravena, who was bothered by a stomach spasm, made the most damage to Gordon’s suqad, not only on offense but also on defense. The 1992 Rookie of the Year showed what kind of a player he is and all he needed was the much needed break and confidence given him by head coach Eric Altamirano. Too bad only one could win the Finals MVP award, which eventually went to Patrimonio by a narrow margin. He, too deserved it. Right at the start of the season, no one picked Purefoods as a possible contender for the prestigious plum. But the Cowboys proved them wrong. Alvin Patrimonio won his fourth MVP, tying the record set by Ramon Fernandez. Ravena won the PBA's Most Improved Player award.

Roster:

Alvin Patrimonio
Gerardo "Gerry" Codinera
Ferdinand "Bong" Ravena
Ferdinand "Dindo" Pumaren
Elmer Lago
Genesis "Donking" Sasuman
Reynaldo "Rey" Evangelista"
Edmundo "Edmund" Reyes
Crisanto "Cris" Bolado
Edward Joseph "EJ" Feihl
Santiago "Sonny" Cabatu
Ruben de la Rosa

alvin patrimonio
jerrry codinera
glen capacio
bong ravena
dindo pumaren

olsen racela
rodney santos
ruben de la rosa
cadel mosqueda
jojo martin

Season in Review: 1995

Purefoods drafted Chris Jackson with the #4 pick overall while Edmund Reyes was picked as the 9th pick in the first round. Jackson was then traded to Sta. Lucia for Jack Tanuan on draft day.

Roster:

Jerry Codinera
Alvin Patrimonio
Glenn Capacio
Reynaldo "Rey" Evangelista
Ferdinanbong ravena

olsen racela
richie ticzon
jack tanuan
jojo lim
peter naron
nonoy chuatico

Season in Review: 1994

The 1994 season saw the PBA giving the incentive to the year's All-Filipino Champions the right to represent the country in the quadrennial Asian Games in Hiroshima. San Miguel Beer beat Coney Island for the coveted title. Kenny Redfield, the triple-double machine out of Michigan State, led Purefoods to the 1994 Commissioner's Cup Championship and won the Best Import honor. Chot Reyes' team defeated the team of his former mentor, Tim Cone. Because of injuries, San Miguel Beer reinforced itself for the Asian Games. Alvin Patrimonio, Jerry Cordinera, and Johhny Abarrientos joined the San Miguel Beer Team to the Philippine National Team. Along with amateur standouts, 6-9 centre Marlou Aquino and 6-3 swingman, Kenneth Duremdes, the PBA-sponsored National Team failed to even win the Bronze against Japan. It finished fourth in Hiroshima. Alvin Patrimonio won back-to-back MVP. Jerry Codinera went on to win the first ever Best Player of the Conference award during the All Filipino Conference. Alvin Patrimonio later on won the Commissioner's Cup BPC award.

Roster:

Glenn Capacio
Jerry Codinera
Reynaldo "Rey" Evangelista (Rookie)
Vincent "Vince" Hizon
Abe King Jr.
Francisco "Frankie" Lim
Peter Naron (Rookie)
Alvin Patrimonio
Rodericko "Olsen" Racela
Ferdinand "Bong" Ravena
Ritchie Ticzon
Manuel Luis "Manny" Victorino

Imports:

Byron Irvin
Leon Wood
Kenny Redfield

Season in Review: 1993

1993 saw the PBA move to the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City. Coney Island (Purefoods) beat San Miguel Beer in the All-Filipino under new coach Chot Reyes. The Ice Cream Stars, who lost the same title last year against the Beermen, 4-3, wrapped up the series by clinching Games 2, 3, 4 and 6. The title was the Star’s third since joining the league in 1988. They also snapped the Beermen’s championship winning streak. The Beermen won all their previous seven trips to the finals. Purefoods Corp. president Rene Buhain, before saying anything else in his speech at the victory party, first offered his gratitude to the Uytengsus of Alaska Milk “for giving Chot to us.” The Ice Cream stars, rated lowly by the pundits at the off-season, posted a 6-4 win-loss record in the elimination round and and made it to the four team playoffs as the No.3 team by winding up with a 9-5 mark in the semifinals. Coney Island, losing finalist in the tournament last year, proved at once they would stop at anything to get into the finals. They swept the favored Swift Mighty Meaty in their best-of-five playoff for one of the finals berths.

Swift beat a back-to-back seeking Purefoods Oodles in the Commissioner's Cup. Alvin Patrimonio won his second MVP.

Roster:

Freddie Abuda (Rookie)
Elmer "Boy" Cabahug
Glenn Capacio
Benito "Benny" Cheng (Rookie)
Jerry Codinera
Joselito "Joey" Guanio
Abe King Jr.
Dwight Lago (Rookie)
Frankie Lim
Alvin Patrimonio
Ferdinand "Dindo" Pumaren
Fermin "Alberto" Ramas
Rodericko "Olsen" Racela (Rookie)

Departures:

Leoncio "Jun" Tan Jr.
Rudolfo "Rudy" Enterina
Hernani Demegillo

Imports:

Anthony Dwayne Johnson
Carrey Scurry
Ronnie Grandison
Tharon Mayes

Season in Review: 1992

Roster:

Alvin Patrimonio
Jerry Codinera
Glenn Capacio
Ferdinand "Dindo" Pumaren
Elmer "Boy" Cabahug
Leoncio "Jun" Tan Jr.
Rudolfo "Rudy" Enterina
Joselito "Joey" Guanio (Rookie)
Fermin Alberto "Kevin" Ramas (Rookie)
Hernani Demegillo
Jose Miguel "Joey" Sta. Maria

Departures:

Nelson Asaytono
Harmon Codinera
Elmer Reyes

Imports:

Kurk Lee
Clinton Smith
Willie White

Season in Review: 1991

1991 saw Alvin Patrimonio ink a P25.3 million five-year contract with Purefoods and won his first MVP. Purefoods became All-Filipino Champs beating Diet Sarsi under new coach Ely Capacio. A three-time losing finalist in the All-Filipino Conference for the past three years finally cleared the way to dreamland by taking the deciding game number five of a championship series that may well go down in the annals of PBA history as one of the most bitterly fought.Purefoods went down in Games One and Three in a short best of five series with the Sizzlers needing only one more triumph to complete a Cinderella finish, and the Hotdogs one more defeat to continue a nightmarish tradition. After leveling the count at 2-2, Purefoods and Diet Sarsi are now locked in an inevitable collison in Game 5. It rained hard at the ULTRA on the first day of September afternoon yet more than 9,000 people came to see the Hotdogs and the Sizzlers mix it up like there was no tomorrow. In the end the Hotdogs dieted the Sarsi offenses and prevailed, 107-100. With the triumph, Purefoods became only the seventh team in the league history to win an All-Filipino title while Capacio was the ninth coach to steer a team to the championship of this conference. Ironically, this season was the one when the Hotdogs seemed most unlikely to win a crown, least of all the All-Filipino. They had lost Jojo Lastimosa to Alaska and rising reserve Jack Tanuan to Sarsi at the start of the season, then coach Dalupan in the latter part of the first conference. Luckily Elmer Cabahug, whom Purefoods got from Alaska in exchange for Lastimosa, proved he was not a bad trade after all. Playing better than he ever did in Alaska and hitting hardest when it counted most, Cabahug had provided explosive firepower as either shooting guard or a small forward in the crucial matches that got them into the finals and the elite circle of All-Filipino champions.

Roster:

Nelson Asaytono
Elmer "Boy" Cabahug
Glenn Capacio
Harmon Codinera
Jerry Codinera
Rudolfo "Rudy" Enterina (Rookie)
Alvin Patrimonio
Ferdinand "Dindo" Pumaren
Elmer Reyes
Jose Miguel "Joey" Sta. Maria
Leoncio "Jun" Tan Jr.

Departures:

Isabelo "Jojo" Lastimosa (traded to Alaska)
Vegildo "Guido" Babilonia
Edgar "Jack" Tanuan (signed with Swift)
Alfonso "Al Solis" (signed with Swift)
Arturo "Bay" Cristobal
Ludovico "Naning" Valenciano
Bernard "Bernie" Fabiosa

Imports:

Richard Hollis (1st conference)
Darryl Johnson (1st conference)
Sedric Toney (3rd conference)

Season in Review: 1990

In 1990, Purefoods came back from 0-2 to win the Third Conference and its first title against Alaska. Coach Baby Dalupan of the Hotdogs won his 15th Conference title. Purefoods were reinforced by former Ginebra import Darren Queenan and Rob Rose versus their counterparts in the Alaska camp, Sean Chambers and Carlos Clark. Then Purefoods Coach Baby Dalupan was able to pull off another rabbit in his hat, duplicating his feat back with Crispa back in 1975 when he won the last 3 games of the best of five series after being down 0-2 in the first 2 games. The Hotdogs played minus import Robert Paul rose midway in the third quarter after the reed thin American sustained a right leg injury early in the first quarter. But the Airmen also lost the services of center Dong Polistico who was thrown out for throwing a bolo punch on a driving Darryl Queenan in the third quarter. Alvin Patrimonio was SCOOP’s unanimous pick as most outstanding Player of the title play offs. Most outstanding import was Darren Queenan.

Roster:

Nelson Asaytono
Vegildo "Guido" Babilonia (Rookie)
Glenn Capacio
Jerry Codinera
Arturo "Bay" Cristobal
Bernard "Bernie" Fabiosa
Isabelo "Jojo" Lastimosa
Alvin Patrimonio
Ferdinand "Dindo" Pumaren
Alfonso "Al" Solis
Edgar "Jack" Tanuan
Ludovico "Naning" Valenciano

Departures:

Santiago "Sonny" Cabatu
Antonio "Tony" de la Cerna
Alejo "Pongkee" Alolor

Imports:

Dwayne Johnson (1st conference)
Darren Queenan (3rd conference)
Walker Russel (3rd conference)
Robert Paul Rose (3rd conference)

Season in Review: 1989

The Hotdogs are once again regarded as one of the strongest squads despite the transfer of Guidaben to Alaska, Padim Israel, Willie Generalao and Totoy Marquez to Presto and the unintended retirement of Jaybee Yango. In their stead, rookies Nelson Asaytono, Dindo Pumaren and Tony dela Cerna were drafted, while Sonny Cabatu and Pido Jarencio were acquired from Presto, Ludovico Valenciano moved over from Alaska. The PBA’s winningest coach and former Presto coach , Baby Dalupan, was also hired to take over the head coach job. This drew a cry of “foul” from Presto team finance boss Ignacio Gotao since Baby had a contract with his ballclub. Finally, it was decided that Baby stay with Presto for a 30-day period from the date of his resignation as is customary for all resigning employees. Purefoods lost in six games to San Miguel in the All-Filipino Cup. An incident also happened during this series when Samboy Lim nearly suffered a career-ending injury when he drove over Jojo Lastimosa causing him to fall off-balance.

Roster:

Alvin Patrimonio
Jerry Codinera
Isabelo "Jojo" Lastimosa
Glenn Capacio
Alfonso "Al" Solis
Edgar "Jack" Tanuan
Ludovico "Naning" Valenciano
Santiago "Sonny" Cabatu
Nelson Asaytono (Rookie)
Ferdinand "Dindo" Pumaren (Rookie)
Antonio "Tony" de la Cerna (Rookie)
Alejo "Pongkee" Alolor

Departures:
Alberto "Abet" Guidaben (signed with Alaska)
Wilfredo "Willie" Generalao (signed with Presto)
Jose "JB" Yango (retired)
Manuel "Totoy" Marquez (signed with Presto)
Federico "Padim" Israel (signed with Presto)

Imports:
Dexter Shouse (3rd conference)

Season in Review: 1988

The 1988 season saw only six teams, the PBA's lowest number for a season. Purefoods replaced the Tanduay Rhummakers. The Hotdogs became the league's glamour team overnight, as it was consisted of the five-best amateurs and the core of the defunct Tanduay team. Rookies Alvin Patrimonio 6-3, Jerry Cordinera 6-6, with Ramon Fernandez, led Purefoods to runner-up finishers in its first two conferences. There was the question of whether or not Alvin Patrimonio could be signed up as a professional even while his contract with RFM-Swifts was still in effect. RFM was not willing to give up their most prized cager, most particularly not to the food conglomerate’s corporate archrival. This controversy nearly spawned a more wide spread one – that of the legality of amateur players’ contracts with their commercial ballclubs, which in effect makes them professionals and not amateur at all. Though such contracts usually do not directly control the players’ activities as players in that they are supposed to be contracted as promotional representatives or some such classification it is very obvious that what the firms are playing for are their services as players. A compromise, for all intents and purposes to Alvin’s great benefit, was worked out under which he would stay with RFM until his contract expired middle of the year and then move over to the PBA team of Purefoods.

David Thirdkill, the high-scoring import, who was averaging better than 43 points per game, turned out two disappointing performances, 16 and 18 points, the last in the final game of the best of seven series for the Open Conference title and the Hotdogs missed being the Cinderella squad by two points. Purefoods’ loss to San Miguel in the Open Finals after posting 3 – 2 lead. There was a strong hint of scandal involving Thirdkill and that may have completely and finally ended the former Celtic benchwarmer’s PBA career.

In the All-Filipino conference, the Hotdogs, now further strengthened by Alvin Patrimonio, breezed their way to the final while the rest of the field were killing each other for the last slot. It was an awesome show of might for them going into the finals. But Anejo surprisingly crashed into the finals after trouncing second favorite San Miguel in a knock-out game and the Hotdogs braced themselves for a bruising series with the rugged Anejo squad instead of the finesse war with the Beermen whom they have humiliated in all four encounters in the tournament as if exacting sweet revenge for the Open conference defeat which many people felt was a fluke. It was reported, and admitted by both Purefoods officials and Fernandez himself, that Fernandez’s personal nemesis, Anejo playing coach Robert Jaworski was Purefoods first choice for Fernandez ‘s coaching post. Fernandez was not even the second choice but Valenzona. Some feelings, mostly Fernadez’s and his fans’, were bruised with the exposure of these facts for public consumption. Fernandez and Purefoods management announced that the then three-time MVP was relinquishing his coaching post and assistant coach Cris Calilan was taking over. Anejo took the first game and Purefoods president Rene Buhain sacked Mon Fernandez. It was a controversial move but it seemed to pay off as the Hotdogs leveled the series while Fernandez was kept on the bench in the second game. Fernandez was not even on the bench in the third game which Anejo won. The fourth game saw the Hotdogs, again sans Fernandez, who watched form the lower level box, fight with fierce determination and dominate the Rum Masters, building up huge leads in the first three quarters, until what many feel were bad calls allowed Anejo to catch up and finally force an extension. The Hotdogs were demoralized by the turn of events and the inconsistency of the referees, and lost in overtime after their gallant efforts in regulation. Thus they missed a crown for the second consecutive time.

In the third conference, the Reinforced, Ramon Fernandez was traded to SMB for Abet Guidaben. Purefoods was with the wrong imports, then injuries to both imports and long-shooting guard Solis, and suffered the ignominy of being the only team to crash out of the double round elimination, winning only 1 of 10 games. Their import at that time is Kenny Travis.

Mon Fernandez went on to win the MVP while Jojo Lastimosa was named the Rookie of the Year. Alberto Guidaben, missed winning the Most Valauble Player award because of the early exit of the Purefoods team.

Roster:

Alvin Patrimonio (Rookie)
Jerry Codinera (Rookie)
Isabelo "Jojo" Lastimosa (Rookie)
Glenn Capacio (Rookie)
Edgar "Jack" Tanuan (Rookie)
Alfonso "Al" Solis
Wilfredo "Willie" Generalao
Jose Bernardo "JB" Yango
Manuel "Totoy" Marques
Federico "Padim" Israel
Alberto "Abet" Guidaben
Joshua "Jojo" Villapando

Departures:

Ramon Fernandez (traded in the 3rd conference to SMB)
Freddie Hubalde (traded in mid-season to Shell)
Ramon "Onchie" de la Cruz (traded in mid-season to Shell)

Imports:

David Thirdkill (1st conference)
Sugar Ray Hall (3rd conference)
Tim McCalister (3rd conference)
Kenny Travis (3rd conference)
Perry Young (3rd conference)

Open Conference Elimination Round:

March 20: 104-119 loss to San Miguel (0-1)
March 22: 119-107 win over Shell Helix (1-1)
March 27: 118-110 win over Great Taste milk (2-1)
April 5: 116-110 win over Ginebra (3-1)
April 10: 127-108 win over Alaska (4-1)
April 12: 112-115 loss to San Miguel (4-2)
April 17: 119-125 loss to Shell Helix (4-3)
April 19: 126-118 win over Great Taste milk (5-3) *Thirdkill 66 points
April 24: 122-127 loss to Ginebra (5-4)
April 26: 122-111 win over Alaska (6-4) *Thirdkill 63 points

Semifinal Round:

May 1: 131-117 win over Great Taste milk (7-4)
May 3: 123-120 win over San Miguel (8-4)
May 8: 120-119 win over Alaska (9-4) *Thirdkill buzzer beating shot
May 10: 115-124 loss to Ginebra (9-5)
May 12: 148-129 win over Importless-Great Taste (10-5)
May 15: 119-129 loss to San Miguel (10-6)
May 19: 125-118 win over Alaska (11-6)
May 22: 111-109 OT win over Ginebra (12-6) *Regulation at 104-all

Best of Seven Open Conference Finals vs San Miguel Beer

May 26/Game 1: San Miguel 129 Purefoods 116
May 29/Game 2: Purefoods 107 San Miguel 101
May 31/Game 3: Purefoods 96 San Miguel 88
June 2/Game 4: San Miguel 93 Purefoods 88
June 5/Game 5: Purefoods 103 San Miguel 97
June 7/Game 6: San Miguel 105 Purefoods 85
June 9/Game 7: San Miguel 94 Purefoods 92