Archer heroes cited

Eight sports legends will be honored at the La Salle alumni homecoming tomorrow in the Archers’ lair on Taft Avenue as the school lays out the green carpet for this year’s inductees to the Hall of Fame.

The elite batch is made up of Paeng Nepomuceno (HS ’75), Dindo Gonzalez (HS ’35, BSC ’38), Bobong Velez (GS ’60, HS ’64), Steve Hontiveros (GS ’59, HS ’63, BSC ’68), Eddie Llamas (GS ’61, HS ’65), Cito Dayrit (BSBA ’73, MBA ’78), Mark Joseph (HS ’79), and Noli Caluag (GS ’73, HS ’77, AB ’81).

Nepomuceno, 46, is in the Guinness Book of Records for his unprecedented feat of capturing four bowling World Cups in three different decades. He is the first Filipino athlete to be awarded the Legion of Honor and the Presidential Medal of Merit. Nepomuceno was also awarded the prestigious International Olympic Committee (IOC) President’s Trophy for excellence by Juan Antonio Samaranch although bowling is not an Olympic sport. He is a five-time Athlete of the Year pick of the Philippine Sportswriters Association and was named by both Houses of Congress the greatest Filipino athlete ever. At the Asian Games last year, the 6-2 southpaw rolled to a gold medal in the bowling doubles–proving that he’s far from finished in his fourth decade of active competition.

Surely, there will never be a Filipino athlete quite like Paeng.

Gonzalez skippered the La Salle golf team from high school to college in 1930-38 and was team captain of the Philippine golf squad that competed in Scotland in 1958, in Philadelphia in 1960, in Japan in 1962, in Mexico in 1964, and in Italy in 1966. Dindo was a founder of the Philippine Golf Association which he served as secretary-treasurer in 1940 and president in 1961-63. He was enshrined in the Golf Hall of Fame in 1990 with such luminaries as Luis Silverio, Ben Arda, Skip Guinto and Celestino Tugot.

Gonzalez hosted a golf TV program for seven years and wrote the column "Golfmate" for 29 years. Dindo is an enduring institution in Philippine golf.

Velez played two years of varsity basketball and softball as a Greenie in high school. He wore the Archers jersey for two years in seniors basketball before transferring to Ateneo. Velez and three former La Sallians–Rep. Celso Lobregat, Bertie Lim, and Louie LaO–formed the Blue Eagles nucleus that powered the varsity to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) seniors football crown in 1969–the Loyola school’s first title in the sport in 13 years.

In 1974, Bobong established Vintage Enterprises which became the country’s pillar of sports broadcasting for over two decades. Driven by excellence and innovation, Velez revolutionized the style of sports coverage on national TV. He left his imprint in the industry as an impresario with a genuine love and passion for sports.

Hontiveros has been an officer of the Philippine Bowling Congress (PBC) since 1975. He was treasurer of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) from 1962 to 1966 and is now its first vice president. Steve was finance officer of the Philippine delegation to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, auditor of the Asian Zone and World Bowling Federation from 1984 to 1986, a recipient of the International Bowling Federation silver pin of merit and the European Zone Distinguished Service Award, and an inductee to the Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum in 1995.

Llamas anchored the La Salle juniors football team that captured four straight NCAA titles from 1961 to 1964. The goalkeeper par excellence saw action for the Philippine national seniors squad from 1967 to 1972, playing in several international tournaments all over Asia. Eddie also starred for commercial clubs like Yco, San Miguel Corp. and Meralco.

Dayrit is the POC president and heads the Philippine Amateur Fencing Association. A former national fencer, he is chairman of the Executive Committee of the Southeast Asian Games Federation, the honorary life president of the Southeast Asian Fencing Federation, and director of the IOC Solidarity Itinerant Management School for Sports Leaders. He is the only Asian licensed to lecture on Olympism and Olympic solidarity around the world.

In 1988 and 1992, Cito was chef de mission of the Philippine delegation to the Olympics. He was a commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission from 1993 to 1998.

Joseph collected a pair of bronze medals in swimming at the eighth Asian Games in Bangkok in 1978. He was third in 1,500-meter freestyle and teamed with three others, including Ral Rosario, to also place third in the 4x200 meter freestyle relay. Mark later became an official of the Philippine Amateur Swimming Association.

Finally, Caluag–who now lives in Guam–represented the Philippines in taekwondo as the country’s middleweight champion at the 1982 Asian Games in Singapore. In college, Noly powered La Salle to a pair of NCAA softball crowns and took the gold medal in discus throw at the NCAA track championships in 1979. He owns the Taekwondo Martial Arts Studio in Guam and is an adjunct professor in physical education at the University of Guam. At the 2000 California Taekwondo Open in Los Angeles, Caluag claimed the gold medal in the heavyweight division.

This year’s homecoming program starts at 2 p.m. with a campus tour. A Mass is scheduled at 5 p.m. at the Teresa Yuchengco Auditorium. Cocktails and dinner will be served at 7 p.m. at the Marian Quadrangle after which the program begins.

Aside from the Sports Hall of Fame inductees, the Alumni Association is presenting Distinguished La Sallian Awards to Col. Victor Corpus (GS ’59, HS ’63), Dr. Jaime Villanueva Lapuz (HS ’59), Xabier Estevez de Irala (BSME ’67), Lawrence Qua (BSME ’68), and Cesar Purisima (BSC-MFI ’79).

Entry tickets at P500 each are available at the gate. Car passes may be picked up in advance to avoid parking hassles. Jonette Imperial will assist in the distribution of passes and may be reached at 523-6158 or 524-4611 (local 128) in the Alumni Association office.

La Salle graduates, friends, and diehards can’t afford to miss the homecoming festivities on the Green Letter Day tomorrow. Bring your bows and arrows. You’ll be right on target for a memorable celebration.