ANTIPOLO City – Norman Black was saddened upon hearing the news about the passing of the man whose company owned one of the teams he played for early in his PBA career.
Black condoled with the family of the late John Gokongwei Jr. when told about the demise of the known entrepreneur and industrialist who owned the Presto and Great Taste Coffee franchise where the Meralco coach once played as an import during its glory days in the early eighties.
The Gokongwei patriarch passed away Saturday night at age 93.
The champion coach recalled having conversations with the big boss of the Consolidated Food Corp (CFC), but not really that much since it was the late team manager Ignacio Gotao, a business associate of Gokongwei, who was hands on in running the affairs of the ballclub.
“This was when their office was down on C5. That was when their big office was at that time,” said Black on Sunday night shortly after the Bolts defeated NorthPort, 103-89, in the Governors Cup at the Ynares Center. “I don’t remember having too much interaction with him other than probably seeing him in the office.”
Black referred to the franchise as a ‘great company.’
“As it turned out today they ended up probably as one of the biggest companies in the Philippines. I don’t think they were that way when I played for them, but they developed into a big conglomerate,” said Black. “I didn’t really know the boss that well, but I certainly enjoyed playing for his team.”
John Gokongwei in the PBA
Great Taste was a rising power by the time Black was tapped by the team in 1983, where he formed part of the dreaded ‘Three Bs’ along with three-time MVP Bogs Adornado and then rookie Ricardo Brown.
“We really had a good team back then,” said Black with a glow in his eyes as he looked back at that Great Taste team which also had the likes of Manny Victorino, Joy Carpio, Joel Banal, Jimmy Manansala, the late Florendo Ritualo, Ponky Alolor, Joey Marquez, among others as players and Jimmy Mariano and later on, the legendary ‘Maestro’ Virgilio ‘Baby’ Dalupan as coaches.
Unfortunately, the Coffee Makers played in the same era as the great Crispa Redmanizers, twice losing in the finals of the Reinforced Filipino and Open Conference to the Floro-owned ballclub.
That same year though, Black was named as the league’s first-ever recipient of the ‘Mr. 100 Percent’ Award and Brown as Rookie of the Year and member of the Mythical Team along with Adornado.
Great Taste would eventually win its first championship the following year during the 1984 All-Filipino (second conference) and added five more titles before eventually selling its franchise to Sta. Lucia Realty shortly after the 1992 season.
The team, which also carried the names of N-Rich Coffee, Presto Fun Drinks, Presto Tivolis, and Tivoli Milk Masters, was among the pioneer ballclubs in Asia’s first ever play-for-pay league.
League commissioner Willie Marcial said the CFC office of the Gokongwei’s still stands at C5, recalling that he once visited ‘Big John’s’ son, Lance Gokongwei, during his early years as head of the PBA's media bureau.
“Nagpunta kami doon (sa office). I just can’t remember kung time ni Com Noli (Eala) or Com Chito (Salud),” he recalled. “We just talked a little and in passing asked the family if they’re still interested in going back to the PBA.”
Nothing came out of that meeting.
For Black though, said he just wished that Great Taste continued with its stint in the PBA.
“I wished they had stayed in the PBA, but they probably had their own reasons (for leaving),” he said.
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