THE chairman of the PBA Board who oversaw the league prior to the turn of the century passed away.
Reynaldo ‘Rey’ Gamboa, former executive of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., died last on Aug. 25 after suffering a heart attack.
He was 81.
Ninth PBA chairman
Gamboa served as Shell representative to the Board of Governors and later as vice chairman before assuming the chairmanship of the PBA in 1999, succeeding late Ginebra top official Bernabe Navarro.
He was the ninth chairman of the league since board of governors began representing teams in 1986 after Carlos Palanca (La Tondena Inc), Reynaldo Marquez (Pilipinas Shell), Luis Lorenzo Sr. (Pepsi), Wilfred Steven Uytengsu (General Milling Corp), Jose Concepcion III (RFM Corporation), Teodoro Dimayuga (Purefooods Corp), Nazario Avendano (San Miguel Corp), and Navarro (La Tondena Distillers Inc).
The late Emilio 'Jun' Bernardino was commissioner when Gamboa was league chairman.
Under Gamboa’s term, Tanduay made its PBA comeback and allowed the direct hiring of Fil-foreign players by teams which saw the entry of the likes of Asi Taulava, Danny Seigle, Jon Ordonio, and Eric Menk.
He was also with Shell when the franchise won the 1998 Governors’ Cup and 1999 Philippine championships in back-to-back fashion behind the core of two-time MVP Benjie Paras, Gerry Esplana, Vic Pablo, Chris Jackson, and Noy Castillo.
Collegiate Champions League chief
Gamboa started Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) - originally known as the Collegiate Champions League (CCL) - in 2002 together with former national coach Joe Lipa, who served as its first tournament director and commissioner.
He was still PCCL chairman at the time of his death.
As PCCL chairman, Gamboa became one of the founding members of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) board.
His remains lie at the Capilla De La Virgen Santuario De San Antonio Parish in Makati until August 29 (Tuesday) with mass scheduled at 7 p.m.
Inurment is set on Wednesday (August 30.)
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