Danny Florencio

Danny Florencio
Personal information
Born (1947-09-05) September 5, 1947
Quiapo, Manila, Philippines
Nationality Filipino
Listed height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight 165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
College University of Santo Tomas
Playing career 1975–1983
Position Shooting guard / Small forward
Number 8
Career history
1968–1969 YCO Painters
1970–1973 Crispa
1974–1976 U/Tex
1977 7-Up
1978–1982 Toyota
1983 Galerie Dominique
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's Basketball
Representing  Philippines
FIBA Asia Championship
1967 Seoul Team competition
1971 Tokyo Team competition

Danilo Zoleta Florencio (born September 5, 1947) is a retired Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was known in the PBA as the original Skywalker and Daredevil Danny.

Collegiate/Amateur Career

Florencio played for the Glowing Goldies from 1965-1967. After he left UST, joined the national team soon after, and became a member of the RP Team that finished second in the 1971 ABC Championships in Tokyo, which earned them a berth in the 1972 Munich Olympics. This was the last time the Philippine national basketball team qualified for the Olympics.[1] He was also part of the national team that won gold in 1967 ABC Championship and earned the berth for the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico.

While donning the national team colors, he also played in the MICAA via the YCO Painters in the late 1960s, which was coached by no less than the great Caloy Loyzaga.[2] In the early 1970s, he, along with Jun Papa, became the cornerstones of the powerhouse Crispa squad. However, in 1973, he, along with four others, were meted a lifetime ban by the MICAA due to game-fixing allegations, which was later lifted. He was the hero of the 1967 Philippine Team that beat the South koreans in the Asian Basketball Championship

Professional career

Florencio played in the PBA from 1975 to 1983 with the U/Tex Wranglers, the Toyota Super Corollas, 7-Up, and the Galerie Dominique Artistas.[3] His eight seasons in the league were highlighted by numerous all-time records. In 1977, he averaged a 32.3 points per game in 39 games played, the highest tallied by any local player in a season.[4] He was also the ninth player to achieve the 5,000 point-plateau, reaching the milestone on his birthday in 1981. He scored at least 50 points four times, at least 40 points six times, and at least 30 points eight times in his eight-year stint as a pro.

On November 5, 1977, he became the first local player in the PBA to score more than 60 points in a game. He tallied 64 points in an import-laden conference and led all locals in scoring that year. This was later broken by Allan Caidic.

At the end of his career, he ranked 11th in the all-time scoring plateau with 5,791 points, eighth in scoring average, and 13th all time in steals.

Retirement and later life

Florencio would later be recognized as one of the 25 PBA Greatest Players in 2000, and was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 2007. He has since returned to the Philippines after retiring from working several years in a hospital in San Francisco.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Luzano, Icy. "Danny Florencio". www.varsitarian.net. The Varsitarian. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "Philippine Basketball in Review (Part 3 – The MICAA Days)". Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Sports-Reference.com - Danny Florencio
  4. ↑ Dy, Richard. "PBA great Danny Florencio says he hasn't seen a Filipino player who comes close to Mon Fernandez - to this day". www.spin.ph. SPIN.ph. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Velasco, Bill. "Danny Florencio: the original Skywalker". www.philstar.com. Philippine Star. Retrieved 31 May 2014.


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