The San Miguel Beermen (colloquially known as SMB) are a Philippine professional basketball team owned by the San Miguel Corporation. The team competes in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and is the only active founding member, operating in the league since 1975.
The team won its first two championships at the 1979 Open Conferance and the 1982 Invitational, but had their first successful run from 1987 to 1994 with nine titles under head coach Norman Black with Ramon Fernandez and Ato Agustin. In the 1989 season, this run included the first-ever Grand Slam in league history, followed by another six titles from 1999 to 2001 with Jong Uichico at the helm and Danny Ildefonso, Danny Seigle, and Olsen Racela leading the roster.
The team's success slowed in the early 2000's. Uichico left in 2006, and the team rotated between multiple head coaches. They won three titles between 2002 and 2014. In 2014, the team signed Leo Austria as head coach, and together with a roster led by June Mar Fajardo, Arwind Santos, and Alex Cabagnot, the team returned to its dominant form by winning 12 titles since 2015. During that run, the team won five straight Philippine Cups from 2015 to 2019; the team kept permanent possession of the Jun Bernardino Trophy for the first three wins, becoming the second team to do so after the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters (now TNT Tropang 5G) in 2013. During this streak, in the 2015–16 Philippine Cup Finals, the team became the first professional basketball team in history to overcome a 3–0 series deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series.
The San Miguel Beermen are the most successful team in the PBA with 31 championships and over 1,400 all-time wins, more than any other team in the league. They are also one of three teams under the SMC umbrella along with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots.
History
Background Before the PBA, San Miguel had a basketball team in the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA). The MICAA was a multi-sport league similar to collegiate leagues such as the UAAP and the NCAA, but basketball became the popular sport.
The San Miguel Braves (or the Greenshirts) never won a MICAA title but they did figure in the championship three times. In the 1970s, San Miguel won two National Seniors titles in 1973 and 1976. The 1973 champion team were composed of Manny Paner, David Regullano, Estoy Estrada, Yoyong Martirez and Ramon Fernandez, who later that year joined a new MICAA team Toyota Comets.
San Miguel was one of the nine companies which formed the first professional basketball league outside of the United States known as the Philippine Basketball Association in 1975.
1975–1986: First decade
1975–1980: Royal Tru-Orange era With the formation of the PBA, San Miguel retained its MICAA ballclub but their PBA team will carry the name Royal Tru Orange, then a soft drink brand owned by San Miguel. The Orangemen placed fourth in all three conferences of the PBA's first season. The team was bannered by center Manny Paner, forward Estoy Estrada and point guard Yoyong Martirez. Both Paner and Estrada made it to the Mythical Team in the league's inaugural season.
Royal had its first best finish of third place in the 1976 second conference as they paraded the high-scoring Carl Bird as one of their imports. Bird was the league's first 70-point man as he scored 73 points in RTO's 165–129 win over N-Rich on October 12, 1976, only to be broken two weeks after by 7-Up's Harry Rogers.
The Orangemen would suffer their worst seasons in the next two years with Manny Paner moving out upon becoming the first PBA player to be offered a lucrative contract by Presto Ice Cream and he signed with the team in the 1977 PBA season. Estoy Estrada left to join the Toyota Tamaraws in the following year in 1978. Olympian Edgardo Ocampo replaced coach Ignacio Ramos at the RTO bench at the start of the season.
In 1979, Royal Tru-Orange finally made it to the top during the Open Conference. The team had two of their tallest players playing together – 6'9 Otto Moore and 6'7 Larry Pounds. They faced Toyota in the second conference finals and won the best of five title series in four games, becoming the second team after U/Tex Wranglers to break the Crispa-Toyota stranglehold as far as winning championships. Moore and Pounds were backstopped by a crew made up of Visayan cagers like Yoyong Martirez, Marlowe Jacutin and Jess Migalbin, along with Tony Torrente, Rudy Lalota and Leonardo Paguntalan.
1980–1983: First San Miguel Beermen era
When coach Tommy Manotoc replaced Ed Ocampo as the team's head coach beginning the 1981 season, the ball club were back in the final four since their title-conquest in 1979. The Beermen had former U/Tex imports James Robinson and Aaron James and placed fourth in the 1981 PBA Open.
The following year in 1982, San Miguel had one of their best seasons with two finals trips. The Beermen acquired three players from the defunct CDCP quintet during the pre-season; Renato Lobo, Anthony Dasalla and the returning Manny Paner. The team also signed former Tefilin import Norman Black as their import for the season. San Miguel almost won the first conference crown as they led 3–2 in the best of seven title series against Toyota Super Corollas but lost in seven games. The Beermen bounce back a month later by winning the Asian Invitational championship, defeating Crispa Redmanizers, two games to one, in the best of three series. That team remains as the only squad the multi-titled Crispa never beat in a PBA finale. One of SMB's rookies, Marte Saldana, won Rookie of the year honors at the end of the season.
Manotoc moved to Crispa in 1983 and replacing him in the Beermen bench is former national coach Nat Canson.
1984: Gold Eagle Beermen era The team was renamed as Gold Eagle Beermen for the 1984 season. The SMC ballclub had found a corporate rival with the entry of Asia Brewery's Beer Hausen Brewmasters, which had taken over the disbanded Toyota franchise. Despite Gold Eagle acquiring the services of Toyota's top forward Abe King and signing two rookies; Joey Loyzaga and Dante Gonzalgo, the team placed second to last at the bottom of the cumulative team standings.
1985–1986: First Magnolia era In 1985, the franchise carried another name as Magnolia Ice Cream (Magnolia was then a division of San Miguel Corporation), a name SMC first used with their team in the Philippine Amateur Basketball League (PABL). Former import Norman Black returned to the squad and this time, he was not only their import but as the team's playing coach. The Ice Cream Makers made it to the Open Conference finals against powerhouse Great Taste Coffee Makers and lost in six games. In the Reinforced Conference, the team became known as Magnolia Quench Plus. The Thirst Quenchers were booted out of the semifinals by Great Taste in a playoff game.
The franchise filed for a leave of absence from the league after the 1985 season. In the aftermath of the People Power Revolution, San Miguel Corporation chairman Danding Cojuangco fled the country.
At the start of the 1986 season, some Magnolia players were absorbed by different teams, newcomer Alaska Milkmen acquired three from Magnolia and signed Norman Black to a one-year contract. After a two-conference leave, the SMC franchise returned in the third conference and were known as Magnolia Cheese. The new lineup consisted of eight players from the former NCC team; Hector Calma, Samboy Lim, Yves Dignadice, Franz Pumaren, Elmer Reyes, Alfie Almario, Pido Jarencio and Tonichi Yturri. Only Manny Paner was the only holdover from the previous Magnolia team. They also signed two players straight from the amateur ranks; Alvin Teng and Jeffrey Graves.
1987–1994: The Ramon Fernandez era
1987: The return of the Beermen under Norman Black In 1987, league pioneer Abet Guidaben was acquired by Magnolia, along with Ricky Cui from the disbanded Manila Beer. Playing-coach Norman Black was back in the helm for the Ice Cream Makers and led the team to third-place finishes in the first and second conferences.
The team reverted to its old name San Miguel Beer in the 1987 Reinforced Conference. They wore green and white colours instead of traditional red and white jerseys they used in the early 1980s. They got an import: Bobby Parks from Memphis State University. Parks led the Beermen to its third PBA title, defeating Hills Bros. Center Abet Guidaben won his second Most Valuable Player award
1988–1994: Ramon Fernandez joins the Beermen and the Grand Slam San Miguel acquired Ricardo Brown from Great Taste through an offer sheet beginning the 1988 PBA season and they continued their winning ways by capturing the Open Conference crown, defeating newcomer Purefoods Hotdogs, who were aiming for a cinderella finish, in a classic, seven-game series. After placing fourth in the All-Filipino Conference, the Beermen traded Abet Guidaben to Purefoods for Ramon Fernandez. The trade was executed in the height of a disagreement between Fernandez and the Purefoods management.
The Beermen with Norman Black and Michael Phelps as their imports, won another championship and retains the Reinforced Conference title by defeating the Bobby Parks led-Shell Rimula-X in five games. Ramon Fernandez won his fourth Most Valuable Player Award at the end of the season.
In 1989, the Beermen added two rookies in their lineup whom the team drafted during the pre-season, shooting-guard Renato Agustin and forward Bobby Jose.
The All-Filipino Conference finals between San Miguel and Purefoods Hotdogs featured local players competing for the All-Filipino title. San Miguel included Ramon Fernandez, while Purefoods featured Alvin Patrimonio, Jojo Lastimosa, and Jerry Codinera. The series also featured a matchup between coaches Norman Black and Baby Dalupan. San Miguel won the series in six games after losing Game One. San Miguel won the All-Filipino title on September 3, 1989, outscoring Purefoods in the final quarter, 43–32, for a 128–109 victory. The win occurred three days after San Miguel lost Game Five in overtime.
Only one conference was left to achieve the grandslam and San Miguel brought in Keith Smart as their import for the Third Conference. After five games in the eliminations, Smart was replaced by Ennis Whatley. The Beermen defeated sister team Añejo Rum 65 that has a high-scoring import in Carlos Briggs, four games to one, in the Reinforced Conference finals as they completed a three-conference sweep, becoming the third team to capture the PBA grandslam.
Entering the new decade, the San Miguel Beermen failed to defend all their titles in the 1990 PBA season. During the third conference when four of their starters along with coach Norman Black missed the first few games due to their commitment in the all-pro national team. The team never recovered upon their return and San Miguel was eliminated for the first time in the semifinals since rejoining the league in 1986.
It wasn't until 1992 when the Beermen would win another championship, defeating Purefoods TJ Hotdogs in another classic seven-game series for the All-Filipino crown. In the first conference that year, the Beermen made a return trip to the finals but were beaten by Shell Rimula X in five games.