Dionisio Calvo
Encyclopedia
Dionisio "Chito" Calvo was a Filipino
basketball
player, swimmer, and national team head coach. He was one of the greatest Filipino sportsmen in history and helped in the development of both Philippine and Asian basketball.
Born in Manila
, Philippines
, he was a guard for the championship-winning Philippine basketball team alongside Lou Salvador
in the 1925 Far Eastern Games
, though he earlier represented the country not as a basketball player. He was a member of the Philippine national swimming team that competed in the 1921
and 1923 Far Eastern Games
.
Calvo led the University of the Philippines
to the 1926 NCAA
title but earlier captained the Manila Sporting Goods Co. to Philippine Open title. He eventually retired to focus on college coaching.
His coaching career was a success, mentoring basketball championship teams of San Beda College
, and the University of Santo Tomas
. He also coached the champion teams of De La Salle College
in basketball and football.
Later, Calvo coached the Philippines men's national basketball team to a fifth place finish in the 1936 Summer Olympics
held at Berlin
, Germany
. The fifth place finish remained the best finish by the national team and by an Asian country in the Olympic Games
basketball history. The team included Filipino legends Ambrosio Padilla
, Charlie Borck and Jacinto Ciria Cruz
.
In 1938, Calvo organized the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association
(MICAA). MICAA was a commercialized amateur basketball league that help shaped Philippine basketball for more than 30 years.
After the Second World War, Calvo coached the second Philippine Olympic basketball team in the 1948 Summer Olympics
held at London
, England
, United Kingdom
. The team finished 12th but set a new record by thrashing Iraq
102-30 in their opening game. The Philippines was the first country to score over 100 points in a single game of the Olympic Games basketball history.
Calvo was also the head coach of the first Philippine national team that captured the basketball gold medal in the 1951 Asian Games
and includes basketball legends, Carlos Loyzaga
and Lauro Mumar
.
Calvo along with Ambrosio Padilla initiated the formation of the Asian Basketball Confederation
(now the FIBA Asia
) in 1960 and served as its first ever Secretary-General with Padilla as its first president.
He was the first Filipino and a charter inductee for the FIBA Hall of Fame
when he was inducted as a contributor on March 1, 2007.
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player, swimmer, and national team head coach. He was one of the greatest Filipino sportsmen in history and helped in the development of both Philippine and Asian basketball.
Born in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, he was a guard for the championship-winning Philippine basketball team alongside Lou Salvador
Lou Salvador
Luis "Lou" Salvador was a Filipino basketball player, stage actor and talent manager. As a player for the Philippine national basketball team during the 1923 Far Eastern Games, he scored 116 points in a single game. He later became a leading figure in Philippine show business as a talent manager...
in the 1925 Far Eastern Games
1925 Far Eastern Games
The 7th Far Eastern Games were held in May 1925 in Manila, the Philippines, where the Games were first held....
, though he earlier represented the country not as a basketball player. He was a member of the Philippine national swimming team that competed in the 1921
1921 Far Eastern Games
The 5th Far Eastern Games were held in June 1921 in Shanghai, Republic of China.-Participants:* China* Japan* Philippines* Malaya* India* Thailand* Java...
and 1923 Far Eastern Games
1923 Far Eastern Games
The 6th Far Eastern Games were held in May 1923 in Osaka, Empire of Japan.During the Games, Lou Salvador of the Philippines' achieved the all-time record for the most points scored by a player in a single game in international basketball competition. He scored 116 points to lead the Philippines and...
.
Calvo led the University of the Philippines
UP Fighting Maroons
The Fighting Maroons is the name of the collegiate men's varsity teams of the University of the Philippines Diliman. The collegiate women's varsity teams are called the Lady Maroons. They compete in all of the sports of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines . The University of the...
to the 1926 NCAA
NCAA Philippines Basketball Championship
The National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament is held every first semester of the academic year . Each year, eight schools vie to win the two championships: the Juniors and Seniors...
title but earlier captained the Manila Sporting Goods Co. to Philippine Open title. He eventually retired to focus on college coaching.
His coaching career was a success, mentoring basketball championship teams of San Beda College
San Beda College
San Beda College or Dalubhasaan ng San Beda in Filipino is a Private Benedictine college run by the Benedictine monks in the Philippines. It is located on Mendiola Street in San Miguel, Manila...
, and the University of Santo Tomas
University of Santo Tomas
The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines , is a private Roman Catholic university run by the Order of Preachers in Manila. Founded on April 28, 1611 by archbishop of Manila Miguel de Benavides, it has the oldest extant university charter in the...
. He also coached the champion teams of De La Salle College
De La Salle University-Manila
De La Salle University is a private Lasallian university in Malate, Manila, Philippines. It was founded in 1911 by De La Salle Brothers as the De La Salle College in Paco, Manila with Blimond Pierre serving as its first director...
in basketball and football.
Later, Calvo coached the Philippines men's national basketball team to a fifth place finish in the 1936 Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
held at Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The fifth place finish remained the best finish by the national team and by an Asian country in the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
basketball history. The team included Filipino legends Ambrosio Padilla
Ambrosio Padilla
Ambrosio Bibby Padilla was a former Filipino basketball player and former elected member of the Senate of the Philippines. He was one of the most important figures in the Asian basketball development.Padilla was born as the eighth of eleven children of Dr. Nicanor Padilla and Ysabel Bibby...
, Charlie Borck and Jacinto Ciria Cruz
Jacinto Ciria Cruz
Jacinto "Jumping Jack" Ciria Cruz is a former Filipino basketball player and coach. Ciria Cruz played for the University of Santo Tomas men's basketball team, and also represented the Philippines at the 1936 Summer Olympics as a member of the country's national basketball team. He later ventured...
.
In 1938, Calvo organized the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association
Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association
The Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association is a defunct sports association which existed from 1938 to 1981. It is best known for its basketball league for amateur players....
(MICAA). MICAA was a commercialized amateur basketball league that help shaped Philippine basketball for more than 30 years.
After the Second World War, Calvo coached the second Philippine Olympic basketball team in the 1948 Summer Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
held at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The team finished 12th but set a new record by thrashing Iraq
Iraq national basketball team
The Iraq national basketball team represents Iraq in international basketball competitions.- 1948 Olympic Games :The Iraqi Basketball team at the 1948 Olympic Games in London.Ahmed Hamed, Emile Yousef, George Hanna, Hashim Abdul-Jalil,...
102-30 in their opening game. The Philippines was the first country to score over 100 points in a single game of the Olympic Games basketball history.
Calvo was also the head coach of the first Philippine national team that captured the basketball gold medal in the 1951 Asian Games
1951 Asian Games
The 1951 Asian Games, officially known as the First Asian Games, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Delhi, India from 4 to 11 March 1951. The Games received names like First Asiad and 1951 Asiad by the president of the organising committee Anthony de Mello...
and includes basketball legends, Carlos Loyzaga
Carlos Loyzaga
Carlos M. Loyzaga is a former Filipino basketball player and coach. He led the Philippine National team to a Bronze Medal finish in the 1954 FIBA World Championship. The Philippines third place finish remains the highest rank of any Asian team in the history of the tournament...
and Lauro Mumar
Lauro Mumar
Lauro "Larry" Mumar , is a former Filipino basketball player and later served as the national team head coach of India and the Philippines...
.
Calvo along with Ambrosio Padilla initiated the formation of the Asian Basketball Confederation
FIBA Asia
FIBA Asia is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which contains all 44 Asian FIBA federations.-National teams:East AsiaGulfMiddle AsiaSoutheast AsiaWest Asia-Top ten FIBA Asia teams:...
(now the FIBA Asia
FIBA Asia
FIBA Asia is a zone within the International Basketball Federation which contains all 44 Asian FIBA federations.-National teams:East AsiaGulfMiddle AsiaSoutheast AsiaWest Asia-Top ten FIBA Asia teams:...
) in 1960 and served as its first ever Secretary-General with Padilla as its first president.
He was the first Filipino and a charter inductee for the FIBA Hall of Fame
FIBA Hall of Fame
FIBA Hall of Fame honors basketball players, coaches and administrators who have contributed to international competitive basketball. It was established by FIBA in 1991. It includes the "Samaranch Library", the biggest basketball library in the world that, as of 2007, has over 10,000 basketball...
when he was inducted as a contributor on March 1, 2007.
Awards and achievements
- 1925 Far Eastern Games1925 Far Eastern GamesThe 7th Far Eastern Games were held in May 1925 in Manila, the Philippines, where the Games were first held....
champion - 1926 NCAA Philippines champions
- Philippine Open champion
- 1936 Summer Olympics1936 Summer OlympicsThe 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
, fifth place (head coach) - 1948 Summer Olympics1948 Summer OlympicsThe 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
, 12th place (head coach) - 1951 Asian Games1951 Asian GamesThe 1951 Asian Games, officially known as the First Asian Games, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Delhi, India from 4 to 11 March 1951. The Games received names like First Asiad and 1951 Asiad by the president of the organising committee Anthony de Mello...
champions - Member, FIBA Hall of Fame as a contributor.