| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1951-06-04)June 4, 1951 (age 74) | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Filipino | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 160 lb (73 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | St. Clement's Academy (Iloilo City) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Ateneo | ||||||||||||||
| PBA draft | 1975 Elevated | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Toyota Super Corollas | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1971–1986 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Point guard /shooting guard | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 8 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 1971 | Meralco | ||||||||||||||
| 1972 | U/Tex | ||||||||||||||
| 1973–1984 | Toyota | ||||||||||||||
| 1984–1986 | Ginebra San Miguel | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Francis C. Arnaiz (born June 4, 1951) is aFilipino former basketball player. He is best known for his career in thePBA, playing forToyota andGinebra San Miguel from 1975 to 1986.
Arnaiz had a love for sports and would shoot stuffed toys into a basket during his early childhood. While studying atLa Salle-Bacolod in elementary school, he competed in both football and basketball. Football provided him with speed and exceptional footwork, skills that would later contribute to his development as an outstanding basketball player. He led his high school, St. Clement's Academy ofLa Paz, Iloilo City, to thePRISAA basketball championship. In college, he played forAteneo de Manila, which won the 1969NCAA basketball championship during his rookie year.[1]
In 1971, he began playing in theManila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA), first with theMeralco Reddy Kilowatts in 1971, theU/Tex Weavers in 1972 and theToyota Comets in 1973.
He was a member of thePhilippine men's national basketball team that won the1973 ABC Championship and competed in the1974 FIBA World Championship.
Arnaiz was one of the original members of theToyota franchise that joined the newly formedPhilippine Basketball Association (PBA) in 1975. Along withRobert Jaworski andRamon Fernandez, he formed the troika of the vaunted Toyota offense. In fact, among the three players, he would have been the first to have won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award right in the very first season of the league in 1975 when media covering the PBA named him as the Basketball Player of the Year despite the fact thatBogs Adornado was the one named PBA MVP that year.[2] During his Toyota years, the franchise won nine PBA titles while having memorable battles against arch-rivalCrispa Redmanizers, going head-to-head, on and off the court, with Crispa'sBernie Fabiosa. Arnaiz became one of the most popular players on the team not only for his playing style, but also for hismestizo looks, which gained him a following among the female fans.
He earned the nickname 'Mr. Clutch' for his uncanny ability to deliver under pressure, consistently sinking crucial baskets in the game's most pivotal moments. Renowned for his looping layups that defied defenders—whether towering imports or local giants—and his thunderous long-range shots, he became a nightmare for any defense.
After Toyota disbanded in 1984, Arnaiz followed Jaworski in a controversial move to Gilbey's Gin (now known asBarangay Ginebra San Miguel). Reprising their old backcourt partnership in Toyota, the duo turned the Gins into a perennial contender. However, he was sidelined due to a knee injury and was placed in the injured list but, was part of the line-up, during the early part of1986 Open Conference when Ginebra San Miguel won its first PBA title. He quietly retired from basketball shortly afterwards. He won 10 championship in his illustrious PBA career, 9 with Toyota and 1 with Ginebra San Miguel.
After his playing career, Arnaiz immigrated to theUnited States, resided inCalifornia. He worked for the California state government while also becoming an evangelist. Arnaiz claims in an interview that his life abroad was quite different from his life in thePhilippines. He is also a visual artist, some of his paintings are set to be displayed inDante Silverio's gallery.[3]
Arnaiz was named as one of the PBA'sGreatest Players and was inducted into thePBA Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2004, during one of Arnaiz's visits to the Philippines, he was interviewed by various media outlets recalling several memories from his playing days to his life after retirement from basketball. He was supposed to play in2003 Crispa-Toyota Reunion Game and the 2005 PBA Greatest Game but failed to do so due to his prior commitments.
PBA:
Others:
