Fortunato "Atoy" Gan Co Jr. (born October 15, 1951) is a Filipino former basketball player and coach who played 13 seasons in the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

, mostly with

Crispa Redmanizers The Crispa Redmanizers were a multi-titled Filipino basketball team that played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) from 1975 to 1984. It was one of the nine founding teams of the PBA, winning a total of thirteen PBA championships, i ...

. Nicknamed "The Fortune Cookie" (a

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

on his name and ethnicity) during his playing days, he was notable for his trademark turnaround fadeaway jump shot. He is also a former politician and actor.

Collegiate and amateur career

Co joined the

Mapúa Cardinals The Mapúa Cardinals are the varsity sports teams of Mapúa University that play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines). The Mapúa Cardinals holds the NCAA record for the most General Championships in the seniors' divi ...

in 1970 and played for the Mapúa team for three years. He was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) during his first two years. He also brought his wares with the old Crispa team in the

MICAA The Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA) was a sports association which existed in Manila, Philippines from 1938 to 1981. Throughout its existence, it staged various sports and was participated by prominent Philippine co ...

Professional career

Co first played in the PBA on April 22, 1975, scoring 34 points and leading Crispa to a 113-102 win over CFC, the team's first victory after starting the season with three straight defeats. During his PBA stint, he played for the two-time grand slam champion Crispa Redmanizers from 1975 to 1984, with him as one of the team's top scorers. In 1976, he received the All-Filipino Sports Award for Basketball.

Post-PBA career

Acting career

Co ventured into television and films after his playing days were over, first as a co-host for the noontime show ''

Student Canteen ''Student Canteen'' is a Philippine television variety show regarded as the first afternoon variety show on Philippine television. Over a 32-year period, it was broadcast through three different networks: ABS-CBN (1958 to 1965), GMA Network (1 ...

'' over at RPN (now Solar TV), and started alongside action stars like

Phillip Salvador Phillip Mikael "Ipe" Reyes Salvador (born Felipe Reyes Salvador; August 22, 1953) is a three-time FAMAS award-winning Filipino film and television actor. Acting career Salvador made his film debut in 1971 with ''Adios Mi Amor''. He toiled in m ...

in films such as ''Delima Gang'' in 1989. He made a career mostly out of playing supporting roles in films and television series.

Politics and other interests

Co became a politician when he served as a long-time city councilor of

Pasig Pasig, officially the City of Pasig ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people. It is located along the ...

from 1998 to 2007. In 2010, he ran again as councilor and was successful in his reelection bid. He also operated a sports bar named Atoy's at Metrowalk, Pasig.

Coaching career

In 1989, Co became the coach of the

Crispa 400 Crispa 400 was the name of two amateur basketball teams owned by P. Floro and Sons, Inc. that played in the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA) from 1977 to 1981 and the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) from 1989 to 1 ...

in the PABL, leading the team to two titles in 1990 and 1991. He served as the head coach of his alma mater, the

, from 2012 to 2018.

Commissioning career

In 2013, Co became the first commissioner of the

UNTV Cup The UNTV Cup is a men's charity basketball league organized in the Philippines. Twelve basketball teams organized by government agencies and guested by celebrities and ex-pro and amateur players compete in the league. The league's first game sta ...

, which is the first charity basketball league dedicated for public servants in the Philippines, an original concept by "Mr. Public Service"

Daniel Razon Daniel Soriano Razon (; born October 11, 1967) is a Filipino television and radio host.Balares, DindoDaniel Razon resigns from GMA June 16, 2006. He is currently the Overall Servant (minister; tl, Lingkod Pangkalahatan) of the Members Chur ...

Coaching record

Collegiate record

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Co, Atoy 1951 births Living people Asian Games competitors for the Philippines Basketball players from Metro Manila Basketball players at the 1974 Asian Games Crispa Redmanizers players Filipino men's basketball players Filipino sportsperson-politicians Great Taste Coffee Makers players Manila Beer Brewmasters players Metro Manila city and municipal councilors Mapúa Cardinals basketball players People from Pasig Philippines men's national basketball team players Point guards Shooting guards