Fortunato "Fort" Acuña (April 17, 1948 – July 6, 1981) was a Filipino professional basketball player and coach. A 6'1" center/forward, he played for the

UP Fighting Maroons The UP Fighting Maroons are the collegiate varsity teams of the University of the Philippines, primarily off University of the Philippines Diliman, Diliman, which play in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the premiere ...

in the UAAP. 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 ...

, Acuña played for the

Meralco Reddy Kilowatts The MERALCO Reddy Kilowatts were a basketball team of the MERALCO Athletic Club owned by the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) that played in the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA) from 1968 to 1972. Its moniker and m ...

until it disbanded in 1972. He joined the newly formed Toyota Comets in 1973, along with Meralco teammates

Alberto Reynoso Alberto C. Reynoso (May 14, 1940 – November 22, 2011), also known by his nickname "Big Boy" Reynoso, was a professional basketball player from the Philippines. During the 1960s to 1970s, Reynoso played in the amateur basketball tournament of t ...

Orlando Bauzon Orlando "Orly" Bauzon (November 17, 1944 – September 5, 2020) was a Philippines, Filipino basketball player and coach. Early life Bauzon was born on November 17, 1944 in Calasiao, Pangasinan in the Philippines during the later years of the Japa ...

Robert Jaworski Robert Vincent Salazar Jaworski Sr. (; born March 8, 1946) is a Filipino former professional basketball player, head coach and politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines from 1998 to 2004. He played 23 seasons in the Philippine Bas ...

and

Francis Arnaiz Francis C. Arnaiz (born June 4, 1951) is a Filipino former basketball player. He is best known as a PBA player, playing for Toyota and Ginebra San Miguel from 1975-1986. Early basketball years Arnaiz had a love for sports and was shooting stuf ...

. He continued with the Toyota team when the franchise transferred to 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 ...

in 1975. Acuña retired from active play after the

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

PBA All-Filipino Conference and began serving as assistant coach for Toyota. On December 11

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, he replaced

Dante Silverio Edmundo "Dante" S. Silverio, Sr. (born October 17, 1937), is a Filipino painter, former basketball coach and former champion race car driver. Motorsports Silverio rose to prominence in 1972, when he captured a rare double feat, winning the Inte ...

as Toyota head coach after Silverio resigned when management decided to reinstate

Ramon Fernandez Ramon Sadaya Fernandez (; born October 3, 1953) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and current commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission. Fernandez won four PBA Most Valuable Player awards and a record 19 PBA titles. F ...

, Ernesto Estrada and

Abe King Abraham Columbus M. King, Jr. (born July 23, 1957) is a Filipino former basketball player who was part of the champion Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) ballclub Toyota Tamaraws. He was the starting center of 1976 MICAA champion Crown Mo ...

for Game 2 of the ongoing PBA Invitational Conference finals. Acuña steered the team to the title against arch-rivals Crispa. This was Toyota's sixth title and Acuña's only PBA championship as head coach. On December 11, 1980, Toyota was playing against the Crispa in Game 3 of the 1980 PBA All-Filipino Conference Finals. During half time, Acuña was fired by team manager Pablo Carlos Jr. for refusing to heed his request to field

. Toyota won that game, preventing a Crispa sweep of the tournament. The Redmanizers would eventually clinch the title by wrapping up the series the following game. Acuña committed suicide on July 6, 1981 by ingesting a lethal dose of

insecticide Insecticides are substances used to kill insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae, respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and by consumers. Insecticides are claimed to b ...

. The following day, Toyota had a scheduled game against Crispa during the semi-final round of the 1981 PBA Open Conference. The team appeared for the game with a piece of black stripe on their jerseys as a sign of mourning. Seemingly affected by the shocking news, the Super Diesels lost to the Redmanizers, 133-118.

References

External links

History of the PBA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acuna, Fort 1948 births 1981 deaths Centers (basketball) Filipino men's basketball coaches Filipino men's basketball players Toyota Super Corollas coaches Power forwards (basketball) UP Fighting Maroons basketball players Toyota Super Corollas players 1981 suicides Suicides by poison Suicides in the Philippines