Teófilo Cruz

Teófilo Cruz

File:Teofilo Cruz.jpg
Personal information
Born	(1942-01-08)January 8, 1942 Santurce, Puerto Rico
Died
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	179 lb (81 kg)
Career information
NBA draft	1964 / Undrafted
Playing career	1960–1985
Position	Center
Career highlights and awards
4x BSN MVP 5x BSN Defensive Player of the year FIBA's 50 Greatest Players
FIBA Hall of Fame as player

For the boxer nicknamed Teo Cruz, see: Carlos Cruz

Teófilo Cruz Downs (January 8, 1942 – August 30, 2005) was a Puerto Rican professional basketball player. Cruz has played in the NCAA, and the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico with Santurce Crabbers, Guaynabo Mets, Canovanas Indians, Río Piedras Cardinals, and Mayagüez Tainos. Cruz has played internationally in Spain with Picadero Damm. Cruz was a member of the Puerto Rican National Basketball Team and represented Puerto Rico in five Olympic Games from 1960 to 1976. On March 1, 2007 he was selected to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Hall of Fame.

Biography

Cruz was the first basketballer to compete at five Olympics. This was matched twenty years later by Brazilian Oscar Schmidt in 1996 and by American Teresa Edwards and Australian Andrew Gaze in 2000.

Cruz played for 25 seasons in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) of Puerto Rico and was the Most Valuable Player 4 times. He was also selected the defensive player of the year a record five times. He played with the Santurce Crabbers, Guaynabo Mets, Canovanas Indians, Río Piedras, and Mayagüez Tainos. Teo also led the league in points per game twice and was the first player ever to reach 9,000 points in the BSN (9535 points to be exact). Teo was the starting center of the Puerto Rican National basketball team in the times when Puerto Rico and Brazil were the two dominant teams in the Americas outside the United States. Teo is one of four Puerto Rican basketball players to have carried the nation's flag for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Teo did this in 1976 during the Montreal Olympics; the others were Carlos Arroyo (Athens 2004), Jose "Tonin" Casillas (Rome 1960), and Jaime Frontera (Mexico 1968). After Teo's death on August 31, 2005, they decided to name the sports complex in San Juan in his honor. And before a game against Venezuela, a moment of Silence was held in memory of Teofilo Cruz. He died on August 30, 2005 of a brain hemorrhage.

Career stats

During his career in the National Superior Basketball league, Cruz scored 9,512 points with an average of 16.3 points per game. He captured 4,672 rebounds with an average of 8.0 rebounds per game. He also had 605 assists during his twenty-five-year career.

International honors and career accomplishments

• On March 1, 2007, Cruz was selected to the FIBA Hall of Fame, he was the first player from America to be inducted in the international Hall of Fame, he was part of the first introduction class in history. Cruz participated in 5 Olympic Games in Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964, Mexico 1968, Munich 1972, and Montreal 1976; 1 FIBA World Championship in Puerto Rico 1974; and in numerous Panamerican and Centroamerican Games.

• Named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players (1991)

• National Superior Basketball League Most Valuable Player Award 1962

• National Superior Basketball League Most Valuable Player Award 1967

• National Superior Basketball League Most Valuable Player Award 1970

• National Superior Basketball League Most Valuable Player Award 1971

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games

External links

• El Nuevo Dia article
• FIBA Hall of Fame page on Cruz
• sports-reference