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Ely Capacio

Ely Capacio

Personal information
Born	(1955-03-14)March 14, 1955 Palo, Leyte, Philippines
Died	February 23, 2014(2014-02-23) (aged 58) Manila, Philippines
Nationality	Filipino
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Position	Power forward / center
Career history
As player:
–1979	YCO Painters
1980–1986	Tanduay Rhum Masters
As coach:
1987	Tanduay Rhum Makers (assistant)
1987	Tanduay Rhum Makers
1988–1991	Purefoods Hotdogs (assistant)
1991–1992	Purefoods Hotdogs
Career highlights and awards
As head coach: PBA champion (1991 All-Filipino) As assistant coach: 2x PBA champion (1987 Open, 1990 Third Conference) As player: MICAA champion (1979)
Medals Men's Basketball Representing the  Philippines Southeast Asian Games 1977 Kuala Lumpur team

Eliezer "Ely" O. Capacio (March 14, 1955 – February 23, 2014) was a Filipino basketball player, coach and executive. Born in Palo, Leyte, Philippines, he played a total of eight seasons as a forward-center for the Tanduay Rhum Makers from 1979 to 1986, averaging 5.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in a total of 324 games. The team won two championships during the 1986 PBA season.^[1][2] His younger brother, Glenn Capacio also played in the PBA.

Amateur career[edit]

The 6-4 center-forward was a veteran of the 1975 and 1977 Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) championships and the 1977 SEA games. Capacio was a member of the MICAA mythical selection in 1976 and was part of the YCO Painters champion team in 1979, before joining the pro ranks.

Coaching career[edit]

After he retired from active playing, Capacio became part of the Tanduay coaching staff of Arturo Valenzona. When the Rhum Makers got eliminated in the second conference of the 1987 PBA season, Valenzona was replaced and moved over to the Hills Bros. camp, Capacio succeeded Valenzona on the Tanduay bench. Capacio was assistant coach to new team Purefoods Hotdogs from 1988-1990.

Towards the second round of the 1991 PBA First Conference semifinals, Capacio succeeded Baby DalupanasPurefoods coach when "The Maestro" decided to quit after differences with the management. The following conference, coach Capacio led the franchise to its first ever PBA All-Filipino Conference championship.^[1] The next two conferences, the Hotdogs failed to make it past the eliminations. Capacio was replaced by Domingo Panganiban, who acted as coach and team manager of the team starting the 1992 PBA All-Filipino Conference.

League chairman[edit]

The Philippine Basketball Association then hired him as league chairman in 2005.^[2] He was vice president for human resources of Purefoods at the time of his death and would have served a second term as chair of the PBA board in the 2014–15 season.^[1][2][3]

Death[edit]

In February 2014, Capacio was playing a round of golf with Purefoods president Francisco Alejo. Capacio complained of back pain during the game. He completed the round but declined having lunch and later suffered a stroke from a ruptured aneurysm. Capacio died at age 58, at a hospital in Manila on February 23, 2014.^[4]

References[edit]