| Alias | "Mr. Clutch" |
|---|---|
| Jersey No. | 8 |
| Position | Point Guard/Shooting Guard |
| Current Team | Retired |
| Personal Info | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Born | June 4, 1951 Bacolod City, Negros Occidental |
| Height | 5 ft. 10 in. |
| Weight | 152 lbs. |
| College | Ateneo de Manila University |
| Career Highlights | |
| Draft | Elevated by Toyota Super Corollas |
| Pro Career | 1975 – 1986 |
| Also played for | Toyota Super Corollas (1975-1984) Barangay Ginebra Kings (1984-1986) |
| Awards Received | |
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Francis C. Arnaiz is a former Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He played for Toyota and Ginebra San Miguel from 1975-1986. He was also a former member of the Philippine national basketball team having played in the 1973 Asian Basketball Confederation Tournament and 1974 FIBA World Basketball Tournament.
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Arnaiz had a love for sports and was shooting stuffed toys into a basket in early childhood. While studying at La Salle-Bacolod in elementary school, he competed in football and basketball. Football provided the speed and exceptional footwork, skills which would later develop him into an outstanding basketball player. He led St. Clement's High School to the PRISAA basketball championship. He played for Ateneo de Manila which won the 1969 NCAA basketball championship.
Arnaiz became one of the original members of Toyota during his first nine seasons in the PBA. He, along with Robert Jaworski and Ramon Fernandez, formed the troika of the vaunted Toyota offense. During his years with the Delta Motor-owned company, they won nine PBA titles while having memorable games against arch-rival Crispa Redmanizers where he had many ferocious on and off the court battles with Bernie Fabiosa. Arnaiz became one of the most popular players on the team not only for his playing style, but also gained a following among the female fans due to his mestizo look.
He hit clutch baskets for Toyota during crucial moments of the game, thus the moniker "Mr. Clutch." He is known for his looping layups against imports and local behemoths that was impossible to block.
After Toyota disbanded in 1984, Arnaiz followed Jaworski in a controversial move to Gilbey's Gin (later known as Ginebra San Miguel). With him and Jaworski reliving their old backcourt partnership, they made Ginebra become a prominent contender in the PBA. However, he migrated to the United States and retired permanently in 1986 before he saw Ginebra win their first PBA title.
He is considered one of the most explosive guards in the PBA. He was a member of both the 5,000 and 10,000 points club having finished his career with a total of 10,292 points for an average of 16.8 points per game. He was also a member of the 2,000 assists club. He was the other half of the dreaded Batman and Robin tandem of Toyota, the other being Jaworski himself. [1]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Basketball | ||
| Competitor for Philippines | ||
| FIBA Asia Championship | ||
| Gold | 1973 Manila | Team competition |
After his playing career, Arnaiz emigrated to the United States, resided in California, and later worked for the United States government while also becoming an evangelist. Arnaiz claims in an interview that his life abroad was quite different from his living the fast life as a player in the Philippines.
In 2000, he was named in the PBA's 25 Greatest Players List during a ceremony on April 9. His brother, Leo, received the award after Arnaiz failed to received his award due to his work commitments in the United States.
In 2004, Arnaiz made his long-awaited return to the country. He was interviewed by various media outlets recalling several memories from his playing days to his life after retirement. He was supposed to play in 2003 Crispa-Toyota Reunion Game and the 2005 TM Legends Game but failed to arrive due to his prior commitments.
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