Angel De Leon and his Letran Murder Inc 1950

Twenty-seven years ago "Jumping Jack" was the name sportswriters gave to Luis Tabuena. Lauro Mumar was already known as "The Fox." Nila Verona was already making waves as a heady guard. Herminio Astorga, Cesar Sequerra and Chemari Iglesias were household words among followers of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). To have them together on a single team then was like having Fortunato Co Jr., Philip Cezar, Bernardo Fabiosa, Alfredo Hubalde and Rodolfo Soriano together, as with the grandslam champion Crispa Redmanizers of the Philippine Basketball Association. For Tabuena (now the chairman of the Games and Amusements Board and general manager of the Manila International Airport), Mumar, Verona, Astorga, Iglesias and Sequerra Iwere then with the Galloping Knights of San Juan de Letran College. And San Juan de Letran in 1950 was known as "Murder, Inc." In fact, it "murdered" its way to the NCAA senior championship that year, losing only once to the San Beda College Red Lions. The man responsible for that epic Letran triumph and for championships with other basketball teams in Manila, is still around. The man Angel de Leon is now the coach of the Southwestern University Cobras, 1969 and 1972 national inter-collegiate champions, from whence came such PBA stars as Rosalio Martirez and Alejandrito Miego Jr. of the Tru-Orange Royals, Jesse Sullano. Lucrecio Dacula and Mariano Figuracion of the Mariwasa-Honda Panthers and Danilo Basilan of Universal Textile Wranglers.  "Angeling," as he is called, feels that he can build a champion team around the SWU Cobras with the materials he has, given the proper breaks. With the proper training and discipline, he believes he can infuse in his players the right attitude towards becoming a championship team in the Cebu Amateur Athletic Association (CAAA) or, if lucky enough, the national intercollegiate crown itself. In their first assignment this year in the CAAA, the Cobras mangled the Cebu Institute of Technology Wildcats, 106-88. On the other hand, their arch-rivals, the University of the Visayas Green Lancers, the winningest intercollegiate champion team in the land with seven titles to their name, whipped Cebu Central Colleges, 108-101. "Angeling" started playing for Letran in 1937. He was a member of the squad when it copped the NCAA crown a year later. 

From 1938 to 1940, he was a member of the NCAA basketball selections. He joined Far Eastern University in the UAAP. He started coaching in 1947 and steered the Letran Squires to the NCAA high school championship a year later. In 1949, the Squires bagged the national inter-secondary title. He took over the coaching post of the Knights of Letran in 1950 and that was the year when they were known as "Murder, Inc." by winning the NCAA gonfalon. In 1953, "Angeling" became the coach of the American School (now International School) which he piloted to the Manila Athletic Association of Secondary Schools (MAASS) crown a year later. In 1955, he coached Seven-Up Bottling Co. basketball team in the MICAA but gave it up at the end of the first round because of conflicting hours at American School. American School regained its MAASS championship in 1956. It was also the year when it won the national inter-secondary diadem. From 1956 to 1959, American School was unbeatable in the MAASS. During that time, "Angeling" had also part-time coaching jobs at the Philippine National Bank, Equitable Banl and the Bank of P.I. in the Inter-Bank Athletic League (IBAL).  It was also in 1959 that he piloted the Botica Boie quintet to the championship of the Businessmen's Athletic Association (BAA) basketball tournament. His last stint as a coach before he came to SWU was in 1960-61 when he was playing-coach of MAG-EN Jokers, twice runner-up in the Professional Basketball League (for ex-athletes 40 years old and above). At Southwestern University and its famous Aznar Coliseum, "Angeling" has found another home. The SWU Cobras this year are composed of Saturnino Aquino (team captain), Felix Baring, Erwin Orlanes, Jose Sato Jr., Ricardo Vernaiz, Edmundo Espinosa, Virgilio de la Cruz, Fred Serafica, Fil Gulfin, Felipe Madrazo, Jover Lañas, Danilo Arganda and Wilfredo Tanduyan.