The Eagles’ quest - THE GAME OF MY LIFE by Bill Velasco

The Moro Lorenzo Sports Center now sits proudly on the football fields at the edge of the Ateneo de Manila high school, spanking new. It is a gorgeous building, a proud tribute to the passion for sports of the man it is named after, outstanding Ateneo alumnus, Olympian and former PBA chairman Luis Lorenzo. It is also the fruits of love of the Lorenzo family, the Ateneo de Manila University, and the members of the Ateneo Sports Hall of Fame (ASHOF), led by the indefatigable blueblood Vic Sison.

At a meeting among members of the ASHOF spanning several generations last Tuesday, the group’s remarkable gains (and even more remarkable challenge) were laid bare. The new architectural diagrams for the ASHOF itself, nestled within the Lorenzo Sports Center, were once again modified to make it a venue for gatherings like reunions and fund-raisers. More importantly, one alumnus had donated P3 million for construction costs, leaving only P2.2 million in balance for the two hundred square meters of property the hall sits on. This is the new pursuit of the sports-loving Ateneans.

But perhaps they may have also embarked on a quest more formidable than King Arthur’s legendary search for the Holy Grail. The ASHOF is now attempting — with a time limit four months, no less — to reconstruct its sports history through the men enshrined in its Hall of Fame.

Beyond the search for money, they are also searching for memorabilia, any kind of physical reminders of the past days of glory of the Ateneo. The trophies garnered through the blood and sweat of past athletes sit in cobwebs in a building in the high school, awaiting their proper enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. But what of the uniforms, medals, portraits, certificates and other remembrances of those days past? Where are they now?

There are 113 athletes, coaches, moderators and special awardees in the ASHOF, each of them with numerous stories to tell, tales of overcoming the odds, lessons that may help inspire today’s young varsity athletes, who may not realize the vast heritage they may soon add to. How does one reconstruct legend?

Take, for example, the case of the late Sen. Ambrosio "Paddy" Padilla. A two-sport athlete who starred in baseball, he captained the Philippines’ Olympic basketball team to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, the first time the event was incorporated into the Olympic program. Where would one find the jersey, photos, and other proof of his achievement? He is just one of those commemorated at the new Hall.

And what of those future honorees from even earlier vintages who may have performed commendably? To stretch the example, Jose Rizal, while studying in Heidelburg, Germany, was said to have impressed his compatriots with his fencing prowess. Today, the house he lived in and the street it is on bear his name and are preserved. There is even a statue with a fountain and plaque in his memory up in that mountaintop town. But is there any concrete evidence that he was such an athlete?

Now, the various committees of the ASHOF are calling on the members of the families of those remembered in the Hall to seek out these memorabilia. They may be hidden in a grandfather’s old war chest, or framed on someone’s wall, or perhaps even donated to another museum somewhere. Perhaps it is time they were brought home to the Ateneo, to be seen by their metaphorical children and children’s children.

The Hall is scheduled for inauguration in August, after construction is completed. But what will it be filled with? There will be trophy cases and photographs and new portraits, for certain. What about the actual jerseys that were once stained with sweat on the battlegrounds of sport? What of the medals that heaved mightily on the chests of the triumphant? What of the material confirmation that they actually walked the earth and performed those deeds? Where do they now lie?

These are the things that will once more stir up the echoes of glory past. Such is the daunting task of the intrepid members of the Ateneo Sports Hall of Fame.

Let’s give them a hand.