Pop Cola Panthers
| Pop Cola Panthers | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| History | |
|
Pop Cola Sizzlers (1990) Sarsi Sizzlers (1990) Diet Sarsi Sizzlers (1991) Swift Mighty Meaty Hotdogs (1991-1994) Sunkist Orange Juicers (1995-1996, 2000) Sunkist Orange Bottlers (1996) Pop Cola Bottlers (1997) Pop Cola Sizzlers (1997) Pop Cola 800s (1998-2000) Pop Cola Panthers (2000-2001) Swift Panthers (2001) |
|
| Joined PBA | 1990 |
| Team colors |
Swift, Diet Sarsi and Pop Cola Blue, white and red Sunkist Orange, blue and white |
| Company | RFM Corporation |
| Owner(s) | Jose Ma. "Joey" A. Concepcion III |
| Board governor | Elmer Yanga |
| Head coach | Yeng Guiao, Derrick Pumaren, Turo Valenzona, Norman Black, Chot Reyes |
| Disbanded | 2001 |
| Championships | |
|
4 championships 1992 Third Conference |
|
4 championships
1992 Third Conference
1993 Commissioner's
1995 All-Filipino
1995 Commissioner's
The Pop Cola Panthers were a professional basketball team that played in the Philippine Basketball Association from 1990-2001. The franchise was owned by RFM Corporation. In 2001, when RFM Corporation sold its entire stake in Cosmos Bottling Corporation to Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI), the PBA franchise was included in the transaction. Upon ownership by CCBPI, the PBA franchise renamed the Coca-Cola Tigers beginning the 2002 PBA season and was considered as an expansion team.
The franchise also played under the names Pop Cola/Diet Sarsi Sizzlers, Swift Mighty Meaties, Sunkist Orange Juicers/Bottlers and Pop Cola 800.
Pop Cola was one of two expansion franchises to enter the league in the 1990 season, joining softdrink rival Pepsi-Cola, increasing the number of member teams in the pro league to eight.
In their 12-year stint in the PBA, they were known as the Pop Cola Sizzlers, Sarsi, Swift Mighty Meaty, Sunkist Orange Juicers, Sunkist Orange Bottlers and Pop Cola 800s. The team has used the Pop Cola name from 1997 until their final season in the PBA in 2001, although the team was known as Sunkist in the 2000 Commissioners Cup and was known as the Swift Panthers for the first few games of the 2001 Governors Cup. Their first finals appearance came in 1991 All-Filipino, as Diet Sarsi, lost to corporate rival Purefoods TJ Hotdogs, 3 games to 2 in a Best of Five finals series. The team's first PBA title came in 1992, when Swift defeated 7-Up four games-to-none to win the PBA Third Conference under head coach Yeng Guiao.
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