Later that same year, Co was part of the twelve (12) initial inductees to the PBA Hall of Fame alongside fellow Crispa players Bogs Adornado and Philip Cezar, and Toyota stalwarts Jaworski, Francis Arnaiz and Fernandez together with former PBA Commissioners Leo Prieto, Emerson Coseteng and Atty. Rudy Salud as well as legendary Crispa coach and team manager, respectively, Dalupan and Danny Floro, and the late anchorman Joe Cantada.
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Atoy Co ventured into the showbiz after his playing days were over, first as a co-host for the noontime show Student Canteen over at RPN (now Solar TV) then made a short career of mostly playing sidekick to action stars such as Philip Salvador (a close personal friend of Atoy).
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He won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 1979 and was a 9-time Mythical First Team Member.
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from Rudy Salud, former PBA Commissioner - "Sweet-shooting. He would hit shots that many coaches would say, 'No, no, no . . . . good!'"
Atoy Co |
He finished his illustrious PBA career as the No. 6 leading scorer with 12,077 points behind Fernandez, Abet Guidaben, Alvin Patrimonio, Atoy Co and Nelson Asaytono.
They opted to go with younger player by bringing in Mapúa Institute of Technology hotshot Fortunato “Atoy” Co, Jr. and Colegio de San Jose Recoletos standout Abet Guidaben in 1973, and Jose Rizal College’s Philip Cezar and RP Youth Team players Bernie Fabiosa and Alfredo "Freddie" Hubalde in 1974.