Former national and SMB coach Ron Jacobs passes away

Photo taken from Ron Jacobs Facebook page

Ron Jacobs, former coach of the Philippine national team and San Miguel Beer, passed away on Christmas eve. He was 72.

Quinito Henson, a friend of Jacobs and longtime PBA analyst, broke the news on his Twitter account Thursday night.

“Sad to report Ron Jacobs passed away tonight at 8:30 in Makati,” Henson said on Twitter. “He would’ve turned 73 on December 27.”

“He was a great basketball coach and dear friend.”

Jacobs was at the helm of the Northern Consolidated Cement, a precursor to the Gilas program during the 1980s, where they won six titles including the 1985 ABC championship now known as the Fiba Asia Championship.

He then became coach of the San Miguel franchise in which he won the PBA Coach of the Year award in 1997.

The PBA Hall of Fame coach suffered a stroke on Dec. 22, 2001 taking away his ability to walk and speak.