| Mapúa Cardinals and Lady Cardinals | |
| Schoolname: | Mapúa University |
| Teamlogo: | Mapua_Cardinals_Season_91_logo.png |
| League: | NCAA |
| Founded: | 1930 |
| Titles: | NCAA |
| Total: | 19 (1960-61, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1966-67, 1967-68, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1973-74, 1975-76, 1978-79, 1980-81, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1986-87, 1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94) |
| Jtitles: | NCAA |
| Jtotal: | 8 (1964–65, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1994–95) |
| Location: | Intramuros, Manila (Jrs., Srs.) Pandacan, Manila (Jrs.) |
| Colors: | Red, gold and black |
| Junior: | Malayan Red Robins |
The Mapúa Cardinals and Lady Cardinals are the varsity sports teams of Mapúa University that play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines).
The Mapúa Cardinals holds the NCAA record for the most General Championships in the seniors' division with a total of 20—the last of these championships was won in 1993. At a distant second is Colegio de San Juan de Letran, which has eight seniors' titles.
Of the total seniors' GCs won by the Cardinals, ten were from the 1980s to the mid-1990s, in addition to three (out of a total eight) in the juniors' division over the same period.
The "Cardinal" in the team's name was adopted from the American baseball team the St. Louis Cardinals, of which Don Tomas Mapúa, the founder of the Mapúa Institute of Technology, was a fan. The juniors' (high school) team adopted the moniker Red Robins.
See main article: Mapúa Cardinals basketball.
The Mapúa Cardinals won the NCAA Seniors' Championship five times (in 1949, 1965, 1981 and back-to-back titles from 1990–91 to 1991-92). The MIT basketball team holds the distinction of producing alumni players who have won the season Most Valuable Player award in the professional Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) for the most years. Freddie Hubalde and Fortunato "Atoy" Co won this award once each in 1977 and 1979, respectively, while Alvin Patrimonio has won it four times, in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1997. All three are members of the 25 All-Time Greatest PBA Players.
The Mapúa Red Robins, on the other hand, have won 18 NCAA championships, the last of which was won during the 2000 season. The Red Robins won five championships from 1968 to 1972. On October 14, 2016, the Malayan Red Robins, Mapúa's current juniors' team, won their first NCAA juniors' basketball championship, ending the San Beda Red Cubs' seven-year title reign.[1]
Other former Mapua Red Robins and/or Cardinals who eventually played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) include Israel Catacutan, Ricardo dela Peña, "Bong" dela Cruz, Paolo Hubalde, Menardo Jubinal, Rudolph Kutch, Eric Leaño, Eugene Leano, Romulo Mamaril, Jay Mendoza, Kevin Ramas (1990 NCAA MVP), Ricky Relosa, Johnny Revilla, Reuben dela Rosa (1995 NCAA MVP), Omanzie Rodriguez, Victor Sanchez, Jack Santiago, Rudy Soriano, Mark Telan, Adonis Santa Maria, Japeth Aguilar, Chito Victolero and Marvin Ortiguerra.[2] [3]
=(C)
The school has men's and women's volleyball teams[4] as well as men's and women's beach volleyball teams.[5]
| Academic year | Player/team | Honor/award |
|---|---|---|
| Angelino Pertierra | Best Blocker | |
| Dion Canlas | Best Digger | |
| 2015–16 (NCAA Season 91) Beach volleyball | Samuel Joseph Almalel Philip Michael Bagalay Paul John Cuzon | Champions |
| Paul John Cuzon | Most Valuable Player | |
| Barbie San Andres | Best outside spiker[6] | |
Another sport where the Mapua Cardinals and Red Robins have performed well is in track and field. Prior to 1953, relay and track and field events were counted separately. Since 1953 when these events were formalized, MIT has won a total of 25 titles in the seniors' division and six in the juniors' division. Ateneo de Manila follows at a distant second with 17 juniors' and six seniors' titles.
Mapúa University has also shown great performances in other sports.
The Mapúa seniors' swimming team, coached for many years by Edilberto Bonus, won 40 titles in the seniors' division and 22 in the juniors. This clearly dominating record is followed only by that of San Beda College with 21 championships in the juniors' division but only eight titles in the seniors' events. MIT's tankers last won the seniors' crown in 1997 while the last juniors' title was won in 1991.
Bonus won the bronze medal at the first Asian Games held in New Delhi, India in 1951. Until his retirement, he was a professor of both Mathematics and Physical Education at the Institute. He also served as President of the Philippine Amateur Swimming Association for several years.
The MIT chess team has produced the likes of Eugene Torre, Asia's first grandmaster, as well as International Master Renato Naranja, both of whom represented the country in the 1972 Chess Olympiad and International Master Ildefonso Datu. Several notable players in the likes of IM Marlo Micayabas, Gilbert Humangit, William Mendoza, Ernesto Encarnacion Jr., Diosdado “Bong” Ortiz, Eric Quizon, Hoyle Disuanco and Julius Joseph De Ramos also honed their skills with the Mapua seniors' chess team during the mid 80s contributed to the team’s championships. The team was headed by coach Isidro Asidao. Mapua has won a total of 11 NCAA chess titles in the seniors' division, the last being in 1996, and six NCAA juniors' titles, the last being in 1996 also.
MIT leads the NCAA with 16 seniors' and 17 juniors' titles, followed by San Beda with 11 seniors' and 14 juniors' championships. Mapua's tennis greats include former Philippine and Southeast Asian number one netter Manuel Tolentino, who represented the country in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Mapua last won the seniors' title in 1994 and the juniors' in 1997.
Behind La Salle and San Beda, Mapúa has the third best winning record in football with seven juniors' titles and 12 seniors' titles. The MIT football team has produced several players who have played for the Philippine national football team in international competitions.
In 1986, a former Philippine team member and 14th Southeast Asian Games silver medalist middleweight practitioner introduced Taekwondo at Mapua. This led to the formation of the Mapua Taekwondo Association (MITTA), which represented the school in interschool and national championships, starting in 1986. MITTA's best performance was in the 1989 Interschool Championships, where Mapua Gold won the bronze medal. The association disbanded in 1992, but Taekwondo is now being taught at the school once again with the aim of developing new players for school representation.
The Mapúa Cheerleading Association of the university's athletic program, known informally as the Cheerping Cardinals, won the NCAA's first-ever cheer-dancing competition held in 2004. They have since continued to show and exhibit competitive performances, including a runner-up finish in the 2007 competition where they lost to the University of Perpetual Help pep squad by a single point.
The staple cheer of Mapúa University is the cry "Viva Mapúa!"