It was the first day of February 1985.

PBA fans consider this one of the saddest moments in league history as they saw the death of a dynasty: the Crispa Redmanizers, then the winningest team in Asia's pioneering professional basketball league, was disbanding its squad and a new company would take over the franchise.

After winning a total of 13 championships and becoming the only team to win 2 grand slams, the Redmanizers were finally leaving the big league.

Pilipinas Shell took over the franchise from the team owned by the Floro family.

Some of the mainstays of the Redmanizers — Philip Cezar, Bernie Fabiosa and Bai Cristobal — were retained by the new management, but some of the team stars such as former Most Valuable Players Atoy Co, Abet Guidaben, and Freddie Hubalde, together with Yoyoy Villamin and Padim Israel — went on different paths.

Co and Fabiosa recalled this saddest moment of their respective careers.

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"Nu’ng 1984 nararamdaman ko na," Co told ABS-CBN News. "Tsaka nu’ng year na ’yun, sabay-sabay kaming magi-expire nu’ng kontrata. Ang laking gulo nu’n, sabay-sabay kayong magi-expire. Kanya-kanyang hingian. Pero at the back of our minds, nararamdaman na talaga namin."

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A year earlier, Crispa's bitter rival, Toyota, also disbanded its team, but the bulk of the squad was acquired by the new owner, Basic Holdings Corp., a company owned by businessman Lucio Tan.

During the disbandment, Co explained that the players didn't have a chance of choosing which team they want to play for as Tommy Manotoc, Crispa's former coach who steered the team to its second grand slam,
devised a plan of dispersing the stars of the Redmanizers to different teams.

At that time, Manotoc served as deputy commissioner to Col. Mariano Yenko.

"Nakialam si Tommy Manotoc, kaya hindi kami nagkaroon ng pagkakataon na makapamili ng team," added Co, the 1979 MVP and the first player to score 10,000 points in the league.

"Pinaghiwa-hiwalay niya kami. Ako, with Philip, hindi talaga ako hihiwalay sa kanya. Kasi 1-2 punch kami noong araw sa Crispa. Kaso ang ginawa niya (Tommy) nilagay niya si Philip sa Shell, ako nilagay sa Manila Beer. Pinaghiwa-hiwalay niya yung tandem. Si Tommy ang nag-orchestrate noon lahat."

But for Co, things were never been the same again the moment he left Crispa.

"I felt bad, sad, then ’yung joy ko sa basketball parang bumaba," added Co. "Parang ang feeling ko na lang noong time na ’yun, I have to play basketball kasi I need the money since I already have a family."

"Pero wala kang magagawa. ’Yun ang gusto nila. Hindi kami naka[pamili ng team. Una, nag-uusap pa kaming mga players, 'Pare, doon tayo.' ’Yun pala, inayos na ng PBA lahat. Pinaghiwa-hiwalay kami and I'm not happy about that, pero wala kang magagawa. Trabaho na lang talaga."

Co, along with Villamin, went to Manila Beera to join franchise player Mon Fernandez.

Guidaben, Hubalde and Israel moved to Tanduay.

Like Co, Fabiosa felt 1984 would be the final year of Crispa in the PBA.

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"Noong 1984 na tinalo kami ng Great Taste sa championship, medyo naapektuhan na rin kami. Kasi, parang alam na namin paalis na kami," Fabiosa recalled. "Kaya nga noong All-Filipino that year, ang sabi sa amin ni boss (Danny Floro), 'Kunin na natin ito, kasi record na natin ito.'"

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Although they were not sure if it's true that Crispa would disband by the end of 1984, the announcement of the sale of the franchise to Shell didn't come as a surprise as well.

"Hindi kami sure kung totoo, pero naririnig na namin," added Fabiosa. "Alam mo naman ang tsismis. Pero wala kang magawa eh. Talagang ganu’n. Parang nangyari sa Toyota."

According to Fabiosa, he would have preferred to play along with his long-time teammates, but understood he didn't have control on what the future holds for the players.

"Mas maganda nga sana kung magkakasama kami," he added. "Kaya lang, si coach Tommy Manotoc, na andu’n na noon sa PBA, ayaw niya ng solid na Crispa sa isang team kasi nga malakas. So sabi ni coach Tommy, hahati-hatiin na lang kayo. Para naman maganda ang dating sa liga natin."

At that time, league participation was down to 6 teams with Northern Consolidated, playing as guest squad to train the core of the Philippine men's basketball team in preparation for the major international competitions, serving as the 7th member.

Shell, the new owner of the franchise, nabbed Cezar, Fabiosa and Cristobal, but another former Redmanizer was able to join them during that year — 3-time MVP and 5-time scoring champion Bogs Adornado.

Adornado was supposed to join old rival, Robert Jaworski, at Ginebra, but a last-minute call from Manotoc, prevented him from teaming up with his fellow superstar.

Instead, he joined his old teammates, Cezar and Fabiosa, and his former coach in the 1972 Olympics, Freddie Webb, who coached the team, carrying the name Shell Azodrin Bug Busters in the first season.

Also included in Shell's roster were veterans Rey Lazaro and Abet Gutierrez, and sophomore enforcer Denis Abbatuan, and 6 rookies — top overall pick Sonny Cabatu, Romy Ang, Menardo Jubinal, Leo Austria, Totoy Marquez and Aldo Perez.

In its 1st season, the team made it to the finals of the All-Filipino, but lost to powerhouse Great Taste in 4 games of the best-of-5 series.

The Redmanizers' record of 2 grand slam titles remains unmatched by any other ball club.

Crispa was also the record holder for the longest winning streak in a conference at 19, which it posted during the 1980 All-Filipino tournament. Its 21-game winning run, which it established bridging the 1983 All-Filipino and Second Conference, also remained unmatched.

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From 1975 to 1984, 5 Redmanizers won MVP awards — Adornado (1975 and 1976), Hubalde (1977), Co (1979), Cezar (1980), and Guidaben (1983).

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Fabiosa didn't win an MVP award, but joined these 5 Redmanizers in the PBA's 25 Greatest list.