Deus, Patria, Letran—For God, Country, and Letran. And for another overall title, this 82nd season hopefully.

Colegio de San Juan de Letran (CSJL), a school rich in sports tradition and teeming with athletic excellence, had its last overall championship in 2003-04 season. As a school that has made numerous feats still unmatched until today, the Knights have always held the position of contender for the overall championship.

Last year, CSJL finished with 168 points behind the 30 points from its basketball squad—a sport the school showed great superiority in as the Knights are the proud owners of the most number of senior men’s basketball titles: a record 16 senior’s basketball championship for a total 26 overall titles. The school also managed a double championship in basketball twice, first in 1979-80 and the next one during the 1983-84 season. The winningest basketball squad in the history of the oldest collegiate tournament also achieved a unprecedented four straight double over-all championships from 1999 to 2002. Last year, the Knights finished with an impressive 13-1 won loss card in the eliminations and 3-1 in the playoffs (2-1 in the finals) for an overall record of 16-2.

The Knights’ championship streaks in the men’s basketball include three successive championships that started in the 1982-83 season up to the 1984-85 season cage wars, and back to back victories in 1998-99 to 1999-2000 season and in 1986-87 to 1987-88. Their juniors basketball team also managed to string three straight championships from 1928-29 to 1930-31.

Chanting its famous hymn “Arriba Letran!”, which means “ Fly High, Letran!”, the Knights’ 81st season campaign was boosted by the 20 points in men’s beach volleyball, 17.5 points in men’s indoor volleyball, 15 points in women’s indoor volleyball, women’s table tennis and taekwondo, 12.5 points in women’s beach volleyball, and 10 points each in chess and lawn tennis.

But this is all in a day’s work for the Letranite athletes, as the school boasts of an impressive collection of championships, and titles it has won through the years, including 10 football titles (four in the junior division and seven in the senior division), four swimming titles (two each for the junior and senior division), 10 lawn tennis titles (five each for the junior and senior divisions), 12 chess titles (seven in the junior division and five in the senior division), 25 titles in table tennis (14 in the junior division, seven in the seniors division, four in the women’s division.) six taekwondo titles (a solitary title in the junior division and five in the senior division), one beach volleyball title, and ten track and field titles (five each in the junior and senior division).

CSJL founded in 1620 and situated in the historic walls of Intramuros, did not have any entry in the swimming and football in the 2005-06 hostilities and campaign was aggravated by the anemic performance of its track and field squad.

The Knights, which chose to be called so in honor of its founder and Knight of Malta, Don Juan Geronimo Guerrero, joined the NCAA in 1928 but withdrew its membership in 1933. They rejoined in 1936 but were suspended in 1980 following their first ever overall championship during the 1979-80 season, only to be re-admitted a year later.

CSJL needed 17 seasons to finally make it to the top again and when it did, the opposition found it difficult to dislodge the Knights as they strung up five straight overall championships from 1997-98 up to 2001-02 season, including a record four straight double championships after the Knights were crowned champs both in the seniors and juniors for fourth straight years.