Aztecas
| Aztecas de la Universidad de las Américas Puebla | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Universidad de las Américas Puebla (University of the Americas Puebla) |
| Conference | Comisión Nacional Deportiva de Instituciones Privadas (CONADEIP) |
| Athletic director | Eric Fisher |
| Location | Cholula, Puebla |
| Varsity teams | 12 varsity sports |
| Football stadium | "El tempo del Dolor" (The temple of Pain) |
| Arena | "Gimnasio Morris 'Moe' Williams" |
| Nickname | Aztecas (Aztecs) |
| Colors |
Dark Green Dark Orange |
| Website |
www |
Aztecas de la UDLAP is the name which receive the representative teams of the Mexican University, the Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP) of which the most important and famous is a collegiate American football squad. They used to play in the ONEFA (College American Football League), but now they play in the CONADEIP premier league.
American Football
History
In 1947 the team began its life as the American football squad of Mexico City College with the nickname los Aztecas. That same year the squad was admitted into the most important American football conference in Mexico, Liga Mayor. In this conference the team plays against teams with long traditions such as the Pumas Dorados de la UNAM, Águilas Blancas of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), Team Education, YMCA and the Military College.
Luis Dias, a brilliant player from UCLA, was named the first coach of the first Aztecas. Next to him, 2 ex-players from the Rose Bowl were added to the staff: Mary Schinitzer as a linemen coach and Len McVicar as backfield coach. That year they reached great levels of excellence, and that year they were called: The Green wave of Mexico City College.
En 1949, the Aztecas recruited great players suchs as Alex Esquivel from Texas. On October 18, 1949, "the Green Wave" had a match against the leader team, the Pumas Dorados de la UNAM. That game was called "The game of the century". In 1949, The Aztecas won their first championship during the "old" Mexican American Football age.
The team then vanished for years until it re-appeared in 1979. During that year the team was restarted by some players who wanted to have a team for the University of the Americas - Puebla. Coach Leonardo Luján Castañón and Coach Leonardo Corror Ferrer took the lead and guided the team through these difficult times.[1]
In 1986 the squad entered the ONEFA, but it was not until 1991 that the championship of the Minor Conference (Conferencia Nacional) was reached and the team ascended to the Major Category (Conferecia Metropolitana).
Since 1994 the team has achieved three sub-championships: in 1994, 1998 and 1999, then came the golden age with three championships in '95, '96 and '97. The 1995 season ended with the Aztecas' deafet of the Cóndores de la UNAM (Pumas Dorados de la UNAM) with score of 43-13. In 1996 the final match took place in Monterrey where the Aztecas defeated home team Borregos Salvajes 6-3 in what was a heavily defensive match. The 1997 championship again pitted las Aztecas against, this time as at home, against the Borregos Salvajes who they again defeated with a score of 21–11.
The team was put in danger at the beginning of 2004 due to a decision of the university board of directors, but with a great effort of the university community, players, coaches and mass media the team achieves the chance to dispute the 2005 season. The team has now, however, returned to normal play.
Starting in 2010, the team is now competing in a new league, the CONADEIP premier league. In the first season, Aztecas UDLAP were crowned the champions after 13 years without winning a national championship. In the final game, they defeated their rivals, the Borregos Salvajes 17-10. Aztecas conquer a new back to back championships, this time at CONADEIP League in 2013 - 2014
National Championships
The Squad has won 5 National Championships in their history. The first one was in 1949, in the antecedent of the UDLAP, the Mexico City College. After the name and location change, the Aztecas took a lot of time to win another championship. It wasn't until 1995 that the Aztecas won the National Championship of the ONEFA, a feat that they were able to repeat in the next two years (1996 and 1997). On the next years, they reached several times the final game. However they were always defeated in various legendary matches against their most known rivals, the Borregos Salvajes. It took 14 years for the university to win their last National Championship, in 2010. This happened in a new conference, the Premier Conference of the CONADEIP.
| Aztecas Football National Championships | |
|---|---|
| Year | Head Coach |
| 1949 | Dave Engman |
| 1995 | Leonardo Luján Castañón |
| 1996 | Leonardo Luján Castañón |
| 1997 | Leonardo Luján Castañón |
| 2010 | Eric Fischer |
| 2013 | Eric Fischer |
| 2014 | Eric Fischer |
Basketball
One of the most classical teams is the basketball team, which was already popular before the football team was installed. They had won several national championships. Their local games are played in the gymnasium "Morris 'Moe' Williams", located inside the university. The most known rivalry is against the Águilas de la UPAEP, another private school in Puebla city.
Other sports
The UDLAP has a reputation of being a top University in the College Sports Competitions. Many of their teams have won national championships. This is partly due to being of the few universities in Mexico to grant scholarships to outstanding students. The university has placed several times in second place in the CONADEIP ranking of private universities in Mexico.
Current school teams with participation in national tournaments include:
- Football
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Indoor Soccer
- Rugby union
- Tennis
- Swimming
- Volleyball
- Baseball
- Softball
- Track & Field
- Tae Kwon Do