Federico Lopez

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Federico "Fico" Lopez (March 26, 1962 - November 6, 2006) was a Puerto Rican basketball player, member of the Guaynabo Mets. Fico Lopez was Puerto Rico's National Team's star point guard, following in the footsteps of Puerto Rico's greatest basketball player, point-guard Juan "Pachin" Vicens. Together with his brother-in-law Mario "El Quijote" Morales, Fico Lopez won various tournaments of the Ligra de Baloncesto Superior Nacional of Puerto Rico.

Lopez was born in Mexico of Cuban parents. His father, Federico Lopez Sr. was a star of Cuban basketball during the 1940s and 1950s. Fico Lopez was one of the star players of the national selection of Puerto Rico. He was part of the first national Puerto Rican team to win a game against a national United States team (in Mexico). As a member of the Puerto Rican team he participated at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

Fico Lopez died in San Juan, Puerto Rico on November 6, 2006 from an apparent heart attack while playing volleyball with his friends in Caparra Country Club, the court that bears his name and where he grew up in sports since the age of 8. Lopez was 44 years old.