Borregos Salvajes – ITESM Campus Monterrey

"Borregos Salvajes" is an American football team from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey aka ITESM), a private managed higher education institution in Monterrey, Mexico.

History

American Football was the first sport which was practiced in this institution. For more than 50 years, ITESM American football team has had remarkable performance and had given recognition to its undergraduated and graduated students.

The tradition of practicing this sport at the ITESM began back then in 1945 when the institution assigned to Alexander Solis Carranco, who was an American football player and trainer, the task of creating and training an American football squad. The training began with a game explanation and a physical training program which consisted of basic exercises such as calisthenics, run practice, passes, and scrimmages. The team in that time was formed by 14 players and within an era of double power, all were playing defensive and offensive roles and they were made hold the action all the match until some was hurt. In spite of the initial pesimism by the robust stranger and of the nature of the sport, the players were excited by the game and after 5 or 5 training sessions the first game was proposed to be against the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León. This match meant the beginning for traditional Classic Match Borregos-Tigres (Tigres is the UANL American football team, a state managed institution) and up to date this match is famously followed by American football fans from Monterrey.

Uniform

For their first match it was necessary to uniform the players, their jerseys were originally supposed to be made in red with white covers. Unfortunately, the supplier did not have enough red fabric to make those uniforms. Coach Solis had to choose another color of which the supplier had enough fabric. He chose the blue one because it was the color of the bus in which the team was traveling. Since then, the uniform was a blue jersey with a letter "T" in front, and in the back was the player's number. After that the institute chose blue and white as their official colors.

The selection of the mascot was equally accidental. On the way to the park Cuauhtémoc and Famosa, where the first Classic Match (local derby) would take place, the players had the restlessness to have a mascot to identify them. They passed by a ford, today Santa Catarina River, and saw a man feeding a ram. They bought it for 25 pesos and thus the mascot arose from the equipment that represents the Institute.

First Championships

In 1970, the Coach Gustavo Zavaleta re-baptized the team with the nickname "Borregos Salvajes" (Wild Rams) in order to identify it with this species, which is characterized by its constant fight to survive in highly risky situations, always dominating from the heights the atmosphere that surrounds it and showing its superiority before the others. From its birth to 1969 the consolidation of the sport in the Institute is considered and in 1948 the Borregos Salvajes receive their first trophy. The key time of the American football in the ITESM was the sixties, since in that decade begins the selection of players to enter to the team and starts some type of military era, in where the teams survive showing their physical strength and strict discipline.

The Borregos Salvajes crowned Champions of the Greater League of National Student Organization of American Football (ONEFA) in four occasions: 1971, 1972, 1974 and 1976. In 1977, the Borregos left the Metropolitan Conference. But twelve years later, the American Football team of the ITESM returns to the league this time commanded by the Head Coach Frank González, after obtaining three championships in a row in the National Conference of ONEFA. In this return they had a record of 4 games won against 4 lost ones. In 1990, the Borregos Salvajes reached to go in front of to play-offs losing against the Aguilas Blancas. The following year again obtained a record of 7 winning games and only 2 losing ones reaching semifinals and being left runner-up as opposed to Cóndores.

The Return

In 1992 the squad improved the record (8-1) and although had a bad performance when losing before the Aguilas Blancas, won the privilege of being considered the best team of Mexico. In 1993, after one it releases delay, the Borregos was host of a Final game of the ONEFA. The Borregos Salvajes obtained the triumph against the Aguilas Blancas with a score of 20-13, closing with this one the celebrations of the Fifty Anniversary of the ITESM.

In 1994, before the expectation of and a doubt of others, one stays in the top and it obtained the second championship, this time against the Aztecas of the University of the Américas playing as a visitor and winning by a score of 17-10. In 1995 it reaches to semifinals but unfortunately it loses in front of the Aztecs. In 1996 at the Estadio Tecnológico de Monterrey crowded at its maximum capacity, the Borregos again received in the final game the Aztecs of the UDLAP. The squad stays as Runner-up when falling with a score of 6 - 3, after have finished the regular season without any defeat. In 1997 the team is again Runner-up. In 1998 it obtained the championship, defeating the Aztecs of the UDLAP by a score of 20-17 at the Estadio Tecnológico de Monterrey crowded with 33,155 fans, in a game at Saturday noon.

In 1999, the Borregos Salvajes obtained a second championship when defeating again the Aztecs of the UDLA by score of 38-25, this time the game was celebrated in the field nicknamed the Temple of the Pain in Cholula, Puebla. In the 2000, the squad arrives at the final game but this time in front of its brothers of the Campus Estado de Mexico, and falling by a score of 38-28, in a game that was celebrated at the "Plastic Corral" Stadium in the State of Mexico.

Recent Achievements

In the 2001 season, the team coached by the Frank González takes to the Championship without any lost game in the Final game this time the Classic, against the Tigres of the UANL played at the Estadio Tecnológico de Monterrey, overcoming them with a score of 20-12. In the season 2002, the Borregos Salvajes arrived again at the final game and by second consecutive year the equipment directed by the Coach Frank González, faces the team of the Tigres of the UANL, in another Final-Classic, in where first half was very even since they finished tied 7-7, nevertheless in the third and fourth quarters, arrived the touch downs from Rams to give another championship, since the team takes 22 gemes without knowing the defeat and 12 years without the team Tigres can win to the Rams.

The season 2003 was won by the Borregos Salvajes Campus Estado de México. Campus Monterrey won seasons 2004 (defeating Estado de México), 2005 (defeating Tigres UANL) and 2006 (Defeating the Aztecas from the UDLAP).

The 2006 season hand another of the borregos salvajes campus monterrey "B" team win the national division II championship.

In the 2010 season, the Borregos Salvajes played in another conference, the CONADEIP premier league. They reached the finals, where they lost to their rivals, the Aztecas UDLAP 17 to 10.

Controversy

The ITESM and the other Monterrey Institute teams have been accused several times of recruiting the star-players from others universities by giving them need-based private scholarships. Monterrey Institute is one of the most expensive universities in Mexico and almost instantly receives a "yes" response by the public university students who can't afford that type of education. This long-lasting fight between public schools and the ITESM ended by dividing the league in two; one which is almost exclusively ITESM teams and the other part which is comprisedd by public schools and mid-class schools.