Fundidores de Monterrey
{{short description|Mexican American football team}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}{{Infobox American football team
| name = Fundidores de Monterrey
| bgcolor = #000000
| fontcolor = #E1B104
| current = 2023 Fundidores de Monterrey season
| uniform =
| uniformsize = 230px
| helmet =
| logo = Fundidores Monterrey logo.png
| established = {{start date and age|2016|9|28|df=yes}}
| folded = 2025
| location = Monterrey, Mexico
| field = Estadio Banorte
| league = Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional
| division =
| colours = Black and gold
{{color box|black}} {{color box|#E1B104}}
| nickname = El Reino de Fuego (The Kingdom of Fire)
| coach = Jorge Valdez
| manager = José Luis Domene
| owner = {{Collapsible list|Fabián Marcos
David Peréz-Salinas
José Luis Domene
Carlos Lankenau
Gerardo Contreras}}
| div_champ_type = Division Championships
| div_champs =
| league_champ_type = Tazón México
championship(s)
| website =
}}
Fundidores de Monterrey (English: Monterrey Smelters), officially Fundidores, were an American football team based in Monterrey, Mexico. The Fundidores competed in the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA), the top American football league in Mexico. The team played its home games at the Estadio Banorte. In January 2025, the franchise came under new ownership and was renamed Osos de Monterrey.
History
=Origins=
Monterrey has an important American football tradition. It is home of two of the most popular college football teams: the Auténticos Tigres of the Autonomous University of Nuevo León and the Borregos Salvajes of the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. The city was also home for a short time to the Mexico Golden Aztecs of the Continental Football League.
In the late 90s, Monterrey had a semi-professional team playing in the Liga Nacional Master (Master National League), Cerveceros de Monterrey (Monterrey Brewers), who were national champions in 1995.{{cite news|title=Recordar es volver a vivir|url=http://www.zocalo.com.mx/new_site/articulo/recordar-es-volver-a-vivir1|newspaper=Zócalo|date=17 February 2017|accessdate=30 March 2019|language=es}}
=Early years=
The Fundidores (Spanish for smelters or founders) were founded in September 2016 as part of the 2017 LFA's expansion, this expansion also included another team in the North of Mexico: the Dinos de Saltillo.{{cite news|title=Fundidores de Monterrey y Dinos de Saltillo, nuevos clubes de la LFA|url=http://espndeportes.espn.com/futbol-americano/nota/_/id/2803429/fundidores-de-monterrey-y-dinos-de-saltillo-nuevos-clubes-de-la-lfa|newspaper=ESPN Deportes|date=28 September 2016|accessdate=21 November 2018|language=es}} The name is a reference to the city's Steel Foundry Company, that operated from 1900 to 1986 in what is now the Fundidora Park.
The team debuted at the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional in the 2017 season. On week 2, at the game against the Dinos, former NFL player, Chad Johnson, made its debut (and only appearance) with the team and scored on a 41-yard touchdown reception to help the Fundidores win the game.{{cite news|title=WATCH: Chad Johnson makes touchdown catch in Mexico look so easy|url=https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/watch-chad-johnson-makes-touchdown-catch-in-mexico-look-so-easy/|newspaper=CBS Sports|date=4 April 2017|accessdate=21 November 2018}} Monterrey ended the season with a 2–5 record, not qualifying for the playoffs.{{cite news|title=Derriten a Fundidores|url=https://www.elnorte.com/aplicaciones/articulo/default.aspx?id=1087267|newspaper=El Norte|date=9 April 2017|accessdate=21 November 2018|language=es}}
For the 2018 season, the Fundidores failed again to qualify for the playoffs after finishing with a 2–5 regular season record.{{cite news|title=Fundidores cae y es eliminado|agency=Multimedios|url=https://www.multimedios.com/deportes/mas-deportes/fundidores-cae-y-eliminado.html|date=7 April 2018|accessdate=21 November 2018|language=es}}
=Carlos Strevel era (2020–2023)=
Carlos Strevel was presented as head coach of the Fundidores ahead of the 2020 season. Strevel had previous experience as coach and administrator for several youth and college football programs in Mexico, most notably with the Borregos Salvajes CEM.{{cite web|title="Queremos construir un Fundidores triunfador": Coach Strevel|url=https://lfa.mx/queremos-construir-un-fundidores-triunfador-coach-strevel/|website=LFA.mx|date=20 January 2020|access-date=29 December 2022|language=es}}
In December 2020, Strevel felt into coma derived from COVID-19 complications. After recovering, Strevel returned to the Fundidores training camp in 2022, once the LFA authorized the 2022 season to be played.{{cite web|title=De estar en coma por COVID a pelear por el título de LFA; la historia de Carlos Strevel|url=https://esto.com.mx/596846-de-estar-en-coma-por-covid-a-pelear-por-el-titulo-de-lfa-la-historia-de-carlos-strevel/|website=ESTO.com.mx|date=20 May 2022|access-date=29 December 2022|language=es}}
Strevel led the Fundidores to their first Tazón México championship in 2022, after defeating the Gallos Negros de Querétaro 18–14 in the Tazón México V, played in Tijuana.{{cite web|title=¡Nuevos monarcas! Fundidores derrota a Gallos y se proclama campeón de la LFA|url=https://www.mediotiempo.com/futbol-americano/fundidores-derrota-gallos-negros-campeon-tazon-mexico-lfa|website=Mediotiempo.com|date=22 May 2022|access-date=29 December 2022|language=es}}
On 9 April 2023, the team announced that Carlos Strevel and Carlos Mercado, defensive coordinator, would no longer be with the team. Later that day, the team presented the Monterrey born Jorge Valdez, a remarkable linebacker as well as assistant coach of Auténticos Tigres, as the Fundidores' new head coach.{{cite web|title=Fundidores de Monterrey despide al coach Carlos Strevel|url=https://www.elhorizonte.mx/deportes/fundidores-de-monterrey-despide-al-coach-carlos-strevel/vl1473188|website=El Horizonte|first=Héctor|last=Ortega|date=10 April 2023|access-date=11 April 2023|language=es}}
=Jorge Valdez era (2023–present)=
Jorge "Pelón" Valdez was named head coach by the front office on 9 April 2023. He replaced Carlos Strevel as head coach and Carlos Mercado as defensive coordinator. Jorge had previous experience as the assistant to the head coach and defensive coordinator of Auténticos Tigres.
=New ownership=
In January 2025 the franchise was bought by the Athlete Ownership Group and changed its name to Osos de Monterrey.{{cite web|first=Álvaro|last=Zaldaña|title=¿Por qué los Fundidores de Monterrey no jugarán la temporada 2025 de la LFA?|url=https://esto.com.mx/869498-fundidores-de-monterrey-desaparece-de-la-lfa-blake-griffin-y-otros-deportistas-compran-la-franquicia/|website=Esto|date=27 January 2025|access-date=27 April 2025|language=es}}{{cite web|first=Sahid|last=Hernández|title=Fundidores de Monterrey se convierten en Osos|url=https://www.elnorte.com/fundidores-de-monterrey-se-convierten-en-osos/ar2943886|website=El Norte|date=27 January 2025|access-date=27 April 2025|language=es}}
Stadiums
File:ITESM Estadio Tecnologico.jpg hosted Fundidores home games during 2017.]]
| class="wikitable floatright" style="text-align:center"
| colspan="2" style="background:black; color:white; text-align: center; border:2px solid #E1B104;"|Fundidores de Monterrey stadiums | |
| style="background:#E1B104; color:black; text-align: center; border:2px solid #E1B104;"| Stadium
! style="background:#E1B104; color:black; text-align: center; border:2px solid #E1B104;"| Tenure | |
|---|---|
| Estadio Tecnológico | 2017 |
| Estadio Nuevo León Unido | 2018–2019 |
| Estadio Borregos | 2020–present |
File:Estadio Borregos, 2019..jpg currently hosts the Fundidores.]]
For their first season in Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional, the Fundidores played their home games at the Estadio Tecnológico which had been used previously for football matches by C.F. Monterrey, but, in that moment, Fundidores were the only tenant, since Monterrey had already moved to the Estadio BBVA Bancomer.{{cite news|title=Encuentra Fundidores de Monterrey estadio|url=http://www.regiodeporte.com/encuentra-fundidores-de-monterrey-estadio/|publisher=Regio Deporte|date=18 January 2017|access-date=7 March 2019|language=es}}
On 9 April 2017 Fundidores played their last match at Estadio Tecnológico before it was demolished.{{cite news|title=Fundidores despedirá al Estadio Tecnológico|url=https://lfa.mx/fundidores-despedira-al-estadio-tecnologico/|publisher=LFA|date=7 April 2017|access-date=7 March 2019|language=es}}
For the 2018 season, Fundidores moved to Estadio Nuevo León Unido, a stadium with a 1,500 spectators capacity and artificial turf owned by the Government of Nuevo León.{{cite web|title=Estadio Nuevo León|url=http://indenl.gob.mx/index.php/estadio-nuevo-leon/|website=www.indenl.gob.mx|date=January 2015 |access-date=7 March 2019}}
In 2020, the team moved to Estadio Borregos, with a capacity of 10,057 spectators, a major upgrade, since Estadio Nuevo León Unido could only accommodate 1,500 people. The stadium is owned by the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education and it is used by college football team Borregos Salvajes Monterrey.{{cite web|title=Fundidores jugará en el estadio Borregos del Tec de Monterrey|url=http://lfa.mx/fundidores-jugara-en-el-estadio-borregos-del-tec-de-monterrey/|website=LFA.mx|publisher=LFA|date=24 January 2020|access-date=3 February 2020|language=es}}{{cite web|title=¡Todo listo! Conoce el nuevo Estadio Borregos del campus Monterrey|url=https://tec.mx/es/noticias/monterrey/deportes/todo-listo-conoce-el-nuevo-estadio-borregos-del-campus-monterrey|website=Tec.mx|publisher=ITESM|date=22 April 2019|access-date=3 February 2020|language=es}}
The Fundidores debuted in their new stadium on 14 February 2020 in a match against rivals Dinos de Saltillo in the Clásico del Norte (Northern Classic), where they lost 15–23.{{cite web|title=Fundidores vs Dinos|url=https://lfa.mx/partido/22457/|website=LFA.mx|date=14 February 2020|access-date=22 February 2023|language=es}}
Rivals
=Dinos de Saltillo=
Fundidores and Dinos are from northern Mexico and were divisional rivals since the establishment of the divisional system in the LFA in 2017, which was later discarded in 2022. The rivalry between the two cities, Saltillo and Monterrey, dates back to the times of the Liga Nacional de Futbol Americano (National American Football League) in the late 90s, when both cities had fierce matches between their two teams: the Dinosaurios (Dinosaurs) and the Cerveceros (Brewers).{{cite news|title=Inició la era jurásica en Saltillo|url=https://vanguardia.com.mx/articulo/inicio-la-era-jurasica-en-saltillo|newspaper=Vanguardia|first=Víctor Manuel|last=Pérez Ocampo|date=9 October 2016|accessdate=9 March 2019|language=es}} The rivalry goes beyond the gridiron, since both teams fight season after season to get the best college players from Nuevo León and Coahuila.{{cite news|title=Fundidores Vs. Dinos sí es un Clásico: Coach Tito González|url=https://lfa.mx/fundidores-vs-dinos-si-es-un-clasico-coach-tito-gonzalez/|publisher=LFA|date=9 February 2019|access-date=9 March 2019|language=es}} The rivalry is known as Clásico del Norte (Northern Classic).{{cite web|title=Fundidores y Dinos, el "Clásico del Norte" de la LFA|url=https://lfa.mx/fundidores-y-dinos-el-clasico-del-norte-de-la-lfa/|website=LFA.mx|date=8 July 2022|first=Carlos|last=Ávila|access-date=22 February 2023|language=es}}
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%; margin:auto;"
! colspan="4" | Dinos de Saltillo vs. Fundidores de Monterrey season-by-season results |
| Season
! Results ! Location ! Overall series |
|---|
| rowspan=2| {{LFA Year|2017}}
| style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dinos de Saltillo}}| Dinos | Estadio Olímpico Francisco I. Madero | Dinos |
| style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Fundidores de Monterrey}}| Fundidores 14–6 | Tie |
| rowspan=2| {{LFA Year|2018}}
| style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Fundidores de Monterrey}}| Fundidores | Estadio Nuevo León Unido | Fundidores |
| style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dinos de Saltillo}}| Dinos 30–20 | Estadio Olímpico Francisco I. Madero | Tie |
| rowspan=2| {{LFA Year|2019}}
| style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Fundidores de Monterrey}}| Fundidores | Estadio Nuevo León Unido | Fundidores |
| style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dinos de Saltillo}}| Dinos 8–0 | Estadio Olímpico Francisco I. Madero | Tie |
| {{LFA Year|2020}}
| style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dinos de Saltillo}}| Dinos | Dinos |
| {{LFA Year|2022}}
| style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dinos de Saltillo}}| Dinos | Dinos |
| rowspan=2| {{LFA Year|2023}}
| style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dinos de Saltillo}}| Dinos | Estadio Francisco I. Madero | Dinos |
| style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Fundidores de Monterrey}}| Fundidores 55–34 | Estadio Borregos | Dinos |
Roster
| class="toccolours" style="text-align: left;"
|+ colspan="9" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Fundidores de Monterrey|border=2}};"| Fundidores de Monterrey roster |
style="font-size: 95%;vertical-align:top;" | Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
| style="width: 25px;" | | style="font-size: 95%;vertical-align:top;" | Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| style="width: 25px;" | | style="font-size: 95%;vertical-align:top;" | Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
| style="text-align:center;font-size: 95%;background:#F9F9F9;border:2px solid #A6192E" colspan="10"|
Italics indicate International player |
Staff
| class="toccolours" style="text-align: left;"
|+ colspan=7 style="background:black; color:white; text-align: center; border:2px solid #E1B104;" | Fundidores de Monterrey staff |
| colspan=7 style="text-align:right;" | |
| style="vertical-align:top;" |
| style="font-size: 95%;vertical-align:top;" | Front office
Head coach
|width="35"| | style="vertical-align:top;" | | style="font-size: 95%;vertical-align:top;" | Offensive coaches
Defensive coaches
|
Season-by-season
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center; width:65em" |
| rowspan="2" | Season
! rowspan="2" | Head coach ! colspan="4" | Regular season ! colspan="4" | Postseason |
|---|
| Won
! Lost ! Win % ! Finish ! Won ! Lost ! Win % ! Result |
| colspan="10" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Fundidores de Monterrey|border=2}};"| Fundidores de Monterrey |
| 2017
| Leopoldo Treviño | 2 | 5 | .286 | 3rd {{small|(North)}} | – | – | — | — |
| 2018
| Israel González | 2 | 5 | .286 | 3rd {{small|(North)}} | – | – | — | — |
| 2019
| Israel González | 3 | 5 | .375 | 2nd {{small|(North)}} | 0 | 1 | .000 | {{small|Lost North Division Championship (at Raptors) 53–47 (OT)}} |
| 2020
| Carlos Strevel | 3 | 2 | .600 | 3rd {{small|(North)}} | colspan=4| Postseason cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021
| colspan=9| Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| style="background:#FFD604;"
! 2022 | Carlos Strevel | 4 | 2 | .667 | 1st {{small|(League)}} | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | {{small|Won Semifinals (Raptors) 30–27}} |
| 2023
| Carlos Strevel / Jorge Valdez | 6 | 4 | .600 | 5th {{small|(league)}} | 1 | 1 | .500 | {{small|Won Wild Card (Reds) 17–10}} |
| 2024
| Jorge Valdez | 4 | 4 | .500 | 5th {{small|(league)}} | 1 | 1 | .500 | {{small|Won Wild Card (Dinos) 26–17}} |
| colspan="2" | Total
! 24 ! 28 ! .462 ! ! 4 ! 3 ! .571 ! |
Championships
=Tazón México championships=
| class="wikitable" style="width:80%;text-align:center" | |||||
| style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Fundidores de Monterrey|border=2}}"| Year
!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Fundidores de Monterrey|border=2}}"| Coach !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Fundidores de Monterrey|border=2}}"| Location !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Fundidores de Monterrey|border=2}}"| Opponent !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Fundidores de Monterrey|border=2}}"| Score !style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Fundidores de Monterrey|border=2}}"| Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{LFA Year|2022}} | Carlos Strevel | Estadio Caliente (Tijuana) | Gallos Negros de Querétaro | 18–14 | 6–2 |
Notable players
- {{flagicon|USA}} Chad Johnson – WR (2017, one game)
- {{flagicon|MEX}} José Carlos Maltos – K (2017–2019)
- {{flagicon|MEX}} René Brassea – OL (2019)
- {{flagicon|USA}} Kasey Peters – QB (2019)
- {{flagicon|USA}} Shelton Eppler – QB (2022) League MVP
References
{{reflist}}
{{Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional}}
{{Fundidores de Monterrey}}
Category:Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional teams
Category:2016 establishments in Mexico