Borregos: The evolution of the sports concept of Tec de Monterrey

Humberto Potes and his teammates concentrate. They’re through to the finals of the first national eSports tournament from CONADEIP, a civil association that brings together private educational institutions in Mexico to promote sport among students. The team who wins 3 out of 5 games will win. And they’ve already lost the first.

But they recover spectacularly to win three consecutive League of Legends games for the Monterrey Borregos (Rams), taking this first collegiate eSports championship. Chihuahua Borregos and Guadalajara Borregos take second and third place respectively.

There was a time when the Borregos name only applied to American football. Now, the Tec’s sports concept has been extended to multiple disciplines: soccer, basketball, athletics, tennis, and yes, even video games.

Road to professional sports

77 years have passed since the first team from the Tec’s Monterrey campus played their first game against the Autonomous University of Nuevo León.

The story goes that the team picked up a wild ram next to the Santa Catarina River on the way to that game, taking it as a mascot and starting their famous nickname.

Now, the Borregos American football teams from different campuses have racked up 30 national championships, with Borregos Monterrey on top with 22 (18 from ONEFA and 4 from CONADEIP).

In an NFL Mexico documentary entitled “El Semillero Mexicano de la NFL” (A Mexican breeding ground for the NFL), coach Frank González, who led Monterrey from 1986 to 2012, talks about the impact: “We had a dream (…) to place a player in the NFL. (But) in only a few years, we placed seven players.”

This year, MBA student and offensive lineman Héctor Zepeda was selected for the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, where he aims to follow in the footsteps of Isaac Alarcón and Alfredo Gutiérrez, who joined the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers respectively, and are looking to make the starting team.

But the Borregos name has also shone in basketball, with a triple championship for Tec Hidalgo, a team led by Sergio Molina, who has also led the senior men’s national team.

“We’re looking for first-rate athletes who want professional development to be able to complement both of those things.” -Emilio Álvarez

In soccer, PrepaTec teams led by former soccer player Guillermo Franco have won 5 consecutive CONADEIP championships, while several former Tec players such as Desirée Monsiváis, Liliana Mercado, Rebeca Bernal, Cristina Ferral, or Daniela Solís have been named champions of the Women’s MX League.

Sprinter Paola Moran competed in the 400 meters at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020. She’d previously won gold at the Pan American Games in the 4x400m relay, along with Dania Aguillón, who’s also a Tec student.

Former Hidalgo Borregos player Israel Gutiérrez, now a professional basketball player, sums it up like this: “There’s a special chemistry, a culture of work and effort. And that’s what has helped us triumph in everything we’ve achieved”.

Student athletes

There are currently nine Borregos Athletics disciplines: athletics, basketball, American football, soccer, swimming, volleyball, tennis, taekwondo, and eSports.

Emilio Álvarez, director of the area, says that they want to get the best student athletes with their sports talent scholarships.

“We’re looking for first-rate athletes who want to develop professionally to be able to complement both of those things,” he explains.

Disciplines such as electronic sports have also been incorporated as part of the Borregos evolution.

“Esports are a fun and educational tool, in which you pick up skills such as teamwork, collaboration, communication, and decision-making,” explains Salma Jaik, leader of Marca Borregos.

“Our work is educational (...) we want all those first-rate athletes who are looking to develop professionally to be able to complement both of those things.” -Emilio Álvarez

Likewise, Isaac Alarcón says that “Being a student athlete is a challenge: leaving class, eating, training, and then going back to class. You mature and learn to manage your time (…) All of that molds you”.

Borregos offers benefits to athletes and a connection between them and the university community and society, says Astrid Burst, director of brand identity at the Tec.

“Borregos is the largest university student franchise in Mexico (...) The community follows us because we’re working with very clear dreams to elevate collegiate sports, not just as Tec de Monterrey, but as Mexico.”

Borregos leaving their mark

• Isaac Alarcón - After becoming champion with the Monterrey Borregos, he now has a contract with the Dallas Cowboys.
• Paola Morán - She competed in the 400-meter race at the last Olympic Games.
• Israel Gutiérrez - From Tec Hidalgo, he’s played professional basketball in Mexico, Argentina, and Spain.
• Édgar Rivera - A high jump specialist who has competed for Mexico in two Olympic Games.
• Desirée Monsiváis - She played in the Women’s Champions League and is current champion with the Monterrey Rayadas (The Striped-Ones).

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