Águilas Blancas

Águilas Blancas IPN[3] (English: White Eagles), also known as Politécnico or simply Águilas Blancas, is a Mexican college football team representing the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City, Mexico. The Águilas Blancas participate in the Green Conference as part of the National Student Organization of American Football (ONEFA). It is one of the most successful college football teams in Mexico having won five national championships throughout their history. They maintain a fierce rivalry with teams from the National Autonomous University of Mexico particularly with its Coyoacán based team from Ciudad Universitaria, Pumas Dorados de la UNAM.

Águilas Blancas IPN
First season1969 (1969)
Head coachEnrique Zárate
8th season, 25–25 (.500)
StadiumEstadio Wilfrido Massieu
(Capacity: 13,000[1][2])
Field surfaceGrass
LocationMexico City, Mexico
LeagueONEFA
ConferenceConferencia Jacinto Licea
Past conferencesConferencia del Centro (2009–2018)
Conferencia de los 12 Grandes (2005–2008)
Conferencia de los 10 Grandes (1997–2004)
Conferencia Mayor (1987–1996)
Conferencia Metropolitana (1978–1986)
Claimed national titles5 (1973, 1981, 1982, 1988, 1992)
RivalriesUNAM
Burros Blancos IPN
Current uniform
ColorsRed and White
   
Websitewww.aguilasblancas.org

The team plays in Estadio Wilfrido Massieu, and Enrique Zárate is the head coach since 2014.[4]

History
Politécnico National Championships
Politécnico players acknowledging fans after a game

This squad is the heir of the Burros Blancos IPN that was one of the oldest institution with an ancient American football tradition in Mexico (the other and their main competitor is the Pumas Dorados de la UNAM), the beginning of this squad can be traced to the late 1940s.

The modern age started in the sixties and the origin of this squad as we know it now was in the late sixties, when the National Polytechnic Institute decided to create three squads to represent its different schools: the Búhos (Owls) representing the ESM (School of Medicine) and the ENCB (Biological Sciences School), the Cheyennes representing the ESIME (School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering) and the ESIA (School of Engineering and Architecture), and the Águilas Blancas representing the ESCA (School of Commerce and Administration) and the ESIQIE (School of Chemical Engineering).[5]

Águilas Blancas was the best ranked team of the IPN during the first years after the foundation. The first championship came in 1973; later from 1974 to 1980 the squad found a lot of ups and downs; in 1981 came the second championship and in 1982 the third championship.[6]

In 1986, due to the critical economic situation in Mexico, the IPN authorities decided to merge the three teams and then came the foundation of Poli Guinda.

1988 was the year of the fourth championship and this time the relevance was large, because Águilas Blancas (now revived) defeated the Pumas Dorados de la UNAM at the final match.

In 1992 came the fifth and last championship of the team.

From 1998 to 2006; the team did not reach any post season game, the season 2000 was the worst of its history. Today the team is in a renewal process and is one of the mayor candidates to win the championship of the new Green Conference (Conferencia Verde).

After the 2011 season, head coach Jacinto Licea left Águilas Blancas after coaching the team during its entire existence.[7][8]

Enrique Zárate era (2014–present)

In 2014 Enrique Zárate, who previously was part of the Borregos CEM coaching staff, assumed as the new head coach of Águilas Blancas. Zárate played his college career with the Águilas Blancas.[9]

In 2019 the Águilas Blancas reached a final again after 26 years, but lost against the Burros Blancos 17–24.[10]

Championships

National championships
Year League/Conference Coach Record Opponent Result
1973Liga Nacional ColegialJacinto Licea7–0Águilas Reales UNAMW 21–19
1981Conferencia MetropolitanaJacinto Licea7–0N/AN/A
1982Conferencia MetropolitanaJacinto Licea8–1Cóndores UNAMW 16–8
1988Conferencia MayorJacinto Licea8–0Cóndores UNAMW 38–6
1992Conferencia MayorJacinto Licea8–3Centinelas CGPW 17–13

Rivalry

The team has an historic rivalry with Pumas Dorados de la UNAM, due to both of them being the biggest public universities in the country. More recently, another mayor rivalry arise with Borregos Salvajes Monterrey, Borregos Salvajes CEM, Aztecas UDLAP and recently with the Burros Blancos IPN.

Venue

The team plays at the Estadio Wilfrido Massieu, built in 1959 and renovated in 1994. The stadium has a seating capacity of 15,000. It is located north of Mexico City, within the Unidad Profesional Adolfo Lopez Mateos, IPN's main campus.

References
  1. Raúl Ochoa. "Liberen su casa" (in Spanish). Proceso. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
  2. "Regresa el Futbol Americano al Wilfrido Massieu" (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  3. García Estrada, Ricardo (30 March 2009). "Aplauso y silbido" (PDF). U2000 (in Spanish). p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  4. "¿Quién es Enrique Zárate, el coach de Águilas Blancas?". Milenio (in Spanish). 7 November 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  5. "Aguilas Blancas IPN :: Historia" (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  6. "Historia ONEFA" (in Spanish). ONEFA. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  7. Villegas, Abril (14 November 2020). "Jacinto Licea, un ícono del futbol americano del IPN". Esto (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  8. "El fin de una era, Licea deja a las Águilas Blancas". Máximo Avance (in Spanish). 16 December 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  9. Mancilla, Alfonso (8 November 2019). "Enrique Zárate quiere forjar otra maquinita con Águilas Blancas". ESPN.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  10. Cortés, Cynthia (9 November 2019). "Burros Blancos se llevan el título de la ONEFA 2019 tras vencer a Águilas Blancas". Milenio (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 January 2020.
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