Horacio Casarín

Horacio Casarín Garcilazo (25 May 1918 – 10 April 2005) was a Mexican football player and coach who established himself as one of his country's most popular sports figures in the 1940s and 1950s.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Casarín and the second or maternal family name is Garcilazo.
Horacio Casarín
Personal information
Full name Horacio Casarín Garcilazo
Date of birth (1918-05-25)25 May 1918
Place of birth Mexico City, Mexico
Date of death 10 April 2005(2005-04-10) (aged 86)
Place of death Mexico City, Mexico
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1936–1942 Necaxa
1942–1948 Atlante
1948–1950 Barcelona
1950 Real Club España (21)
1950–1951 Necaxa 21 (17)
1951 Veracruz
1951–1953 Zacatepec
1953–1955 Atlante
1955–1956 América
1956–1957 Monterrey
National team
1937–1956 Mexico 16 (15)
Teams managed
1978–1979 Zacatepec
1979 Tecos UAG
1981–1984 Atlante
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

A symbol for Atlante, the team Casarín served for the majority of his career, the skilled forward also played for Necaxa, Leon, Asturias, Club América, Real España, CF Monterrey and Zacatepec in his country, as well as FC Barcelona in Spain and the Selección de fútbol de México (Mexico national team).

Playing career

Club

At age 17, Casarín debuted for Necaxa. Over the course of his career in Mexico, Casarín scored 236 goals at the amateur and professional levels (the Mexican League was founded in the early 1940s) and represented his country at the 1950 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil and scored a goal during the run of the tournament. A well-known anecdote involving Casarín takes place during a 1939 game between Casarin's Necaxa, and Asturias. After scoring a goal in the first few minutes of the game, defenders sought out Casarín and fouled him mercilessly, until the goalscorer was forced to abandon the pitch after only twenty minutes had gone by. The game ended in a 2–2 draw, but outraged Necaxa fans expressed their ire by burning Asturia's wooden stadium.

With Atlante, Casarín scored 95 goals and helped the Potros win the 1946–47 season championship, while cementing his popularity by acting in the football-themed movie, "The sons of Don Venacio". Word of Casarín's role in the film spread, and the movie became a box-office success in Mexico. Casarín played his last game as a professional on 18 November 1956, scoring a goal for CF Monterrey. He scored 174 goals in the Primera División during his career.[1]

International

He scored 15 goals for Mexico between 1937 and 1956.[2]

Managerial career

As a coach, Casarín's biggest achievement was coaching the Mexican U-20 national football team to a second-place finish in the inaugural FIFA U-20 World Cup in Tunisia in 1977. Casarín's squad lost the final game 9–8 in penalty kicks against the USSR. He also coached Atlante and Tecos UAG.

Death

Casarín's failing health finally gave out on 10 April 2005, only a few months after his wife, Maria Elena King, had died. He died of complications arising from Alzheimer's disease.

References
  1. "Murió el domingo Horacio Casarín" [Horacio Casarín died on Sunday] (in Spanish). El Siglo de Torreón. 11 April 2005.
  2. Appearances for Mexico National Team - RSSSF
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