Dinos de Saltillo
Team logo
Established28 September 2016; 7 years ago (2016-09-28)
Based inSaltillo, Mexico
Home fieldEstadio Francisco I. Madero
Head coachJavier Adame
Owner(s)Francisco Javier Orozco
LeagueLiga de Fútbol Americano Profesional
ColoursPurple, black, turquoise and white
       
Nickname(s)La Ola Morada (The Purple Tide)
Division Championships2017
Current sports event 2023 Dinos de Saltillo season

Dinos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Dinos) are an American football team based in Saltillo, Mexico. The Dinos compete in the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional, the top American football league in Mexico. The team plays its home games at the Estadio Francisco I. Madero.

History

The team was founded on 28 September 2016, in resemblance of the semi-professional team with the same name that played in the Mexican Master Football League from 1995 to 1996 in the city of Saltillo.[1]

The team participated in the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional for the first time in the 2017 season. Under head coach Guillermo Ruiz Burguete, the team finished with a 2–5 record, nevertheless, due to the competition system, Dinos still classified for playoffs and defeated Raptors for the North Division championship, classifying for the Tazón México in their first year in the league.[2] The Dinos lost the Tazón México to the Mayas 18–24, played at the Estadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo" in Mexico City.[3]

A new coaching staff arrived to the team for the 2018 season, led by head coach Carlos Cabral. The Dinos had a 4–3 regular season record, qualifying to the playoffs for second consecutive season, this time as division leader. In a rematch of the 2017 game, Dinos lost 6–21 to Raptors in the Division Championship game.[4]

Javier Adame era (2019–present)

In May 2018, Dinos signed Javier Adame as head coach, ahead of the 2019 season. Adame had previously worked as offensive line coordinator for the Dinos.[5]

From its inception until 2021, the Dinos played their home games at the Estadio Olímpico Francisco I. Madero.[6] In 2022, due to an agreement between the Dinos and the baseball club Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League, the team moved to the Estadio Francisco I. Madero.[7]

In the 2022 season, the Dinos had finished with the best record in the regular season. In the playoffs, Saltillo had faced Gallos Negros, who defeated them.

Rivals

Fundidores de Monterrey

The Fundidores and the Dinos are from northern Mexico and divisional rivals since the establishment of the divisional system in the LFA in 2017. Besides that, the rivalry dates back to the times of the Liga Nacional de Futbol Americano (National American Football League) in the late 90s, when both cities (Saltillo and Monterrey) had fierce matches between their two teams: the Dinosaurios (Dinosaurs) and the Cerveceros (Brewers).[8] The rivalry goes beyond the gridiron, since both teams fight season after season to get the best college players from Nuevo León and Coahuila.[9]

Dinos de Saltillo vs. Fundidores de Monterrey season-by-season results
Season Results Location Overall series
2017 Dinos
33–16 		Estadio Olímpico Francisco I. Madero Dinos
1–0
Fundidores
14–6 		Estadio Tecnológico Tie
1–1
2018 Fundidores
17–0 		Estadio Nuevo León Unido Fundidores
2–1
Dinos
30–20 		Estadio Olímpico Francisco I. Madero Tie
2–2
2019 Fundidores
26–13 		Estadio Nuevo León Unido Fundidores
3–2
Dinos
8–0 		Estadio Olímpico Francisco I. Madero Tie
3–3
2020 Dinos
23–15 		Estadio Borregos Dinos
4–3
2022 Dinos
24–17 		Estadio Francisco I. Madero Dinos
5–3
2023 Dinos
38–31 		Estadio Francisco I. Madero Dinos
6–3
Fundidores
55–34 		Estadio Borregos Dinos
6–4

Raptors de Naucalpan

The Raptors de Naucalpan and the Dinos play each season the so-called Jurassic Duel (Spanish: Duelo Jurásico). Due to these teams being two of the strongest in the league in recent years, this rivalry is considered amongst LFA's most important rivalries.[10]

Dinos de Saltillo vs. Raptors de Naucalpan season-by-season results
Season Results Location Overall series
2017 Raptors
34–27 		Estadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo" Raptors
1–0
Raptors
19–6 		Estadio Olímpico de Saltillo Raptors
2–0
Dinos
13–10 		Estadio Jesús Martínez "Palillo" Raptors
2–1
2018 Dinos
29–27 		Estadio José Ortega Martínez Tie
2–2
Dinos
23–20 		Estadio Olímpico de Saltillo Dinos
3–2
Raptors
21–6 		Estadio Olímpico de Saltillo Tie
3–3
2019 Raptors
21–7 		Estadio Olímpico de Saltillo Raptors
4–3
Raptors
19–7 		Estadio FES Acatlán Raptors
5–3
2020 Dinos
30–29 		Estadio Olímpico de Saltillo Raptors
5–4
2022 Raptors
28–27 		Estadio FES Acatlán Raptors
6–4
2023 Dinos
24–14 		Estadio Francisco I. Madero Raptors
6–5

Roster

Dinos de Saltillo roster
Quarterbacks
  • 16 Brandon López
  • 17 Erick Niño

Running backs

  • 1 Omar Cojolum
  • 5 Julio Covarrubias
  • 22 Sergio García
  • 23 Emilio Fernández
  • 27 Joan Medina

Wide receivers

  • 3 Gerardo Álvarez
  • 8 Kevontae Pope
  • 11 Luis Coronado
  • 12 Lorenzo Thompson
  • 13 Michael Green Jr.
  • 14 Sergio Barbosa
  • 19 DunTayviun Gross
  • 86 Ricardo Flores

Tight Ends

  • 84 Jeremy Jackson
  • 87 Sergio Cisneros
 Offensive linemen
  • 52 Erick Zamora
  • 55 Julio Díaz
  • 56 Nathaniel Hines
  • 59 Enrique López
  • 68 Marco Orozco
  • 69 Isame Faciane III
  • 71 Damien Britt
  • 74 Ramiro Pruneda
  • 77 Earlinton Jones

Defensive linemen

  • 4 Jadarius Ceasar
  • 9 Michael Phillips
  • 10 Elias Lankenau
  • 33 Diego Castillo
  • 91 Jordan Barrett
  • 92 Garret Pemelton
  • 95 Angel Arriola
  • 99 Felix Guerrero
 Linebackers
  • 0 Gerardo Vélez
  • 2 Adrián Martínez
  • 41 Víctor Sánchez
  • 44 Emmanuel Rodriguez
  • 47 Pedro Jimenez
  • 48 Marco Mata
  • 51 Luis Maldonado
  • 53 Marco Gozález

Defensive backs

  • 7 Emmanuel Pelzer
  • 15 Austin Brown-Hickerson
  • 20 Andrés Castro
  • 21 Jaylin Boyd
  • 24 Sergio Schiaffino
  • 26 José Arriaga
  • 36 Iván Sánchez

Special teams

  • 30 Gabriel Ballinas K

Italics indicate International player
Roster updated 10-03-2024[11]

Staff

Dinos Saltillo staff
Front office
  • Owner – Francisco Javier Orozco
  • General Manager – Edmundo Reyes

Head coach

  • Head coach – Javier Adame

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive coordinator – Raúl Martínez
  • Running backs – David Rodríguez
  • Wide receivers – Jacob Villarreal
  • Offensive line – Jaime Monzón
  

Defensive coaches

  • Defensive Coordinator – Mauricio Pérez
  • Defensive line – Arturo Teuttli
  • Defensive backs – Lorenzo Vela

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – David Rodríguez
  • Trainer – Rodolfo Ramos

Season-by-season

Season Head coach Regular season Postseason
Won Lost Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
2017 Guillermo Ruiz Burguete 2 5 .286 2nd (North) 1 1 .500 Won North Division Championship (at Raptors) 13–10
Lost Tazón México II (vs Mayas) 24–18
2018 Carlos Cabral 4 3 .571 1st (North) 0 1 .000 Lost North Division Championship (at Raptors) 21–6
2019 Javier Adame 3 5 .375 3rd (North) – – – –
2020 Javier Adame 3 2 .600 2nd (North) Postseason cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2022 Javier Adame 5 1 .833 1st (League) 0 1 .000 Lost Semifinals (vs Gallos Negros) 20–27
2023 Javier Adame 7 3 .700 2nd (League)
Total 24 19 .558 1 3 .250

Awards

References

  1. ^ "Inició la era jurásica en Saltillo". Vanguardia (in Spanish). 9 October 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  2. ^ "Dinos consigue el pase a la final y mucho más" (in Spanish). LFA. April 23, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  3. ^ "Mayas, bicampeón de la LFA. Se impuso 18-24 ante los Dinos de Saltillos" (in Spanish). LFA. 23 April 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  4. ^ "Raptors, primer finalista de la LFA al derrotan a Dinos". Máximo Avance (in Spanish). 14 April 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Javier Adame nuevo Head Coach de Dinos". LFA.mx (in Spanish). 24 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Regresan al Olímpico, Dinos entrenará hoy en Saltillo". Vanguardia (in Spanish). 27 January 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  7. ^ Arguijo, Aarón (21 January 2022). "Dinos de Saltillo presenta su temporada 2022". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Inició la era jurásica en Saltillo". Vanguardia (in Spanish). 9 October 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Fundidores Vs. Dinos sí es un Clásico: Coach Tito González" (in Spanish). LFA. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  10. ^ "El duelo jurásico, una batalla de millones de años". LFA.mx (in Spanish). 20 February 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  11. ^ "DINOS". LFA (in Mexican Spanish). 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
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