Hugo Lira

Hugo Israel Lira Hernández (born 11 January 1978) is a Mexican gridiron football coach and former wide receiver who is the current head coach of the Borregos Salvajes CCM. He played college football with the Aztecas UDLAP before playing in NFL Europe for three seasons with the Frankfurt Galaxy and the Berlin Thunder, winning World Bowl XI with the former. He also participated in the Carolina Panthers training camp in 2005.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Lira and the second or maternal family name is Hernández.
Hugo Lira
ITESM CCM
Position:Head coach
Personal information
Born: (1978-01-11) 11 January 1978
Querétaro City, Mexico
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:174 lb (79 kg)
Career information
College:UDLAP (1998–2002)
Undrafted:2003
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Hugo Lira
Medal record
Men's American football
World University Championship
Wide receivers coach for  Mexico
Gold medal – first place2014 UppsalaTeam
Gold medal – first place2016 MonterreyTeam
Gold medal – first place2018 HarbinTeam

Playing career

A native of Querétaro City, Lira played for the Pieles Rojas del Distrito Federal and the Zorros de Querétaro at the juvenile (18 and under) and intermediate (20 and under) levels before accepting a scholarship to play college football for the Aztecas UDLAP.[1][2] He played the running back position and helped his team achieve back-to-back ONEFA runner-up finishes in 1998 and 1999.

As a professional, Lira played the wide receiver position. In 2003, he was assigned to the Frankfurt Galaxy in NFL Europe.[3] He won World Bowl XI in his first year when the Galaxy defeated the Rhein Fire 35–16.[4][5] The following year, the Galaxy reached World Bowl XII, where Lira returned two kickoffs for 94 yards, though his team was defeated by the Berlin Thunder 30–24.[6] He joined the Berlin Thunder for the 2005 season. He recorded three receptions for 24 yards and returned 11 kickoffs for 248 yards. Lira played with the Thunder in World Bowl XIII, where the team lost to the Amsterdam Admirals 27–21.[7]

In July 2005, Lira joined the Carolina Panthers training camp as a national player via an NFL Europe roster exemption.[8][9] During this time, he was roommates with fellow NFL Europe alum Aden Durde.[10] Lira recorded the last reception of the Panthers' preseason, a six-yard pass from Stefan LeFors to close out their final preseason game.[11] He was released during final roster cuts on 3 September.[12]

Coaching career

In 1995, Lira began coaching at the youth level with the Zorros de Querétaro.[1] After his training camp stint with the Carolina Panthers, he served as the head coach for UVM Querétaro from 2005 to 2006. Lira joined the Borregos Salvajes CEM as their wide receivers coach in 2007.[13]

Lira was hired as the head coach of the Borregos Salvajes Puebla ahead of the 2012 season.[1] In his head coaching debut, he led Puebla to a 44–7 victory over the Legionarios Uninter.[14] They finished with a 5–4 record. In his second year, Lira helped the team achieve promotion to the Grupo Independencia – the highest tier in CONADEIP – after a first-place finish in the Grupo Revolución.[15] In 2015, Lira led Puebla to a 7–3 record and a semifinals appearance.[15] However, the team won just four combined games in 2016 and 2017.[15] Puebla returned to the playoffs in 2019 after achieving a 6–3 regular-season record,[16] but the team was eliminated by crosstown rivals Aztecas UDLAP in the semifinals.[17]

After ten years at the helm of the Borregos Salvajes Puebla, Lira was transferred in early 2022.[18] He was subsequently hired as the head coach of the Borregos Salvajes CCM, who were returning to ONEFA after a seven-year absence in place of the Borregos Salvajes Toluca, who were discontinuing their program.[18][19]

National team

Lira was on the Team Mexico coaching staff as a wide receivers coach at three editions of the World University American Football Championship (2014, 2016, 2018), winning three gold medals.[20][21][22]

Personal life

Lira was 11 years old when his father died in a car accident.[23] His younger brother, Irak, was nine years old at the time.[23] He went on to play alongside Hugo for the Aztecas UDLAP as a quarterback, wide receiver and kicker.[23][24] Irak quarterbacked the Pioneros de Querétaro in the team's inaugural season in 2019 and went on to be a quarterbacks coach at the college level.[25][26]

Lira earned his undergraduate degree in business administration at UDLAP.[27] Several years later while coaching at ITESM, he earned his master's degree in administration of educational institutions. In November 2015, Lira was granted an award by the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education Puebla campus for encouraging his players to do community work.[28] Over the past three years, his players had volunteered at places such as children's hospitals, orphanages, adult daycare centers, prisons, and juvenile detention centers.[28]

References
  1. Aguilar Cruz, Leopoldo (6 March 2012). "Hugo Lira es el nuevo coach de los Borregos campus Puebla". La Jornada de Oriente (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  2. González, Francisco (21 June 2022). "Impartirá Hugo Lira clínica de futbol americano". Diario de Querétaro (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  3. "NFLE teams make final roster cuts". OurSports Central. 24 March 2003. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  4. Pineda Dosal, César (16 June 2003). "Rosado, ofensivo del año". El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  5. "Legión mexicana en la NFL Europa". ESPN Deportes (in Spanish). 28 March 2004. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  6. "Hay nuevo monarca en Europa". ESPN (in Spanish). 12 June 2004. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  7. "Amsterdam, campeón de la NFL Europa". La Jornada (in Spanish). 12 June 2005. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  8. "Panthers sign Hangartner". The Sun News. 13 July 2005. p. 14. Retrieved 1 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Vázquez Soriano, Juan Manuel (6 August 2005). "El mexicano Hugo Lira busca un lugar en las Panteras de Carolina de la NFL". La Jornada (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  10. Sotelo, Marco (2 August 2005). "A estudiar". ESPN (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  11. Gantt, Darin (3 September 2005). "Clock ticking for Panthers to make final roster cuts". The Herald. p. 25. Retrieved 1 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Gantt, Darin (4 September 2005). "Rookie Shelton lost for year". The Herald. p. 32. Retrieved 2 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Busca Borregos CEM alcanzar el nivel de años anteriores". Medio Tiempo (in Spanish). 19 June 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  14. Aguilar Cruz, Leopoldo (3 September 2012). "Tec campus Puebla inicia con triunfo temporada 2012 en futbol americano". La Jornada de Oriente (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  15. "«Nos falta el resultado deportivo»: Hugo Lira". Servicios de Información Masiva (in Spanish). 30 August 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  16. Rodríguez Blancas, Lorenzo (3 November 2019). "Con dominio de principio a fin, Borregos Puebla gana y va a semifinal". Capital Querétaro (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  17. Velázquez León, Alma Liliana (16 November 2019). "Aztecas Udlap a la final de la Conferencia Premier de Futbol Americano". Sintesis.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  18. Jhonnathan, Alland (10 March 2022). "Borregos Puebla despide a su entrenador Hugo Lira; Fisher, ¿su relevo?". El Sol de Puebla (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  19. "«Borregos Ciudad de México, reflejo a la resiliencia»: Hugo Lira". Servicios de Información Masiva (in Spanish). 31 August 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  20. Cepeda, Rocío (14 May 2014). "Campeones y anfitriones". Reporte Indigo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  21. Aguilar, Leopoldo (15 June 2016). "Los Borregos del Tec campus Puebla, campeones mundiales". La Jornada de Oriente (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  22. Contreras, Martín (25 June 2018). "Logra México la hazaña: es tricampeón mundial en futbol americano". Conecta (in Spanish). Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  23. Coello, Ricardo (25 August 2000). "Ponen ejemplo hermanos Lira". Reforma (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 January 2023 – via vLex México.
  24. "La Liga Mayor - Semana 6". ESPN Deportes (in Spanish). 12 October 2003. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  25. Arellano, Marcos (25 February 2019). "¡Gran debut! tuvieron los Pioneros". Diario de Querétaro (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  26. Terrón, Víctor (29 August 2022). "Listos para jugar". Noticias de Querétaro (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  27. "Hugo Israel Lira Hernandez" (in Spanish). BuhoLegal. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  28. Aguilar, Leopoldo (27 November 2015). "Reconocen a Hugo Lira Hernández como "Formador Integral"". La Jornada de Oriente (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 January 2023.
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