([[Tijuana]])"},"college":{"wt":"[[Borregos Salvajes Monterrey|ITESM Monterrey]]"},"cfldraftyear":{"wt":"2022G"},"cfldraftround":{"wt":"1"},"cfldraftpick":{"wt":"8"},"pastteams":{"wt":"* [[Ottawa Redblacks ]] ({{CFL Year|2024}}–present)"},"status":{"wt":"Active"},"cflstatus":{"wt":"Global"},"highlights":{"wt":"* [[ONEFA]] champion (2022)\n* CONADEIP champion (2019)"},"cfl":{"wt":"hector-zepeda/168620/"}},"i":0}}]}" id="mwCQ">American football player
No. 57 – Ottawa Redblacks | |
---|---|
Position: | Offensive lineman |
Personal information | |
Born: | Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico | 1 November 1997
Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
Weight: | 297 lb (135 kg) |
Career information | |
High school: | Instituto México (Tijuana) |
College: | ITESM Monterrey |
CFL Draft: | 2022G / Round: 1 / Pick: 8 |
Career history | |
| |
Roster status: | Active |
CFL status: | Global |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Player stats at CFL.ca |
Héctor Andrés Zepeda Hernández (born 1 November 1997) is a Mexican professional football offensive lineman for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM), where he won two national championships with the Borregos Salvajes Monterrey. He was selected to participate in the National Football League (NFL)'s International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) in 2022 and 2023. Zepeda was also drafted by the Redblacks in the first round of the 2022 CFL Global Draft.
Zepeda was born in Ensenada, Baja California, and moved to Tijuana soon afterward due to his father's job. [1] He played indoor soccer and basketball as a child. [2] He also competed in sport shooting, winning a gold medal in the 13–14-year-old category at the 2011 Olimpiada Nacional (National Olympics). [3] [4] Zepeda began playing American football at the age of 14; his middle school physical education teacher convinced him to join the team, which he coached. [2] [5] He subsequently played football in high school at the Instituto México in Tijuana. [1] [3] He was selected to an OEFA all-star team that defeated Borregos Prepa Tec 28–0 in the third annual Tazón OEFA-CONADEIP in 2014. [3] [6]
Zepeda received a scholarship to play college football with the Borregos Salvajes Monterrey, representing the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM). [5] He played the guard, tackle and center positions. [5] Zepeda helped the Borregos Salvajes win the 2019 Liga Premier CONADEIP championship. [3] After graduating in 2021, he returned to play another season in 2022 and helped the team win the Liga Mayor ONEFA championship. [7]
In October 2021, Zepeda attended an NFL International Combine held in Monterrey. [8] His performance earned him an invitation to participate in the National Football League (NFL)'s International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) in 2022 alongside 12 other prospects. [9] [10] Two of his former teammates at ITESM, Isaac Alarcón and Alfredo Gutiérrez, had been signed to NFL teams after participating in the program in 2020 and 2021, respectively. [10] Zepeda spent 10 weeks training in Arizona before participating alongside other IPPP players Arizona State University's Pro Day on 14 March 2022. [11] [12] However, no team signed him. [13] The following month, Zepeda was drafted by the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 CFL Global Draft. [14] [15] He chose to return to Mexico to play in the 2022 college season. [7]
In October 2022, Zepeda once again attended an NFL International Combine, this time held in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. [16] He was selected to the International Player Pathway Program for the second year in a row, being named along with 10 other athletes as a member of the 2023 class. [13] Zepeda was selected by the Galgos de Tijuana with the 20th overall pick in the 2024 Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA) draft, but did not play with the team.
On 28 February 2024, Zepeda signed with the Ottawa Redblacks. [17] Following training camp, he accepted a position on the team's practice roster. [18]
Zepeda is the first member of his family to have played American football, and his parents did not know much about it when he began. [19] Zepeda used the #79 jersey in college to honor his grandfather, who died at the age of 79. [3] He earned his undergraduate degree in industrial and systems engineering before enrolling in the Master of Finance program at the EGADE Business School in 2021. [3] [20]
Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, also known as Tecnológico de Monterrey or just Tec, is a private research university based in Monterrey, Mexico, which has grown to include 35 campuses throughout the country.
The Estadio Tecnológico was a multi-purpose stadium located in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, located on the campus of the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM). It hosted football and American football games during its 67-year existence, from 1950 to 2017.
The Borregos Salvajes ITESM is the name of all the cultural, artistic and sports teams that represent the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) in various disciplines, such as sports, theatre, music and leadership representatives. The name of is derived from official mascot of the institution: the bighorn ram.
The Borregos Salvajes Monterrey team represents the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in the sport of American football. The Borregos Salvajes are one of the most successful programs in Mexico, having won 15 National Titles, including five back to back from 2004 to 2008, being the only team to achieve such fate.
Borregos Salvajes México is a college American football team that represents the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Campus State of Mexico. Unlike traditional teams such as Pumas Dorados de la UNAM, Aguilas Blancas or Borregos Salvajes (Monterrey), Borregos Salvajes-CEM is a younger program tracing is roots to the late-1970s. Nonetheless, it has recently experienced success on the playing field having won two national championships in 2000 and 2003.
Ramiro Pruneda [PRU-ned-ah] is a Mexican offensive tackle for the Dinos de Saltillo of the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA). He was signed by the Cologne Centurions in 2006. He played college football at ITESM.
José Carlos Maltos Díaz is a Mexican professional gridiron football placekicker for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Redblacks selected him second overall in the 2019 CFL–LFA Draft. He was originally signed by the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL) in 2013, but was released following training camp. He played college football for UANL.
Fundidores de Monterrey, officially Fundidores, are an American football team based in Monterrey, Mexico. The Fundidores compete in the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA), the top American football league in Mexico. The team plays its home games at the Estadio Banorte.
Estadio Borregos, also referred to as Estadio Banorte for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Monterrey, Mexico. It is the home stadium for the college football team Borregos Salvajes Monterrey of the ONEFA and the professional American football team Fundidores de Monterrey from the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional. The stadium was inaugurated in April 2019 and seats 10,057 spectators.
The 2020 LFA season was the fifth season of the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA), the top American football league in Mexico. The regular season began on February 8 and was to conclude on April 26, with the playoffs beginning on May 1 and ending with the Tazón México V on May 17. Nevertheless, after week 5, on March 16, the LFA announced the suspension of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and on 29 March 2020 the league confirmed that the season was cancelled.
Guillermo Alberto Villalobos Zanabria is a Mexican professional gridiron football wide receiver for the Mexicas CDMX of the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA). He played college football at ITESM CEM. Villalobo was drafted in the 2019 CFL-LFA Draft and played during two seasons for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Isaac Alarcón García is a Mexican American football offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM) and joined the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 as a part of the league's International Player Pathway Program.
The Borregos Salvajes Toluca, or simply Borregos Toluca, team represented the Toluca campus of the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) in college football from 1995 to 2021. The Borregos Toluca last competed in the Jacinto Licea Conference, ONEFA's top division.
José Guillermo Ruiz Burguete is a Mexican gridiron football coach. He previously played in the NFL Europe with the Frankfurt Galaxy.
Sergio Schiaffino Pérez is a Mexican professional gridiron football defensive back for the Dinos de Saltillo of the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA).
Enrique Gerardo Yenny Romero is a Mexican professional gridiron football kicker who is a free agent. He played college football with ITESM Toluca, winning a national championship in 2017.
Hugo Israel Lira Hernández 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.
Eduardo Jesús Castañeda Menchaca is a Mexican former gridiron football linebacker.
Juan Alberto Wong Borunda is a Mexican gridiron football coach and former wide receiver who is the current head coach of the Borregos Salvajes Laguna juvenile (under-18) team. He played college football with the Borregos Salvajes Laguna before signing with the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League in 2004. Wong played in NFL Europe for two seasons, appearing for the Rhein Fire, the Frankfurt Galaxy, and the Hamburg Sea Devils, before participating in New York Jets training camp in 2007.