Atlético Celaya

Mexican football club

The Club Atlético Celaya was a Mexican football club from Celaya, Guanajuato. The club was formed in 1994 when the two second division clubs Atletico Cuernavaca (Morelos) and Escuadra Celeste de Celaya (Guanajuato) merged. Another team, Atlético Español, was also merged at a later date. The club folded in 2003.

All merging clubs have brought a piece of their old identity into the new formed club: from Atlético Cuernavaca were taken the name to the new club (although its name is also identical with former Atlético Español), from Celeste de Celaya were taken their light blue colors and from Atlético Español the mascot, the bull, which has also given the new team their nickname toros (bulls). Atlético Celaya has taken the second division position of their predecessors and has immediately reached the top level. The first year in Primera División was also their most successful season ever. First, they could win their group and in the play offs they could make their way up to the finals in which they lost only due to the away goal rule after playing 1:1 and 0:0 with Necaxa. But from now on the club finds itself in lower regions of the table. They had also financial problems which led to the sale of their first division license to an industrialist from Morelos in winter 2002–03. He formed a new team with the name Colibríes de Morelos but it disappeared as fast as it once appeared. At the same time when Atlético Celaya has disappeared, their older city neighbour Club Celaya was reactivated again when CF La Piedad moved to Celaya.

The club's original colors in the 1950s were red and white. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the club started using black and white with a topical v shape across the chest for home games and a black stripe shirt for away games, which they still use to this date.