Atlante II

The beginning

Atlante was founded on 18 April 1916, with the name Sinaloa by a group of young Mexican football enthusiasts, led by Refugio "El Vaquero" Martínez. The team began playing in the La Condesa neighborhood in Mexico City. After changing its name to Lusitania and U-53, Refugio Martínez proposed the name Atlante, after the mighty battles fought at the Atlantic Ocean during World War I. During the 1920s, players such as the Rosas brothers, Manuel "Chaquetas" Rosas and Felipe "Diente" Rosas, as well as Juan "El Trompo" Carreño, helped Atlante to become one of the most popular teams, mostly among the working classes, which led to its most famous and legendary nickname, El Equipo del Pueblo, "People's team". Atlante's legend Juan Carreño scored Mexico's first goal in the Olympic Games in Amsterdam 1928, as well as Mexico national team's first ever goal in a FIFA World Cup during the inaugural match against France in Uruguay 1930.

Despite its popularity, the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol (FMF) did not allow the team to be involved in the Mexican championship, the Liga Mayor. For Atlante to be allowed into the league, it had to win several proof-matches against Toluca and América, two powerful football clubs. The duels were won by Atlante with scores of 7–2 and 2–1, respectively. Accepted within the Liga Mayor, Atlante formed a major rivalry against Necaxa, which became the first classic in Mexican football. The games between these two were furious battles, even drawing in points at the end of the 1931–32 tournament.

During the early years of football in Mexico, when famed foreign teams began to challenge the Mexican teams they swept most clubs except one: Atlante. What many do not recall today is that Atlante was the first Mexican team that acquired national fame by knocking down those foreign "giants". In 1929, Atlante defeated Sabaria of Hungary 3–1. In 1930, Atlante twice defeated Sportivo of Buenos Aires, 2–1 and 3–2. One of their more recalled feats was the 3–2 victory in 1931 over Bella Vista of Uruguay, which had three players from the team that won the first World Cup a year before in Montevideo.

In the 1940s, during the final years of World War II, Atlante's Horacio Casarín began being noticed for his tremendous skill and ability, which also led him to become a major figure in the Mexico national team.

Atlante's popularity, continued to grow after the team was portrayed on the big screen in many films of Mexico's golden era of cinema. Some of those films are "Los Hijos de Don Venancio", "Los Nietos de Don Venancio", "El Vividor", "El que con niños se acuesta", among many others. Players Horacio Casarín and Martí Ventolrà were even part of those films' casting.

Professional era and first championship title

In 1943, the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol founded the Professional League with six clubs of the Primera Fuerza of Mexico City, two clubs from the Liga Occidental (Western League) and two members from the Liga Veracruzana (Veracruz League), being Atlante one of those six clubs of Mexico City. Together, they all became what is known today as the Primera División de México.

After 4 tournaments, and with the aid of its owner General Jose Manuel Nuñez (a retired militar asked personally by former president Lázaro Cárdenas to watch over the team) as well as of its sensational player Horacio Casarín, the team obtained its first championship in the 1946–47 season. The final match against León was attended by 48,622 people, including President Miguel Alemán Valdés (he even got onto the field after the match in a famous photograph with the champions). Before that, in 1945, the team imposed the Latin American record for more goals in a single season with 121 goals in 30 matches (more than four goals per game). Atlante also became the first Mexican team to be crowned at the Champion of Champions cup (a Super Cup scheme championship) during the 1941–42 season.

After the first title, several other teams dominated the championship; nevertheless, Atlante remained as a powerful rival and still a popular team for the working classes, along with its runner-up in the Copa México and the Champion of Champions titles in the early 1950s. In 1966, General Jose Manuel Nuñez decided to sell the team to Fernando González, "Fernandón". Poor level and irregular campaigns proceeded the selling, which led Atlante to be relegated from the Primera División to the Segunda División de México in 1976.

The IMSS era

The team managed to return to the Primera División for the 1977–78 season. In October 1978, the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) acquired the team in a 100% ownership, promising to make the largest football club in the world with 22 million associates throughout the country. With the financial support of the governmental institution, the team experienced successful campaigns with reinforcements such as the old-time idol Horacio Casarín as head coach and the Mexican football's all-time top goalscorer Cabinho, who would become three-time champion striker with Atlante in 1980, 1981 and 1982. Its productive campaigns led them to the 1981–82 final championship match against Tigres UANL, and after regular and extra time, Atlante became runner-up at penalty kicks. Nevertheless, a year later Atlante won its first continental title with the CONCACAF Champions' Cup against Suriname's Robinhood.

Although the government still owned the team, another institution took over the management activities. The Departamento del Distrito Federal, DDF (the former body which controlled the Mexican Federal District) intended to propel the team with little results. After playing for several years at the Estadio Azteca, the team even had to leave this venue and setting its new battleground at the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes.