Salomon Solano

Salomón Solano Salazar (born 19 September 1985) is a Mexican gridiron football coach and former defensive tackle who is the current head coach of the Autonomous University of Tamaulipas (UAT) intermediate (under-20) team. He played college football at UAT.

Nicknamed Triple S, Solano played two seasons with the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe before spending time on the practice squads of the Detroit Lions and the Baltimore Ravens in 2007 and 2008, respectively. He subsequently played arena football with the Green Bay Blizzard and the Rio Grande Valley Sol. Solano also represented the Mexico national team at the 2011 IFAF World Championship.

Solano was awarded the Premio Luchador Olmeca by the in 2010.

Early life A native of Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Solano began playing American football at the age of six. His father, Baldomero, served as the head coach of the Autonomous University of Tamaulipas (UAT) football team, the Correcaminos UAT, in ONEFA until 2005.

Solano also played power forward on his high school basketball team. He was selected to play in the Aztec Bowl in 2003 and 2004.

Professional career

Rhein Fire (2006–2007) Solano was signed by the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe (NFLE) for the 2006 season after impressing scouts at a November 2005 tryout in Mexico. As a participant in the program, his spot was guaranteed throughout the regular season and did not count against the eight-player practice squad limit. He played in three preseason games.

Green Bay Blizzard (2011) In November 2010, it was announced that Solano had signed with the Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League (AFL) ahead of the 2011 AFL season. However, the move did not materialize and he instead joined the Green Bay Blizzard of the Indoor Football League (IFL).

Rio Grande Valley Sol (2015) In February 2015, Solano was invited to participate in an exhibition arena football game played between a team of Mexican All-Stars, mostly players from the Liga Extrema de Football Americano (LEXFA), and the Rio Grande Valley Sol, a team in the X-League Indoor Football (XIF) league. It was held at the Sol's home arena, State Farm Arena, in Hidalgo, Texas.

Lagartos de Tampico (2016) Solano signed with the Lagartos de Tampico ahead of their inaugural season in the North American Indoor Football (NAIF) league in 2016. Located in his home state of Tamaulipas, the Lagartos became the first Mexican team to ever join a U.S.-based gridiron football league. He also recovered a blocked extra point attempt and scored the conversion.

Rio Grande Valley Dorados (2019) Solano came out of retirement to play with the Rio Grande Valley Dorados of the International Arena Football League (IAFL), which were coached by ex-Sol head coach Bennie Hill.

National team career Solano represented Mexico at the 2003 and 2004 editions of the NFL Global Junior Championship. Mexico finished in fourth place after losing the bronze-medal game to Japan.

Coaching career Solano served as the defensive coordinator of the Mexico junior national team at the 2009 IFAF Junior World Championship.

In 2017, Solano led the Correcaminos UAT juvenile (18 and under) team to a league title in ONEFA. The following year, he led the Titanes Tampico to an juvenile championship. He was promoted from the position of defensive coordinator.