de Cali, folded instead. In 1960, desperate to make some sort of a splash, the club signed Adolfo Pedernera as manager Pedernera managed the club to a runner-up finish in 1961, the highest place in the history of Los Diablos Rojos. This season completely changed the dynamic of América. Although they did not contend for another championship for another six years, they were no longer in danger of folding. Towards the end of the decade, they began taking their place as one of the strongest sides in Colombia. In 1967, they enjoyed a twenty-two match unbeaten streak and finished third. In the 1968 Finalización tournament, the club finished second, and did so again in the 1969 Apertura tournament. That last season not only saw Hugo Lóndero set a Colombian record by scoring 24 goals but also qualified América for the Copa Libertadores for the first time (they were eliminated at the first group stage). For most of the 1970s, the club remained a solidly mid-table side, with two runner-up finishes serving as the exception. The highlight came in 1976, when América won the Copa Simón Bolívar (an international tournament that included clubs from Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Paraguay). However, they still had no Colombian championships. América got off to a slow start in the Colombian tournament, not achieving even the runner-up position until 1960 and not playing its first Copa Libertadores until 1969. 1979–1986: Aquel 19 and five consecutive titles In 1979, two historic changes took place at América. First, the club reconciled with Garabato. He agreed to come to the stadium, where he attended a mass with the club's directors and signed a document "officially" lifting the curse. More practically, they hired Gabriel Ochoa Uribe to manage the club. Ochoa Uribe was one of the most recognizable names in Colombian management; he had won six championships at Millonarios, as well as another at Santa Fe. Over the course of his long stint at América (1979–91), he would transform the club into one of the dominant powers in Colombian football. Inclined towards defensive football, Ochoa built his club around a solid back line, featuring captain Aurelio Pascuttini and Luis Eduardo Reyes. Juan Manuel Battaglia and Gerardo Gonzalez Aquino played in the midfield, while Jorge Ramón Cáceres and Alfonso Cañón led the attack up front. In the 1979 Apertura, América found itself in a neck and neck race with crosstown