The club were founded on October 27, 1897 with the name Atlético Escuela Normal F.C.. In 1933 they became the first ever national champions of Chile. They won a hat trick of titles in the formative years of Chilean football (1933, 1934 and 1935) but their last major title came in 1938. Their latest participation in the first level was in 1986.
Despite their lack of titles in the last 70 years the club are still ranked as the seventh most successful team in the history of Chilean football.