Lopez first played college football at Glendale College from 1988 to 1989.[1] He then lettered for the Utah State Aggies from 1990 to 1991.[1] In 1990, he completed 138 of 260 passes (53.1%) for 1,961 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions while also scoring three rushing touchdowns.[3] In 1991, he recorded 153 completions on 314 passing attempts (48.7%) for 2,221 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions while scoring two rushing touchdowns.[3]
Professional career
Lopez played for the Iowa Barnstormers from 1995 to 1996, where he was the backup to Kurt Warner.[4][5] Lopez was traded to the Anaheim Piranhas for Nathan Burchette in March 1997.[5] Lopez was named the starting quarterback for the Piranhas' opening game against the New Jersey Red Dogs.[6] He signed with the Florida Bobcats on June 12, 1997.[7] Lopez played for the San Jose SaberCats in 1998, recording 47 touchdowns on 2,769 passing yards.[4] He played the entirety of the 1998 season with two bulging disks in his neck.[8] He was released by the SaberCats after the season and the team's doctors advised him to retire.[8] However, after visiting a neck specialist and rehabilitating his injuries, Lopez signed with the Portland Forest Dragons in 1999.[8] He recorded 38 touchdowns on 2,574 passing yards for the Forest Dragons in 1999.[4] He had a tryout with the NFL's San Diego Chargers in 2000 but was not signed.[8] The Forest Dragons moved to Oklahoma in 2000 and became the Oklahoma Wranglers. He recorded 90 touchdowns on 5,367 passing yards for the Oklahoma Wranglers from 2000 to 2001.[4] Lopez played for the Wichita Stealth of the af2 in 2002.[9] He signed with the Carolina Cobras on March 8, 2003.[10]