Tom Flores: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|American football player, coach and coachexecutive (born 1937)}}

{{Use mdyAmerican datesEnglish|date=JanuaryMarch 20192023}}

| image = Tom Flores 1962 (cropped).jpg

| image_size = 160px

| alt =

| caption = Flores, circa 1962

| birth_place = [[Sanger, California]], U.S.

| death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|2xxx|mm|dd|1937|3|21|mf=y}} -->

| weight_lbsweight_lb = 202

| pastteams =

* [[Pacific Coast Professional Football League#Pacific Football Conference (1957-19581957–1958)|Bakersfield Spoilers]] (1958)

| pastcoaching = =

* [[Buffalo Bills]] ({{NFL Year|1971}}) <br> Quarterbacks coach

* [[Oakland Raiders]] ({{NFL Year|1972|1978}}) <br> Wide receivers coach

* [[Oakland Raiders|Oakland]] / [[History of the Los Angeles Raiders|Los Angeles Raiders]] ({{NFL Year|1979|1987}}) <br> Head coach

* [[Seattle Seahawks]] ({{NFL Year|1992|1994}}) <br> Head coach

| highlights pastexecutive =

| coachrecord statlabel3 = 105–90 ({{WinningCompletion percentage|105|90}})

| nfl statvalue3 = tom-flores48.9%

| pfrcoach statvalue4 = FlorTo093–92

'''Thomas Raymond Flores''' (born March 21, 1937) is aan American former professional [[American football|football]] coachplayer in the [[American Football League]] (AFL) and coach in the [[quarterbackNational Football League]] (NFL). He played as a [[quarterback]] for nine seasons in the AFL, primarily with the [[Oakland Raiders]]. After his retirement as a coach, he was a radio announcer for more than twenty years.

Flores won a total of four [[Super BowlsBowl]]s in his playing and coaching careers. <!-- Please do not add Tony Dungy here. He did not win a Super Bowl as an assistant coach. Please see this talkpage. -->He and [[Mike Ditka]] are the only two people in [[National Football League]]NFL history to win a [[Super Bowl]] as a player, assistant coach, and head coach (Flores won [[Super Bowl IV]] as a player for the [[Kansas City Chiefs]], [[Super Bowl XI]] as an assistant coach of the [[Oakland Raiders|Raiders]], and [[Super Bowl XV]] and [[Super Bowl XVIII]] as head coach of the Raiders). Flores was also the first [[Mexican Americans|Mexican]] starting quarterback and the first minority head coach in professional football history to win a Super Bowl. Although it may not be officially sourced, Flores is also noted as the only head coach to win a Super Bowl with the same team in two cities in Oakland (1980) and Los Angeles (1983).<ref>[http://www.espn.com/blog/oakland-raiders/post/_/id/16675/tom-flores-jim-plunkett-blazed-path-to-raiders-popularity-in-mexico Tom Flores, Jim Plunkett blazed path to Raiders popularity in Mexico]. Paul Gutierrez, [[ESPN]]</ref>

From 1997 until 2018, Flores served as [[radio]]an announcer for the [[OaklandLas Vegas Raiders#Raiders.27 Radio Network|Raiders Radio Network]].<ref name=SFGate>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/raiders/article/Tom-Flores-says-he-s-out-as-Raiders-radio-13086832.php|title=Tom Flores says he's out as Raiders radio analyst|publisher=sfgate.com|author=Matt Kawahara|date=July 18, 2018|access-date=July 20, 2018}}</ref> Flores was elected to the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 2021 as a head coach.

Flores played quarterback for two seasons at [[Fresno City College]], beginning in 1955. He was active off the field too, serving on the Student Council and as President of the Associated Men's Students. He received an academic scholarship to study at the College (now University) of the PacificPacific—now andknown graduated fromas the [[University of the Pacific (United States)|University of the Pacific]]—from which he graduated in 1958. Flores came to Pacific from Fresno City College and started for the Tigers as quarterback.<ref name="pacific.edu">{{Cite web|title=Pacific alumnus adds title of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee to trailblazing career|url=https://www.pacific.edu/pacific-newsroom/pacific-alumnus-adds-title-pro-football-hall-fame-inductee-trailblazing-career|access-date=2021-08-16|website=www.pacific.edu|language=en}}</ref> Following his playing career with the Tigers, he was hired as an assistant coach at Pacific and worked toward his master's degree.

Flores was unable to find a job in professional football. He was cut by the [[Calgary Stampeders]] of the [[Canadian Football League|CFL]] in 1958, after which he played with the Bakersfield Spoilers (Semi-Pro) football team.<ref>{{cite (Source:book |title=Fire in the Iceman,: autobiographyAutobiography written byof Tom Flores and|last=Flores Frank|first=Tom |publisher=Bonus Books |date=September Cooney1, 1992).}}</ref> A second attempt to break into pro football with the [[Washington Redskins]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL) in 1959 also failed. In 1960, Flores finally landed a position as a quarterback with the [[American Football League]]'s [[Oakland Raiders]], who began play in 1960 as a charter member of the league. He was named the Raiders' starter early that season, becoming the first-ever Hispanic starting quarterback in professional football.

Flores had his most productive season in 1966. Although he completed only 49.3 percent of his attempts, he passedpassing for 2,638 yards and 24 touchdowns in 14 games. Oakland traded him to the [[Buffalo Bills]] in 1967. After serving as [[Jack Kemp]]'s backup that year, he had a chance to be the Bills' starter when Kemp suffered a season-ending injury during training camp. However, Flores hurt his shoulder before the first game, and his season was limited to a five-pass appearance in Week 6. After another five-pass appearance in the first game of 1969, the Bills released Flores and he signed with the [[Kansas City Chiefs]]. There he was third-string quarterback behind fellow Hall of Famer [[Len Dawson]] and [[Mike Livingston]] on the Chiefs' Super Bowl Championship team. He officially retired as a player after not playing a single game in the 1970 season. He was one of only twenty players who were in the AFL for its entire ten-year existence. He is the fifth-leading passer in the AFL's history.

Flores is a member of the [[Sid Gillman]] [[coaching tree]]. After stints as an assistant coach in [[Buffalo Bills|Buffalo]] and Oakland (he won a [[Super Bowl XI]] ring as an assistant coach under [[John Madden]]), Flores became the Raiders' head coach in 1979, following Madden's retirement. In 1980, Flores led the Raiders as a wild card playoff team to win the [[Super Bowl XV]] championship over the [[Philadelphia Eagles]], 27-10. This was the first wild card team to win the Super Bowl and the only team to win four postseason games en route to a title, until Denver accomplished the same feat in 1997. Flores then moved with the team to [[Los Angeles]] in 1982. In the 1983 season Flores leadled the Raiders to another Super Bowl (XVIII) victory over the [[Washington Redskins]], 38-9. He was named AFC Coach of the year by [[United Press International]] and the Football Writer's Association in 1982.

His 83 wins with the Raiders are the second-most in franchise history, behind only Madden. Flores left pro football with a lifetime coaching record of 97–87 (52.7%), as well as an 8–3 playoff record, with two Super Bowl victories.

|| 8 || 1 || 0 || {{winpct|8|1|0}} || '''1st in AFC''' || 1 || 1 || {{winpct|1|1}} || {{small|'''Lost to [[New York Jets]] in [[1982–83 NFL playoffs|AFC Secondsecond Roundround Game]]'''}}

From 1997 until his [[Dismissal (employment)|dismissal]] in 2018, Flores served aswas color commentator alongside play-by-play announcer [[Greg Papa]] for the [[Oakland Raiders#Raiders.27 Radio Network|Raiders Radio Network]].<ref name=SFGate />

In 1961 Flores married Barbara Fridell, who he met while a student at University of the Pacific. Together, theyThey have twin sons and a daughter, three grandsons, and twofive granddaughtersgrandchildren.

Sanger High School's football stadium is named Tom Flores Stadium in honor of Flores, who was a graduate of Sanger. He heads the Tom Flores Youth Foundation, which benefits the K-8th grades in the Sanger School district in the fields of art, science, and sports.

Flores graduated from University of the Pacific in 1958. He was the starting quarterback while at Pacific<ref>{{Cite web|titlename=Pacific alumnus adds title of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee to trailblazing career|url=https://www."pacific.edu"/pacific-newsroom/pacific-alumnus-adds-title-pro-football-hall-fame-inductee-trailblazing-career|access-date=2021-08-16|website=www.pacific.edu|language=en}}</ref> and following his playing career with the Tigers, Flores was hired as an assistant coach at Pacific as he worked toward his master's degree.

Flores holds an honorary doctorate degree from [[Pepperdine University]] for humanitarian service.

His biography, ''Fire in the Ice ManIceman'', was released in 1992. Flores also coauthored ''Tales of the Oakland Raiders'' (2002).

In 1982, Flores was inducted as a charter member of the [[University of the Pacific (United States)|University of the Pacific]] Athletics Hall of Fame.<ref>[https://pacifictigers.com/sports/2019/6/5/information-hall-of-fame-all-time-index.aspx?id=22 "PACIFIC ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME,"] Pacific Tigers official website. Retrieved Feb. 1, 2021.</ref> In 1988, he was inducted into the [[Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fresnoahof.org/current-past-inductees|title=Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame {{!}} Home|website=Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame {{!}} Home|access-date=February 3, 2017|archive-date=July 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731195939/https://www.fresnoahof.org/current-past-inductees|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2007, Flores was inducted into the [[California Sports Hall of Fame]]. In 2011, he was also inducted into the [[California Community College Athletic Association|California Community College Athletic Association Hall of Fame]]. In July 2011, Flores received the Roberto Clemente Award for Sports Excellence that is given by the [[UnidosUS|National Council of La Raza]] for contributions in society by an Hispanic athlete.<ref>[https://www.raiders.com/news/raiders-legend-tom-flores-receives-prestigious-award-5207460 "Raiders Legend Tom Flores Receives Prestigious Award,"] Raiders.com (July 26, 2011).</ref> In 2012, he was also inducted into the [[Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame]].<ref>[https://bashof.org/inductees/2012/tom-flores/ "Tom Flores,"] Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame official website. Retrieved Feb. 1, 2021.</ref>

On February 6,In 2021, itFlores was announced that Tom Flores would be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, joining the Class of 2021 alongside former RaidersRaider player [[Charles Woodson]], [[Peyton Manning]] and 5 others.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-02-07|title=Peyton, Woodson, Calvin Johnson lead 8 into HOF|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30849436/2021-pro-football-hall-fame-inductees|access-date=2021-02-07|website=ESPN.com|language=en}}</ref>

* [[List of most consecutive games with touchdown passes in the National Football LeagueNFL]]

* [[List of National Football LeagueNFL head coach wins leaders]]

===External Citations =links==

[[Category:Players of American football from Fresno County, California]]

[[Category:SportspeoplePlayers of American football from Fresno, California]]