BRIEF

Tom Flores: Original Oakland Raiders QB

Committed To Excellence - On the Road to the Pro Football Hall of Fame

(Researched, compiled, written, and edited by Mario Longoria, Ph.D.)

Sports historian Mario Longoria[1] documents Tom Flores’ football history in his book, Athletes Remembered: Mexicano/Latino Professional Football Players, 1929-1970, Chapter “Committed to Excellence: Original Oakland Raiders QB,” in which, Longoria begins with initial insights on Flores’ background and where he met him in Texas. He writes:

“Before there were football fields for Tom Flores there were lettuce fields, fruit orchards, and berry patches. His family migrated from crop to crop in California, but life was good for the skinny Mexican American from a little town outside Fresno called Sanger, California. Back then no one would have guessed Flores would someday be a player and coach of a team that has won professional football’s most prestigious award – the world championship. Even so, the firmly planted Flores never forgot who he was and where he came from. I was fortunate enough to meet and speak with him in the most unlikely of places.” (82)

The place was a high school cafeteria and the function was a local sports banquet, The guest speaker was the former Los Angeles Raiders coach Tom Flores, who incredibly enough, took time from his busy schedule to attend the banquet and honor a group of local athletes in the small town of Alice, Texas. Not surprisingly, the majority of the citizens and parents, mostly Mexican American, showed up to see and listen to the NFL’s only Mexican American coach. He addressed a packed house and talked about commitment to a sport and the work necessary to succeed. Needless to say, his message was real, motivational, and inspiring. I looked around the cafeteria and saw an audience captivated by his words and mannerism. Without a doubt, the banquet would be a memorable event for the people of Alice, Texas. (82)

This was the beginning of understanding and knowing a man few people knew about who achieved and accomplished the remarkable. But, he did it quietly and professionally to give the accomplishment more character and meaning. What follows are historical briefs, excerpts and commentary from numerous sportswriters, historians, and league references such as football books, and sports magazines that describe, comment, and analyze Tom Flores, the pro football player, head coach, and citizen. It is my hope the selected information provides the reader the necessary insights, information, and answers questions about Tom Flores. I chose this particular sports information as a sampling that I hope will arouse further curiosity into a man who successfully played and coached professional football with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders from 1960 – 1987, and the Seattle Seahawks as President-General Manager and coach 1989-1994.

[1] Mario Longoria’s research on: “History of Latin Americans in Pro Football - Pro Football’s Hispanic Heritage: Pioneers, Milestones, and Firsts” is a contribution on the Pro Football Hall of Fame website -
http://www.profootballhof.com//history/general/latin-americans.aspx

He also researched and confirmed the very first Latino Player for the Pro Football Hall of Fame -
http://www.profootballhof.com/story/2005/1/1/296/

He has authored a football book and numerous newspaper, magazine, and journal articles since 1982.    

I begin with information from Los Angeles Times sportswriter Bob Oats. He narrates Tom Flores’ journey from the farm fields to professional football and I quote excerpts from his 1979 article, “Tom Flores, the Raiders’ new coach, was 8 years old when he got his first job – full time, as a fruit picker in the countryside outside Fresno. ‘You name it, I’ve picked it,’ Flores says, ‘I’ve done it all. I’ve worked by the piece, by the box, by the hour. My father Tom Sr. was born in Mexico. He came to California when he was 12, and he and his family harvested all their lives until he retired in 1972…that was the year his younger son joined the Raiders as an assistant coach. According to Flores in Oats’ article, “Picking is a family business. My brother and I were out there with my father and mother eight or nine hours a day. Most families worked longer. They were out as soon as the sun was up. There wasn’t any union. It was our life.” (3) He further writes:

The Flores family is no longer in the fields. Brother Bob runs a bar and restaurant in the town of Sanger. His mother Nellie is the cook there and Tom Jr. has become the National Football League’s first Hispanic coach…At 42 Flores is a veteran of a quarter century in football, having got the break that changed his life the summer he was 15. There was a vacancy that year in the Sanger ice plant and Flores moved into a job as an iceman – lifting 300-pound blocks. That built him into a football player. Flores recalls, that’s hot country up there and the other kids all thought I had it made. But most of my job was putting those 300 – pound chunks in boxcars in 110-degree heat. It was good for me – I saw that later – but it was hard to see then. The only thing I was sure of then was that it was better than working in the fields. Soon a sports star at Sanger High School and, eventually, College of the Pacific, Flores was sometimes (though not widely) known as the ‘Sanger Iceman’ – possibly the second football player so identified. The first was Harold (Red) Grange, the all-time All-American from Illinois, who once held a summer ice-carrying job that made him famous as the ‘Wheaton Iceman.’ Flores, much later, was called ‘The Iceman’ by his teammates as an Oakland quarterback in the 1960s – but for a different reason. Knowing nothing of his ice-house background, Art Powell, who played with Flores at Oakland, used to say: ‘He’s very poised, as cool as ice. (7)

Another Los Angeles Times sportswriter Mike Littwin describes Tom Flores as a quiet man of accomplishment. He writes in 1981, “A Jackie Robinson he’s not. But Tom Flores has blazed a trail or two, in his quiet way. On tip-toes, it has sometimes seemed. It’s a better bet than the Raiders and three points that you never noticed…” (1)

Littwin tells it this way:

The Oakland Raiders, you might have heard, are headed for a Super Bowl date Sunday with the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans. You might have heard that Tom Flores is the Raider’s coach. Which is understandable? Flores works for a certain Al Davis, the Raiders’ chief executive, who casts a shadow that can obscure not only coaches but whole cities. Oakland for example. But the greater Latino community, where football is generally written as futbol and means soccer, has heard of Flores and of his quarterback Jim Plunkett, Chicanos both. And the Super Bowl, suddenly, has taken on new meaning there. Davis may be the mastermind of the Raider’s success. You have only to ask him. But Flores figures in the Raider’s championship equation more prominently than some might suppose. In this Super Bowl year, when the club was picked to finish among the also-rans, Flores in his low key fashion, has held steady the rudder that steered his sometimes-volatile Raiders to pro football’s ultimate goal. But there’s more to the Flores story than athletic success…No one has ever made much of his background, and that’s fine with Flores. Little is made of Chicanos in football, perhaps because they number so few. But on the Raiders, for whom Flores was quarterback on the original team in the old AFL, there are Flores and Plunkett. (Part III, 1)

Littwin continues:

Flores, an assistant for seven years before taking over the Raiders last season, didn’t think that much of it, until some others did. ‘I came to realize,’ he said, ‘that there are people who identify with me.’ They can identify with a success story, penned by a man who has accomplished more than he once thought possible. He didn’t do it because he was a Chicano, or in spite of it either, but he did it just the same and he did it as a Chicano. (Part III, 1)

Littwin takes his discussion of Flores’ further:

Flores is neither Hero nor genius or anything much more than a pretty good football coach who used to be a pretty good football player. But suddenly, to some, he’s a figure larger than life. ‘People want to look up to someone who doesn’t just talk about getting things accomplished,’ Flores said, ‘but someone who actually has. (Part III, 6)

The lengthy Littwin article continued to describe Tom Flores’ quiet character, his farm worker experience, and Sanger’s celebration of the hometown hero that clearly reflected an excited pride and enthusiasm for his accomplishments.

In the next section I present information on Flores’ performance against George Blanda and the Houston Oilers in a memorable AFL play-off game. Sports historian Mario Longoria documents the Oakland Raiders versus Houston Oilers game account in a 1990 article, “Oakland Shoot-out – Flores Outguns Blanda,” published in ProMex Sports Publication, San Antonio, Texas:

On a rainy December 22, 1963, at the old Frank Youell Field in Oakland, California, one of the most memorable games in AFL history took place. The teams who played that day were the hometown Oakland Raiders and the Houston Oilers of the AFL. It was a gridiron spectacular that featured a young Mexican American quarterback named Tom Flores and Houston’s George Blanda. The game was wild and un-abandoned as Flores established his field leadership. He was magnificent and completed 17 of 29 passes for 407 yards and six touchdowns, four of which caught by teammate Art Powell. His opponent, the legendary George Blanda, completed 20 of 32 passes for 342 yards and five touchdowns. (8)

The game began normal enough with Houston receiving the Raider’s kick-off. They failed to advance the ball and punted. Then the fireworks began. The Raiders’ Hoot Gibson took the Houston punt, side-stepped a few tacklers, and broke into the clear returning it 68 yards for a touchdown. However, before the Oakland fans began to celebrate, Houston’s Blanda evened the score with a four yard pass to Charlie Hennigan…later in the first period Blanda set up a wo-yard scoring run by Dave Smith and as the second quarter began, Houston added another score when Blanda completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to Willard Dewveall. (8)    

In response to Blanda’s last touchdown pass, Flores completed three passes in a row, hitting Art Powell for 23 yards and finished the drive by completing a pass to Ken Herock for a seven yard touchdown. The score read; Houston 21 Oakland 14. On the next offensive series for Oakland, Flores passed to Clem Daniels who sped 56 yards towards the end zone to tie the game at 21. However, Houston came swinging back. Blanda tossed a scoring strike to Smith for 35 yards and a touchdown to take a touchdown lead. Undaunted, Flores noticed one-on-one coverage for his big tight end and tossed a pass to Art Powell, who picked the ball from the sky and raced 81 yards into the end zone to tie the game at 28. (9)

Incredibly, Houston responded quickly with 1:09 left before halftime. Houston fullback Charlie Tolar hammered his way into the end zone for yet another score. Flores then hustled the Raider’s offense onto the field, and three passes later, connected with Art Powell for a 20-yard touchdown that drove the Oakland crowd of 17,401 fans wild as the Raiders tied Houston 35-35 at halftime. (9)

Early in the third period, the Raiders regained the lead as the AFL’s leading rusher Clem Daniels hammered the Houston line for yardage. Penalties stifled the offense and Flores return to the passing game to complete a 44-yard pass to Art Powell for another touchdown. However, Blanda was equal to the task and took the offense down the field and connected with Dewveall for a 31-yard strike to even the score at 42. Houston remained in control and took five minutes to score again. This time Blanda passed to Bob McLeod for 22 yards and a touchdown. Houston now led 49-42. (9)

The scoring was then interrupted by interceptions by both teams and the Raiders trailed by a touchdown that was soon realized as Flores called upon Art Powell once again to free himself of the Houston defenders. Flores threw the ball high and Powell emerged from the sea of Houston jerseys with the ball in the end zone to tie the score once again 49-49. On the next Houston series, Hoot Gibson intercepted Blanda on the goal line to provide Flores the opportunity to drive down the field and set up a field goal attempt by Mike Mercer that proved to be the winning margin. Mercer was good on his 39-yard field goal. But, still fearing a Blanda miracle, the Raider’s defense rose to the challenge and shut down Houston’s last ditch offensive efforts to conclude a game that is considered one of the legendary contests in the history of the AFL. (10)

In another game account, Oakland Tribune sportswriter Scotty Stirling writes in his article titled, “No Title, But What A Finish! Raiders Nip Oilers, 52-49,” and alludes to the fact the Raiders were the better team in the AFL, by recording:  

It’s all over for the Raiders but you have to figure that is the best runner-up team the American Football League has ever seen. There was no help forthcoming from Denver in San Diego (Chargers 58, Broncos 20) so the Raiders’ magnificent 10-4 season record simply means they lost out in the divisional race by one game, while the eastern division champions, Boston and Buffalo, will meet in a playoff to decide which of the two 7-6 clubs will play San Diego for all the marbles. (25)

But the Davis Damoes put it on for the home folks in yesterday’s finale. They hooked up with the Houston Oilers in a ding-dong passing battle that left league records scattered all over the slippery Youell field turf. The final score was 52-49, with a 39-yard field goal by Mike Mercer swinging it Oakland’s way in the final five minutes but not before Oakland’s Tom Flores and Houston’s George Blanda threw TD passes with record abandon for most of the afternoon…the only guy capable of stealing thunder from the unerring quarterbacks and ends was Raider halfback Clem Daniels, who gained three yards on the final play of the game to set a new single season AFL record for rushing… (25)

In Phil Berger’s book, Great Moments in Pro Football, he provided a similar account of the game plays and scoring by both teams in what he described, “Was the highest-scoring game in AFL history, and one of the most exciting.” According to Berger, “The excitement had generated from a routine but important ball game, and by the end of the afternoon left the fans happily exhausted from its pace. It would be a long time before two teams engage in a wilder contest.” (148)

The following newspaper story of the Raiders’ pre-Super Bowl XV game status with the Philadelphia Eagles emphasizes the Latino pride element of Tom Flores and Jim Plunkett in the game. Los Angeles Times editorial writer Frank del Olmo describes the Latino impact of both Tom Flores and Jim Plunkett in the Super Bowl, in his 1981 article, “Latino Pride Comes Served in a Bowl, and It’s Super.” He writes:

It is estimated that some 100 million people will watch, listen to or read about this year’s Super Bowl game between the Oakland Raiders and the Philadelphia Eagles. So it’s a safe bet that in the coming two weeks the Raider’s head coach, Tom Flores, and the team’s starting quarterback, Jim Plunkett, will be the most publicized and talked about Chicanos in the world, at least this side of Cesar Chavez. (no page #noted)

Just how significant that will be to American Latinos hit me the Monday morning after the Raiders won a berth in the Super Bowl by defeating the San Diego Chargers for the championship of the American Football Conference. (Philadelphia emerged at the top of the National Conference.) First there was a telephone call from a reporter with a Spanish-Language newspaper. Admitting he knew ‘next to zero’ about American style football, he wanted to know where he could get information about these two Mexican American sport heroes. Then another telephone conversation began, this time with a friend who is not an avid pro football fan. He had not even planned to watch the Raiders play the day before because he was taking his children to a birthday party. But he was surprised to arrive at the party and find many of the guests, all Latinos, gathered around a television set, watching the football game and reveling in Plunkett’s exploits…I suspect that it’s going to be hard to find many Mexican Americans – or other Latinos, for that matter – who will not be rooting for the Raiders on Super Bowl Sunday…Whether the Raiders win or lose the Super Bowl game, millions of Latinos will be proud simply that Flores and Plunkett are there. For they will be there not as representatives of their people but as competent professionals whose skill, determination and hard work have brought them to the pinnacle of success in their field. (No page # noted)

Frank del Olmo concluded his article with brief but significant background information on both Flores and Plunkett. He emphasized the point that both Flores and Plunkett were thankful that people identified with them and quotes Flores, “It’s nice to be a first,” he said, “I especially hope young people can identify with me. But I hope most people see me as just a Mexican American who worked hard, was optimistic and overcame some adversity to get where I am.” (No page # noted)

After the Oakland Raiders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10, Los Angeles Times sportswriter Bob Oates sums up the Raider’s victory and Flores’ influence in his January 27, 1981 article, “Flores Hit Perfect Pitch for Raiders – His Calm Approach Before and During Game Rubbed Off,” Bob Oates describes:

When Oakland Raiders Coach Tom Flores gets a moment or two to relax, in or out of the football season, he likes to strum a guitar. So that’s one thing he plans to do when he gets back to California this week. Asked Monday what he’ll play first, Flores hummed a few bars of what he said will be his favorite tune the rest of his life: ‘Tie a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree.’ The game Oakland won from the Philadelphia Eagles here Sunday, 27-10, will be remembered as the yellow ribbon Super Bowl…like the hero of the song, hostages were fresh out of captivity. Flores said he couldn’t compare his recent plight to theirs.” (Part III, 1)

According to Oates: In the opinion of some of those analyzing the game, this pressure – and the way the competing teams responded to it – was one of three reasons Oakland won. Here’s what some of the more knowledgeable scouts and coaches in pro football are saying about the AFC’s eight win in the last nine games against NFC teams….”  The first two cites quarterback Jim Plunkett outplayed Ron Jaworski, while the Raiders decisive emotional performance disrupted the Eagles’ execution. The third reason being, “Tom Flores was the calming agent who kept the Oakland playboys on course. A former Raider’s quarterback with a good mind and strong leadership qualities, Flores had his team well prepared for Philadelphia’s tactics and strategies. But his low-key nature contributed even more. Flores indeed is the lowest-keyed coach to reach this game since Minnesota’s Bud Grant and the lowest ever to win it. He makes Dallas’ Tom Landry look like a jumping jack… (Part III, 1, 4)

In the Premier issue of PRO! The Magazine of the National Football League, August, 1981, Tom Flores and Jim Plunkett are featured on the cover with the caption “Jim Plunkett And Tom Flores: Hispanic Pride, Poise, And An NFL Title.” It is an impressive magazine cover that contains an article written by Dwight Chapin titled, “Dos de la Misma Clase,” translated means “Two of a kind,” in which Chapin addresses the familial, social, and athletic background of both Jim Plunkett and Tom Flores. Although the majority of the article information focuses on aspects of Plunkett’s career with the New England Patriots, his almost forgotten tenure with the San Francisco 49ers, and his comeback with the Raiders, Chapin provides insights into Coach Tom Flores. He writes: When Flores was hired to become head coach, writer Steve Cassady asked him the difference between his regime and Madden’s, ‘It’ll be a lot duller,’ Flores said…But the Madden fire obviously wasn’t there, on the surface, and when the Raiders sagged it was suggested Flores might go. ‘I read what was being said,’ Flores says. ‘I heard the rumors, and I’d be lying if I said they didn’t bother me. But I’ve been released and cut and traded as a player. I know the possibly exists as a coach, too. The only barometer is wins and losses. (49)

In this regard, Chapin proceeds to note that Al Davis and Dan Pastorini were catalysts in Tom Flores career during the 1980 season leading to the Super Bowl. Al Davis is quoted by Chapin, “Too many coaches take things as they come, let them happen…The job is to dominate and make things happen. As a player, Tom had great courage and a tremendous will to do and to win. He’s a strong fighter…very, very proud. But quite frankly, at that stage I didn’t think he was a dominator. I was able to give him that.” (49)

The other catalyst in Chapin’s article is the unexpected Dan Pastorini’s injury during the 1980 season that provided Jim Plunkett the opportunity to step in and become the Raider’s starting quarterback. In this matter, Chapin’s credits Flores in helping to save Plunkett’s career, nurturing him during his comeback. (47)   

In the Dwight Chapin’s reference above to Al Davis’ commentary referring to his thinking that Flores was not a dominator is later redefined and replaced by the terms “magnificent” and “greatest.” This becomes evident when Al Davis congratulates his coach and team after their Super Bowl victories. In Flores’ autobiography, Fire in the Iceman: Tales of The Tooz, The Snake and The Boz, Al Davis is quoted addressing the team in the locker rooms after winning Super Bowl XV, he says, “To Tom Flores, the coaches and the great athletes. You were ‘magnificent’ out there. Your commitment to excellence and your will to win will endure forever. You were magnificent.” (166)

A few years later after their victory in Super Bowl XVIII, Al Davis once again addressed the team in the locker room and said: I think today this organization, this team, this coaching staff, dominated so decisively that two things must be said. Not only, in my opinion, are you the greatest Raider Team of all time to have ever played any professional sport. Tom Flores isn’t just a great coach in our league. With all due respect, he’s one of the ‘greatest’ coaches of all time. (189)

Although, it seems in the commentary that Al Davis is taking credit for Tom Flores’ perceived transformation, I interpret the situation and language in each of the quotes as a realization by Al Davis that Flores’ was already a dominator and a man destined to win. All that was needed was a second victory to erase the pessimism of the first.                        

Next are informational excerpts from the National Football League Game Program, GAMEDAY’s celebration of Tom Flores’ 50^th league victory. Flores is featured on the cover with two stories written about him by a staff writer in the program. The featured story titled “Tom Flores – 50^th League Win For Raider Coach,” begins with a short account of the Raider’s comeback win over the Kansas City Chiefs, 22-20 in Arrowhead Stadium to record Flores’ 50^th victory. (178)

The story continues to read, “Flores – the only person in National Football League history to win Super Bowl rings as a player, an assistant coach, and a head coach – now has a record of 50-26 as field boss of the Raiders for a .658 winning percentage. Only Miami Dolphins’ head coach Don Shula, among all NFL head coaches active today with 50 or more league victories, has a better winning percentage than Flores.” (178)

After his active playing and coaching career, Flores was still a prominent figure in professional football and becomes a point of reference for racial issues in the NFL that pertain to coaching.

Richard Keeton, a writer from Marietta, Georgia wrote a timely magazine article in 1988, titled “A Minority of None – Why are there no black head coaches in the National Football League?” Keeton discusses the issue of the lack of black coaches in the National Football League. Interestingly, the first coach Keeton interviewed for the story was Tom Flores, former head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders. In the interview, Keeton asked Flores the question about the lack of black coaches in the NFL and initially Flores was reluctant to respond because the race issue in professional sports was a hotbed of controversy. Keeton documents Flores’ initial response, “I don’t want to comment on why there is no black head coach, because anything I say might not sound right to somebody. Look what happened recently to people who have said things (about race and sports), some of them in jest and some in ignorance. These people have been destroyed. I don’t want to take that chance.” (45)

Notwithstanding, Keeton provides some background information on Flores identifying him as a Hispanic and one of the few minority head coaches in professional football history and briefly compares him to the one black head coach in the NFL - the late Fritz Pollard, who coached the Hammond (Ind.) Pros in 1925. The fact that Flores was reluctant to discuss the topic of race and sports follows a number of widely publicized gaffes, beginning with the controversial pronouncements of Los Angeles Dodgers executive Al Campanis, who averred that blacks may lack ‘the necessities’ to hold managerial and front office positions in baseball.” (45)

The article continues with an interview with 49ers coach Bill Walsh, black sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards, and NFL’s spokesman Joe Browne about the underlying issues surrounding the fact there are so few black coaches in the NFL. In this discussion, Flores speaks to the tension that comes with being a head coach, “The tension is almost indescribable and the pressure to win has caused a head-spinning turnover rate. Flores recalled that after his first four years as a head coach, only five of his 27 counterparts in the NFL had greater longevity.” (50) From Walsh’s interview information about the issues and examples of available coaches emerge Dennis Green, who at the time, was an assistant coach with the 49ers and Tony Dungy, Pittsburgh’s defensive coordinator. Both were prominent assistant coaches at the time and considered prime candidates for head coaching positions.

On the issue of experience and wisdom in the article, Flores cites playing experience as another useful quality in a coach, regardless of whether the coach played professionally or at a lower level…” he also added, “A coach must adhere to his own philosophy of football and withstand the fads that periodically sweep through the league,” Flores observed, “Just because some else wins using a different style doesn’t mean you suddenly have to use their stuff.” He concludes his input to Keeton with, “A knack for motivation also is important, particularly as players become more sophisticated and the season stretches ever longer…because, “Whatever the motivational technique one favors, it has to be honest. You can’t be someone that you are not.” (51)

Nonetheless, Tom Flores continued to influence, assist and mentor players who needed help or just words of encouragement and hope. As noted above in Richard Keeton’s article, the NFL was adapting as best it could with not only the issue of black coaches, but black quarterbacks as well. In this matter, Tom Flores, as one of the first minority quarterbacks and head coaches in the NFL was called upon to provide insights and commentary.

One significant example of how Tom Flores approached the racial issues in the NFL involves another minority pioneer named Marlin Briscoe, who entered the NFL in 1968 and became the first black quarterback to start in the history of the AFL with the Denver Broncos. Although Marlin Briscoe was eventually successful with various AFL and NFL teams throughout his career, he did have some personal problems that Coach Tom Flores recognized and offered to help. In his book, The First Black Quarterback: Marlin Briscoe’s Journey to Break the Color Barrier and Start in the NFL, Briscoe and his co-author Bob Schaller devote Chapter 18, titled “Tom Flores Offers Rehab,” in which Briscoe expresses how thankful he was for Tom Flores intervention and help during the low time in his life . He writes, “Tom Flores and I crossed paths again. He allowed me to visit him at the Raiders’ complex in El Segundo, California. He would loan me money, trying to help me out. One day in 1986, I saw him – as I often did – after practice. Again he gave me some money. ‘Marlin what’s going on with this?’ Tom asked me…he scratched his chin and then looked me in the eye. ‘Marlin, are you on drugs?’ I was ashamed, but I could see in his eyes that he cared deeply for me? (197)

Marlin continues to write in the chapter that Tom Flores helped him, as did others, but it was Flores who put him up at the Raiders hotel for training camp and facilitated the rehabilitation. He states the program got him physically and mentally in good shape, but unfortunately he strayed and returned to another low point in his life that he eventually overcame. (198). It is interesting to note from Briscoe’s chapter information that he initially recalls Flores as a person he can trust and recognized as a friend. No doubt that Briscoe’s self-determination was a factor in beating the odds, but in the process underwent some very difficult and trying circumstances in becoming the first Black starting quarterback in the NFL.

On January 20, 1988, the Los Angeles Raider’s organization announced the retirement of Tom Flores from football coaching. The Press Release begins with “Tom Flores, winner of two World Championships during his nine years as head coach of the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, today announced his retirement from football coaching. Flores, now 50 years old, had an outstanding league record of 83-53-0 since taking over from John Madden as head coach of the Raiders on February 9, 1979.” The press release continues with Flores background information about his hometown, collegiate career at University of the Pacific, his early playing years with the Raiders, the Super Bowl victories, and his playing tenures with the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. Importantly, the release cites his accolades and successes. “He was the NFL Coach of the Year in 1982, spent 22 memorable seasons with the Raiders – six at quarterback (1960-61, 1963-1966), seven as an assistant coach (1972-1978), and nine as a head coach (1979-1987). During his 13 years on the coaching staff the Raiders won their way into the playoffs 11 times to establish a total dominance of major professional sports in terms of consistent victory.”

Although Tom Flores looked forward to retirement, there were feelings of uncertainty about leaving football. After all, his career, at the time, spanned 27 years and other things besides football would now have to occupy his mind that did not involve football fields, locker rooms, and game preparations. But Flores’ success attracted the attention of Seattle Seahawks owner Ken Behring who offered him the position of President and General Manager of the Seattle Seahawks team in 1989. (Flores-Cooney 240)

With little if no hesitation, Flores accepted the offer with optimism to extend his football career another six years. The first three years of his tenure Flores’ served in the capacity of President and General Manager with team oversight, management, and player negotiation responsibilities. In his autobiography, Fire in the Iceman, Flores specifically mentions the successful negotiations of Steve Largent’s contract in 1989 as one of his accomplishments in that capacity (247). In Flores’ third year as President – General Manager, the Seahawks underwent a season of hard knocks that caused Chuck Knox to accept the head coaching position with the Los Angeles Rams. Notwithstanding, Seahawks owner Ken Behring changed Tom Flores’ title from President to General Manager – Head coach of the Seahawks. (Neft 945)    

However, the three year (1992-1994) tenure of Flores as a head coach became a rebuilding project and is best described as injury-ridden and disappointing. In 1992 the Seahawks finished last in the league, losing their two top quarterbacks, but produced the league’s “Defensive Player of the Year” in Cortez Kennedy (Neft 967). In 1993, there was cause for optimism as rookie quarterback Rick Mire completes 486 passes for 2,833 yards while running back Chris Warren experienced a second consecutive 1000 yard rushing season, but the Seahawks’ defense tumbled from the top ten to number 23 in the league (Neft 989).

The third and final season for Flores was a continuation of the previous two, in which, the Seahawk’s could not avoid or prevent injuries. In 1994, a car accident toward the end of the season results in the injury of a defensive player and two running backs that add to the already misfortune of the team and coach. For the three Flores’ coaching seasons, the Seahawks won only fourteen games against 34 losses. In retrospect the three seasons are summed up in a Seattle Seahawk’s News release titled “1994: Flores finale” released Wednesday, June 22, 2011. The release describes numerous player injuries, the inexperience of the replacement players, and the lack of defensive adjustments as just some of the reasons that hindered the overall team development. The press information also addressed the misfortune of Flores’ tenure as coach. It reads, “If there had been any justice, things would have gone better for Flores – and the Seahawks under him. His tenure was marked by class and honesty off the field, but simply not enough victories on it.” (Flores’ finale) The Tom Flores pro football career thus ended without any fanfare or excitement, but this, in the author’s assessment, did not detract from his already established accomplishments.

The Tom Flores’ leadership established itself not only in the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders organization, but also as President – General Manager with the Seattle Seahawks, and the NFL. Four years later, Latino sportswriters critically examine the history of the Latino/Hispanic pro football player in the NFL, its challenges, and issues. The first of these articles that departs from an individual focus of Latino/Hispanic players and coaches is HISPANIC magazine writer John Flores, who in the article, “Uno, dos, tres…Hike! Latinos in the National Football League,” published in January/February 1998, addresses the history of Latinos in the NFL since 1929 to the advent of the NFL’s World League of American Football in the 1990’s. He writes:

Since the days of the Rodriguez brothers, 96 other Hispanics have played pro football in the U.S.” (32) He identifies the players, teams, their success and issues and states the numbers of Latinos since 1929 are proportionately low, but have made their imprint in the NFL by citing what he describes as Hall-of-Fame caliber players such as Tom Flores, Joe Kapp, Jim Plunkett, and Anthony Munoz. He expounds, “Today’s players, for the most part, don’t know about the hardships that had to be dealt with and overcome by Hispanics and African Americans during the fifties, sixties, and comments, “This was before the government sought to legislate an end to racial disharmony, and while football fields were open for Latinos to play on, the locker rooms and off-the-field settings were where the discriminatory behavior occurred.” (32, 34) To support his contention, he cites the example of Denver’s David Diaz-Infante success at dismantling the old stereotype about Hispanics being too small or too slow to play in the NFL, and also quotes NFL spokesperson Pete Abitante, that Hispanic pro football players are not just place-kickers and have branched out to other positions. (36)

He concludes his article by identifying the numbers of Latinos in the NFL have increased since the time of Tom Flores. But he reminds his readers about the inconstancy of race: The vestiges of racism remain, but they’re not conspicuous beyond the realm of whispers. Before the civil rights initiatives of the sixties, tough Mexican American players held their own in a culturally oppressive world where, despite their football prowess, they were viewed as second-class citizens. Though racial equality remains a challenge in the NFL, today talented and hardworking players of all colors do seem to share the same experience – they excel. (36)

In a similar article a year later (1999), Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman writes a lengthy piece that addresses the same issues of stereotyping in the NFL. In Kaufman’s piece “The Few, The Proud: For various reasons, the NFL hasn’t been a hotbed for Hispanics. But times are changing.” She cites the examples of Seattle Seahawk’s assistant coach Pete Rodriguez, Minnesota Viking’s defensive end Stalin Colinet, and Tampa Bay Buccaneer’s guard Jorge Diaz, and numerous other Hispanic athletes, as objects of stereotyping when it pertains to playing and/or applying for coaching positions in the NFL.

For example, Kaufman quotes various Hispanic players about the fact that they are traditionally associated with baseball and soccer rather than football.  Another is the Hispanic athlete being the target of ethnic jokes and stereotyping, in which, Anthony Munoz tells Kaufman about his early days in Cincinnati and being called a “big Burrito” during his initial negotiations with the team. Similarly, Tony Ramirez, Detroit Lion’s lineman recalls being teased about the Taco Bell commercials and teammates talking to him in poor Spanish that according to Ramirez got a little old. (6SB) In other pranks, Kaufman bemoans the idea players were being taunted for not speaking English or for speaking Spanish in their interactions with other non-Hispanic players. While in addition to the “big burrito” incident with Munoz; the Hall of Famer recalls that both he and Max Montoya were also singled out as the only Hispanics who weren’t kickers in the NFL to amplify a recurrent myth and stereotype. (6SB)

The other aspect of her article identifies the 13 Hispanics in the NFL in 1999 and the 12 in 1998, as well as Hispanics in the Super Bowls. She states that although the numbers of players have increased, the numbers of coaches are few and she emphasizes this point by focusing on Seattle’s assistant coach Pete Rodriguez’s dilemma in applying for coaching jobs in the NFL and being rejected. According to Kaufman, Pete Rodriguez was told by unidentified coaches, “Sorry Pete, we need to hire a minority, and Pete says, “I am a minority” which spawns yet another flaw in the NFL psyche in not recognizing who is Hispanic. (6SB) Notwithstanding, Kaufman’s report of the NFL, reveals the league’s challenges to fully accept the Hispanic athlete and coach. But, exclaims that positive strides were being realized in expanding the Spanish radio broadcasts of NFL games to Hispanic markets across the U.S. and abroad. (6SB)

So where does this position the Tom Flores’ pro football legacy in regards to the Pro Football Hall of Fame? First and foremost is the answer to the question, “can the history of the game be written without him?” No, it cannot because two Super Bowls victories are immense accomplishments that involve innumerable variables that cannot be ignored. Imagine the commercial aspects, the national and international memory (ies) of the games, the players, coaches, the plays, and records. This phenomenon of accomplishment cannot be treated lightly and must be duly respected for its historical impact upon the history of the sport. In one story by Los Angeles Times sportswriter Paul Gutierrez entitled, “Heritage Haul: 49ers’ Garcia One of a Slowly Increasing Number of Latinos in NFL,” Gutierrez begins to measure Tom Flores’ historical importance to the sport and his acknowledgement of success in the Super Bowl. He writes:

The first player with a Latino surname to suit up for an NFL game was Jesse Rodriguez, who played for the Buffalo Bison’s in 1929 as a punter, but Tom Flores, Joe Kapp, and George Mira were Garcia’s forefathers as Latino quarterbacks in the 1960s…Flores went on to become the first Latino coach in the NFL and won a pair of Super Bowls with the Raiders’ and fellow Chicano quarterback Jim Plunkett. However, Flores is the first to admit that what he has accomplished is indeed special, but that his success has nothing to do with ethnicity. ‘I was just playing, a football player with Mexican heritage…and no one looked at your surname when they were beating on your head or chasing you down the sidelines. (D6)

In June 30, 1982, I asked Coach Flores a similar question about his success: Your achievement in professional sports has made you a special individual in the sports world and the Mexican American community. What feelings do you have regarding this? He replied, “I am very proud to have achieved a lot of firsts because of my ethnic background. However, all these achievements were earned because of hard work and ability and not because I am Mexican. Being Mexican is something I was born with and am proud of, but this has nothing to do with my accomplishments. Nothing is handed out freely – in the professional world, you must earn your stripes.” (Longoria research questionnaire)

Simply stated, Flores acknowledges that success in the NFL is not a fluke, a result of privilege, or a matter of ethnicity. It is accomplished through hard work, dedication, leadership, and preparation. These are all traits that abound in the Flores’s character and honed by family values, farm worker experience and his football talent that carried him from the crop fields onto the fields of professional football.

In sum, I firmly believe Tom Flores deserves Pro Hall of Fame induction for reasons mentioned in the brief and other reasons as well. I dare mention the term “character” in the equation, primarily due to the recent revelation of NFL Commissioner Goodell’s comments that suggests to include the term “character,” within the language of “on and off the field achievement” criteria for consideration and induction into the Hall of Fame.

Several years back when I was researching my football book, I read a sports story written by Miami Herald sportswriter Greg Cote about a 1951 Philadelphia Eagles lineman named Ray Romero that I feel is very appropriate to Tom Flores. It happened that Greg Cote used Romero’s character as a contributing factor to explain one of the reasons to honor him. Romero was not only being recognized and honored for his single year in the NFL but his extraordinary community service as a science teacher in the Greater Miami – Dade metropolitan area. Mr. Cote writes about the reasons that Romero stands out, “It is because he is a common man, extraordinary in his context…” and “that is ostensibly why Romero gets his glory. Truthfully though, Romero’s fling with pro football is merely a good excuse to honor a good man, a man who earned the recognition by hard work and commitment.”  In this case, Romero was honored by a National Educational Organization for his secondary teaching. (Longoria 41)

For Tom Flores, who according to one sportswriter, “is the least known and least appreciated multiple Super Bowl-winning coach,” is a similar man, extraordinary in his context and a leader, a coach and educator who took his job seriously, performed exceptionally, and accomplished the remarkable in a sport that is volatile and unforgiving to the weak and faint of heart. What is now needed in this matter is the acknowledgement from Hall of Fame voters, who bear the immense responsibility to bestow the necessary recognition to honor deserving nominees such as Tom Flores. I sincerely hope that sound and fair reasoning prevails in this case to ensure this great honor is granted, so that pro football history not only achieves another dimension of greatness but is also fully diversified in its glory.

/s/Mario Longoria, Ph.D.

U.S. Navy Vietnam Veteran - 1968

Writer – Sports Historian

San Antonio, Texas

REFERENCES

Berger, Phil. Great Moments in Pro Football. New York: Julian Messer, A Division of Simon & Schuster, 1969. 143-148. Print.

Briscoe, Marlin with Bob Schaller.  The First Black Quarterback: Marlin Briscoe’s Journey to Break the Color Barrier and Start in the NFL. Grand Island: Cross Training Publishing, 2002. 197-2000. Print.

Cote, Greg.  “Hispanics Honor a Life of Learning.” Miami Herald. September 14, 1993. Print.

del Olmo, Frank. “Latino Pride Comes Served in a Bowl, And it’s Super.” Los Angeles Times. Friday, January 16, 1981.

“Flores Wins 50^th.” GAMEDAY Program. Raiders vs. Chargers. Los Angeles Coliseum. 25: 4 (September 24, 1984): 178-179. Print.

Flores, John.  “Uno, dos, tres…Hike! Latinos in the National Football League.” HISPANIC.                                             January/February 1988. 30, 32, 34, 36. Print. 

Flores, Tom with Frank Cooney. FIRE in the ICEMAN: Tales of The Tooz, The Snake and The Boz. Chicago: Bonus Books, Inc. 1992. 166, 189. Print.  

“1994: Flores’ finale.” Wednesday, 22 June 2011. Web 1 Sept. 2015.

http://www.seahawks.com/news/2011/06/22/1994-flo.

Gutierrez, Paul. “Not just kickers anymore: More Latino players – at more positions – are finding success.” The Sacramento Bee. Wednesday, October 24, 2007. C1, C3. Print.

---          “Heritage Haul: 49ers’ Garcia One of a Slowly Increasing Number of Latinos in NFL.” Los Angeles Times. Wednesday, November 24, 1999. D1, 12. Print.                         

Kaufman, Michelle. “The Few, The Proud: For various reasons, the NFL hasn’t been a hotbed for Hispanics. But times are changing.” The Miami Herald. Monday, January 25, 1999. 1SB, 6SB. Print.

Keeton, Richard.  “A Minority of None – Why are there no black head coaches in the National Football League?” The Main Event: Monthly Sports Journal for Physicians. December 1988. 45-46, 48, 50-52. Print.

Littwin, Mike. “He’s the Pride of Sanger – Tom Flores is a Quiet Man of Accomplishment.” Los Angeles Times. Tuesday, January 20, 1981. 3,6. Print.

Longoria, Mario.  Athletes Remembered: Mexicano/Latino Professional Football Players, 1929-1970. Tempe: Bilingual Review Press, 1997. 82-88. Print.

---          “Oakland Shootout – Flores Outguns Blanda.” ProMex Sports Publication. May 1990. 8, 9, 15. Print.     

---          “(Hand written) Research questionnaire to Tom Flores.” June 30, 1982.

Neft, David S. Richard M. Cohen, and Rick Korch. The Football Encyclopedia: The Complete, Year-By-Year History of Professional Football From 1892 to the Present. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1994.

Print.

Oates, Bob.  “Reaping the Harvest – Once a Fruit Picker, Tom Flores Worked His Way Up to Coach of Oakland Raiders.” Los Angeles Times. Saturday, September 1, 1979. 3, 7. Print.

---          “Flores Hit Perfect Pitch for Raiders – His Calm Approach Before and During Game Rubbed Off.” Los Angeles Times. Tuesday, January 27, 1981. 1, 8. Print.

Stirling, Scotty. “…But What A Finish! Raiders Nip Oilers, 52-49.” Oakland Tribune. Monday, December 23, 1963. 25-26. Print.

“Tom Flores Retires From Football Coaching.” RAIDERS RELEASE. Wednesday, January 20, 1988.  

*Photographic images are from the Mario Longoria Mexican American/ Latino/ Hispanic/ Spanish Surname Collegiate & Pro Football Collection.           

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