Tom Flores

Infobox NFL PlayerCoach


|Color=Black
fontcolor=silver
Jersey=16
Caption=Tom Flores
ImageWidth=
DateOfBirth=birth date and age|1937|3|21
Birthplace=Fresno, California
Position=Head Coach
Quarterback
College=Pacific
AFLDraftedYear=
AFLDraftedRound=
Stats=yes
Career Highlights=yes
NFL=FLO197755
DatabaseFootball=FLORETOM01
DatabaseFootballCoach=FLORETOM01
PFR=FlorTo00
PFRCoach=FlorTo0
player=yes
years=1960-1966
1967-1969
1969
teams=AFL Oakland Raiders
AFL Buffalo Bills
AFL Kansas City Chiefs
coach=yes
coachingyears=1979-1987
1992-1994
coachingteams=NFL Oakland/LA Raiders
NFL Seattle Seahawks
Record=97-87-0 (Regular Season)
8-3 (Postseason)
105-90-0 (Overall)
Championships=1969 AFL Championship
(as player)
1980 AFC Championship
(as head coach)
1983 AFC Championship
(as head coach)
SuperBowls=1969 AFL-NFL World Championship Game
(as player)
1980 Super Bowl XV
(as head coach)
1983 Super Bowl XVIII
(as head coach)
AFLAllStar=1966
Honors=
HOF=

Thomas R. "Tom" Flores (born March 21, 1937 in Fresno, California) is a retired American football quarterback and coach. Flores and Mike Ditka are the only two people in the NFL to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach and a head coach. [ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Edited by Randall Liu, p. 350, Workman Publishing, 2001, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2] He is currently a radio announcer.

Biography

Flores graduated from the University of the Pacific in 1958, but was unable to find a job in professional football. He was cut by the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL in 1958, and then by the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) in 1959. 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. Flores became the first Hispanic quarterback in American professional football. He became the Raiders' starting quarterback early in the 1960 season.

Flores had his most productive season in 1966. Although he completed only 49.3 percent of his attempts, he passed for 2,638 yards and 24 touchdowns in 14 games. Oakland traded him to the Buffalo Bills in 1967. After serving primarily as a backup, he was released by the Bills and in 1969 signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he was backup to Len Dawson on the Chiefs' World Championship team. He retired as a player after the 1970 season. He was one of only twenty players who were with the AFL for its entire ten-year existence. He is the fifth-leading passer, all-time, in the AFL.

After stints as an assistant coach in 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 John Madden's retirement. Flores then became the NFL's first minority head coach to win a Super Bowl, winning twice - Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII. After a 5-10 finish to the 1987 season, Flores moved to the Raiders' front office, but left after just one year to become the president and general manager of the Seattle Seahawks. He returned to coaching as the Seahawks head coach in 1992, but returned to the front office following three disappointing seasons. Flores resigned from the Seahawks in 1994 following Paul Allen's purchase of the Seahawks.

Flores left Pro Football with a lifetime coaching record of 97-87, as well as an 8-3 playoff record, and with two Super Bowl victories. Flores, Jimmy Johnson, and George Seifert are the only eligible coaches with two such victories, who have "not" been selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Tom Flores can be heard with Greg Papa on KSFO (560 AM) during the radio broadcasts of Raiders games.

Sanger High School's Football stadium is named "Tom Flores Stadium" In honor of Tom who was a graduate of Sanger High School

References

*Fire in the Iceman: Autobiography of Tom Flores by Flores

ee also

*Other American Football League players

External links

*Tom Flores biography [http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/florestom.shtml link]
* [http://www.remembertheafl.com/AFLPlayers.htm Full roster of all American Football League players 1960 - 1969]