For former Raiders coach Tom Flores, time is now for Pro Football Hall of Fame
The wait is nearly over for former Raiders coach Tom Flores to see if he will finally get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year.
The former Sanger High/Fresno City College/University of the Pacific star will find out at 6 p.m. PST Saturday if he received the necessary 80% yes from the 48-committee members to enshrined in Canton, Ohio, this summer.
The Class of 2021 will be revealed on the NFL Honors Show from Tampa, Florida, and will be televised. The show, however, will not be shown on the West Coast until 9 p.m., on CBS.
Flores said he’s not making the trip to Tampa — site of Super Bowl LV on Sunday between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Instead, he’ll be at his Indian Wells home with wife Barbara and the rest of the family to await word.
Flores is hoping to celebrate in a big way, especially with his 60th wedding anniversary and his 84th birthday coming up in March.
This is perhaps his best chance. The past two years have been gut-wrenching for Flores, as many have believed he would get into the Hall.
Two years ago that knock on the hotel door from Hall President David Baker never came. Instead, it was a phone call telling the former Raiders coach he wasn’t getting in.
Flores packed up and left Atlanta to return home that Sunday.
Last year was just as bad as he saw Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson receive a surprise from Baker at their respective television studios.
The push for Flores has been even harder this year, as many have lobbied for Flores to get in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Even Coors Light got in the mix and filmed a commercial.
In Sanger, a mural is going up. It will be painted by Omar “Super” Huerta, who previously worked on a Flores mural at 418 N. Blackstone Ave. in Fresno last year.
Huerta will start working on the Sanger mural at 7 p.m. Friday and will go until 4 a.m., and will return Saturday for touch-ups around noon.
This week, Sanger residents chalked up support for Flores by writing on the driveway.
Flores went 83-53 with the Raiders from 1979 to 1987, including two Super Bowl wins as a head coach. The Raiders were the first wild-card team to win the big game, beating the Philadelphia Eagles after the 1980 season. They won again after the 1983 campaign, holding offensive-minded Washington in check in a 38-9 victory.
Reporter’s take on Tom Flores and the Hall of Fame
Is it enough to warrant his inclusion in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
For what he went through the past two year, a third shunning would be a big-time travesty.
This is the only time I’ll cheering in the press box (living room).
He deserves it. He accomplished a lot. He’s a Super Bowl champion.
Here is hoping Flores finally gets in — and former Raider Charles Woodson, too.
Two Raiders in the Class of 2021?
It is possible.
This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 2:01 PM.
