Is third time the charm for former Raiders coach Tom Flores to get into Hall of Fame?
Tom Flores was the lone coach to be named a finalist on Tuesday for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
The former Sanger High/Fresno City College/University of Pacific standout was picked by the Hall of Fame’s Coach Committee during a virtual meeting.
“Whatever happens, happens,” Flores said. “I can’t control what happens. Hopefully it’s positive and so far everything is positive and hopefully we can have a big party.”
This is the third time Flores has been named a finalist.
Earlier this year, a 25-member panel chose former coaches Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson to the Class of 2020.
In 2019, Flores made it to the list of 15 finalists, but he didn’t get the knock from Hall president David Baker in Atlanta.
“I remember the bad feeling and the bad feeling in my stomach two years ago when they didn’t knock on my door,” Flores said. “I felt bad and we went home and didn’t stay for the game. That wasn’t a good feeling. There are no guarantees in life, but it still will be an incredible step in my life and my family’s lives.”
The credentials are there for Flores to be in the Hall.
Flores won 97 games, including an 83-53 run with the Raiders from 1979 to 1987. But he was even better in the postseason, where his 8-3 record for a .727 winning percentage ranks second to Vince Lombardi among those who have coached 10 or more playoff games.
Under Flores, the Raiders became the first wild-card team to win a Super Bowl, beating the Philadelphia Eagles in 1980. They won again under Flores in 1983, holding offensive-minded Washington in check in a 38-9 victory.
Flores posted a 105-90 overall career record with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders and the Seattle Seahawks. He guided the Raiders to victories in Super Bowls XV and XVIII, following the 1980 and 1983 seasons, the latter a season in which he was named the AFC Coach of the Year.
Flores is the first Hispanic coach in the NFL and first to win a Super Bowl.
To be elected to the Hall of Fame, Flores must receive the same 80 percent voting support by the entire 48-member Selection Committee on “Selection Saturday” on Feb. 6 in Tampa, Fla.
“I’m kind of excited, but I’m also a little leery and guarded of what went on before,” Flores said. “I was assured of a lot of things today, but I was also assured two years ago. We’ll be careful, but it looks like it’s going to happen.”
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 1:01 PM.
