Proud Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Raiders coach Tom Flores has his day in Sanger
Tom Flores can remember when his parents took him as a child to a Christmas parade in downtown Sanger.
“It was always a big parade with bands from other parts of the Valley, our high school band and all kinds of stuff going on,” Flores said.
It was just as equal, if not more, to what Flores remembered when hundreds of Raider Nation and the central San Joaquin Valley supporters arrived Saturday in Sanger to celebrate Flores’ Pro Football Hall of Fame induction.
Flores was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in early August with the Class of 2021.
The former Sanger High/Fresno City College/University of Pacific standout arrived in the central San Joaquin Valley on Friday and conducted the coin toss prior to the Sanger and Kennedy football game.
Flores wished the players luck and waved to the crowd. In tribute to his Raiders career, the home crowd wore all black.
It was the same Saturday when dignitaries welcomed Flores in front of the stadium scoreboard. A procession started at the library on 7th Street before a ribbon-cutting with the unveiling of Tom Flores Boulevard.
At least two Raiderettes paid homage to Flores. His former player, Lester Hayes, signed autographs for fans and cheered on his coach.
Muralist Omar “Super” Huerta finished the painting of Flores and the proud Hall of Famer was all smiles.
“It’s kind of a continuation of a whirlwind that we’ve been doing since we were in Canton,” Flores said. “It slowed down a little bit but there are still things going on, and next week, I go to Vegas for a celebration there for that game.”
A Hall of Fame ring ceremony will take place at Allegiant Stadium when the Raiders play the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 26.
Flores led the Raiders to the two league championships and had 97 victories as an NFL head coach, including an 83-53 run with the Raiders from 1979 to 1987.
Flores wants Cliff Branch in
Flores said he has one last hope: For his former player, Cliff Branch, to be in the Class of 2022.
Branch was named a senior finalist by the Pro Football Hall of Fame committee.
“They asked each one of us ‘if you had to pick a player (to go in the Hall of Fame), who would you pick’? I said Cliff and all the other guys from the other teams all agreed,” Flores said.
“If there is one guy on our team that you had to choose, it was Cliff Branch because he was a game breaker. He did it quietly. I remember I chewed him out one time because he would spike the ball in front of a guy and get kicked out of the game.
“When he was a rookie, I told him ‘Don’t you ever do that again,’ ” Flores added. “He never did and handled himself like a pro and I said ‘Act like a pro and hand the ball to the official and go back and line it up again.’ Very proud of him, and I’m sorry that he’s not around to enjoy all this stuff.”
