Coach Tom Flores Belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

UPDATED:   February 8th, 2021...Congratulations to Tom Flores finally being chosen to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame!

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Former Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders Head Coach, Tom Flores should be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

As a lifelong fan of the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, and now the Las Vegas Raiders, I have written previously about some of their great players, Quarterback, Ken Stabler and Wide Receiver, Cliff Branch that belonged in the HOF (posthumously). Fortunately, Stabler has since been enshrined into the HOF, but inexplicably, Branch has not been included. Hopefully, that will change very soon for Branch because he was an elite receiver with amazing talent that terrified opposing defensive backs for many years.

However, the remarkably humble and successful Coach Tom Flores has not yet been inducted into the HOF, and he deserves to be put into the hall, now. 

As Head Coach of the Raiders for nine-seasons, Flores won two Super Bowls in dominant fashion over the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins, respectfully. Flores led the Raiders to those world championships with Jim Plunkett at QB, a once-brilliant quarterback that many other football experts had written off as over the hill and/or washed up. 

Coach Flores proved them all wrong, and he was also a pioneer, as one of the few minority coaches guiding a professional football team in the NFL.

Some pundits have incorrectly claimed that Flores was not really in charge of the Raiders, and that he was the beneficiary of inheriting a bevy of talented players from his predecessor, the legendary coach John Madden, and/or that Raiders owner, Al Davis was actually calling the shots. 

That is not correct. 

In fact, prior to becoming head coach of the Raiders, Flores served as an assistant coach on the Raiders staff for seven-years. 

The 53-losses incurred by the Raiders under Flores' watch are forever attached to his record, but so are the more impressive 83-victories, including those two Super Bowl wins. 

Nine-seasons as head coach of the Raiders, and two Super Bowl wins. 

It's time to honor Tom Flores for his accomplishments as the once great leader of the Raiders. 

Induct Tom Flores into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he deserves it without question.