Third time is the charm as Flores finally gets his nod to enter Hall
Tom Flores, who coached the Raiders to championships in both Oakland and Los Angeles, made it all the way to Canton on Saturday night.
Flores was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame at the NFL Honors event on his third attempt as a coaches candidate, receiving the mandatory 80% of the 48 selectors on a yes or no basis.
Also inducted was defensive back Charles Woodson, who was eligible for the first time after an illustrious 18-year career which began and ended with the Raiders and included seven years with the Green Bay Packers.
49ers general manager John Lynch, a standout safety with the Buccaneers and Broncos, was elected on his eighth try as a finalist.
The rest of the Hall of Fame class included firstballot selections in quarterback Peyton Manning
(Colts, Broncos) and wide receiver Calvin Johnson (Lions), as well as 49ers general manager and guard Alan Faneca (Steelers, Jets).
Dallas wide receiver Drew Pearson was chosen as a senior selection, with former Pittsburgh Steelers scout Bill Nunn as a contributor.
“I think I’ll have a drink,” Flores said when contacted by phone. “I’m just excited. It’s been crazy with everybody calling who wants to be the first to know. I’ve been trying to keep this thing quiet, and it’s pretty tough to do. It’s not quiet any more, I know that. It’s exciting, and part of the journey — and it’s the best part of the journey.”
Awards were made official at the NFL Honors program.
Flores’ election was first reported by ESPN’S Paul Gutierrez. Flores said he has known he was elected for a week. Hall of Fame selectors as well as those elected are asked to keep the news under wraps until the day they are announced.
The last two years, Flores came up short, missing out on last year’s expanded “Centennial Class” in favor of Jimmy Johnson and Bill Cowher, and also two years ago when the format was different and he was up against former NFL players.
Flores joins John Madden, who was inducted in 2006, as Raiders coaches who have been enshrined. Al Davis, who was the Raiders head coach, general manager and eventually owner, was voted in to the Hall of Fame in 1992.
This year’s Hall of Fame class is scheduled to be inducted during the first week of August in Canton, Ohio.
Now entering his fifth year as the 49ers’ general manager, Lynch made it to Canton for his 15-year career as a hard-hitting and leadership-oozing safety, having excelled for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1993-2003) and the Denver Broncos (2004-07) as a Stanford product.
He was a nine-time Pro Bowler and three-time Allpro.
“I want to thank all my teammates of all the great teams I’ve had the pleasure and the honor to play for,” Lynch said. “That’s going back to Torrey Pines High School, that’s Stanford University, it’s the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where I was drafted in 1993 out of Stanford in the third round.
“I played 11 years here (in Tampa). We went from the Yucks to the world champs. The Denver Broncos, then, in Year 11, accepted me, and thank you to the Denver Broncos and everybody out there, Mike Shanahan, who believed in me; all the coaches, the Bowlen family, Pat Bowlen, God bless your soul.
“The New England Patriots, I only lasted about three weeks there and decided to retire, but those were impactful three weeks.
“And now the San Francisco 49ers, where I work as the general manager in a quest for another Lombardi for the Niners.”
Flores was head coach of the Raiders for nine seasons, named by Al Davis as the successor for John Madden after he retired after the 1978 season. He was the first Latino head coach to win a Super Bowl.
The Raiders won the Super Bowl twice under Flores following the 1980 and 1983 season. The first came when the Raiders became the first wild card team to win a championship, 27-10 over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XV in New Orleans.
“I’m not sure it works with anybody else,” former Raiders linebacker Matt Millen said of Flores’ leadership in 2019. “In that era you could stockpile some strong personalities, but it had to work from the top. And Tom was a guy who didn’t feel like he had to be in control all the time.”