On February 8, 1979 the managing general partner of the
Oakland Raiders, Al Davis, confirmed that Tom Flores would succeed John Madden
as head coach. Madden had been highly successful, leading the club to 112 wins
and a NFL title over the course of a decade, but he stepped down due to health
concerns – more specifically, an ulcer.
Just as he had done when he elevated Madden in 1969,
Davis promoted an assistant coach with the team to the head coaching job. The
41-year-old Flores had been Oakland’s receivers coach since 1972 (he turned 42
before the season commenced). In contrast to the emotional and demonstrative Madden,
Flores was quiet and calm. His elevation also made him the first
Mexican-American head coach in NFL history.
“Of my 19 years in pro football, all but five have been
with the Oakland Raiders,” said a happy Flores. “My heart has always been in
Oakland with the community, the people, and the Raiders.”
“Tom is ready to be a head coach,” said an approving John
Madden. “He has a lot of experience as a player and a coach. He knows everyone
involved, the players, the administration, the set up. Tom did a good job as an
assistant.”
Flores had been an original player with the Raiders in
1960 and became the starting quarterback. He performed well for a poor team and
led the AFL in completion percentage (54.0) in the league’s inaugural year. A
bout with tuberculosis cost him the 1962 season, but he came back to play
admirably under Al Davis, then himself the new head coach, in ’63. He was
traded to Buffalo in 1967 and finished his nine-year career with the Chiefs in
their Super Bowl-winning season of ‘69. Flores returned to Oakland as an
assistant on Madden’s staff.
After winning the Super Bowl following the 1976 season,
the Raiders had gone 11-3 in ’77, losing the AFC Championship game to the
upstart Denver Broncos, but then dropped to 9-7 and missed the postseason for
the first time in seven years in 1978. 33-year-old QB Ken Stabler threw far too
many interceptions. OT Art Shell and G Gene Upshaw, who had been stalwarts on
the left side of the offensive line, were showing signs of wear. 36-year-old WR
Fred Biletnikoff was also showing his age and was benched during the season.
Similarly, the once-formidable defense was breaking down and veterans who had
been obtained to fill holes, such as CB Monte Jackson, failed to produce as
anticipated. In addition, trades to obtain veteran talent for the short-term
had caused the Raiders to not have a first-round draft pick available for four
straight years.
There were still plenty of assets, of course. All-Pro TE
Dave Casper was coming off his most productive season. FB Mark van Eeghen
rushed for 1080 yards, and rookie HB Arthur Whittington showed promise.
Linebackers Ted Hendricks and Phil Villapiano were consistently outstanding.
With the added distraction of Davis fighting the league
in order to move the franchise to Los Angeles, the Raiders again went 9-7 in
1979. Stabler bounced back from his subpar ’78 showing and benefited from heavy
use of two-tight end sets that featured Casper and Raymond Chester. But the
running attack ranked 24th in the league and the club was also 21st
in overall team defense.
There was surprise in the offseason when the Raiders
chose not to draft a running back in the first round, taking QB Marc Wilson out
of Brigham Young instead. An even bigger shock came when they dealt Stabler to
the Houston Oilers for QB Dan Pastorini. As Flores, who did not approve the
trade, summed up, “We are getting a fine quarterback, but we are losing a great
one.”
With Pastorini starting, Oakland got off to a 2-3 start
in 1980. But when Pastorini went down with a season-ending broken leg against
the Chiefs, backup Jim Plunkett took over with outstanding results. The former
first overall draft choice of the Patriots in 1971 had been cast off by the
49ers and was an afterthought on Oakland’s bench in ’79. Now his career was
rejuvenated at age 33 and the Raiders went 9-2 the rest of the way. There were
other factors in the team’s turnaround: unheralded RB Kenny King ran for 761
yards in tandem with van Eeghen and rookie MLB Matt Millen was an outstanding
addition to the defense, as were veteran CB Dwayne O’Steen and FS Burgess
Owens. CB Lester Hayes led the NFL with 13 interceptions, fifth-year ILB Bob
Nelson finally hit his stride, and OLB Rod Martin achieved stardom.
The Raiders finished second to the San Diego Chargers in
the AFC West with an 11-5 record, defeated the Oilers (and Stabler) in the Wild
Card round of the playoffs, squeaked past Cleveland in the Divisional round,
and beat the Chargers for the AFC title. They then dominated the Philadelphia
Eagles in the Super Bowl to become the first Wild Card team to win a NFL title.
The unexpected Championship season of 1980 was followed by
a precipitous drop in ’81. The Raiders went 7-9 and endured a stretch of three
straight games in which they were shut out. Flores felt the heat following the franchise’s
first losing record since 1964, in the second year of the Al Davis era, but was
retained. The team finally moved to Los Angeles in 1982 – or at least played
their home games there while they still practiced in Oakland - and rebounded to
go 8-1 in a strike-shortened year. Rookie RB Marcus Allen had an immediate
impact on the offense, while TE Todd Christensen went from unheralded backup
and special teams player to star. With the usual emphasis on obtaining veteran
talent, DE Lyle Alzado was added to the squad with good results.
The Raiders fell short in the postseason, but the stage
was set for another successful Super Bowl appearance in 1983. Although Plunkett
struggled and lost his starting job to Wilson for a time during the season, Allen
and Christensen were productive on offense, third-year DE Howie Long was
selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time and the defense picked up another
savvy veteran in CB Mike Haynes. LA finished strong and upset the high-powered
Redskins for the NFL Championship.
The team went a combined 23-9 over the next two years to
again reach the postseason, but there were no further titles. The story
remained the same – a strong defense, Allen’s running and Christensen’s
receiving on offense, and instability at quarterback, with Rusty Hilger joining
the mix. LA went 8-8 in 1986 and despite the acquisition of multi-sport star RB
Bo Jackson, fell further to 5-10 in the strike-interrupted ’87 season. Flores
stepped down afterward – likely under pressure.
Flores’ overall record with the Raiders was 83-53, for a
healthy .610 winning percentage, and a further 8-3 tally in the postseason that
included two Super Bowl victories. The unflappable, low-key coach labored in
the shadow of Al Davis, however, and never seemed to receive the recognition
that his record might otherwise have drawn. It did not help change the
impression that Oakland owed its successes more to the managing general partner
than the coach when Flores became head coach and GM of the Seattle Seahawks in
1992 and the club went a combined 14-34 over three losing seasons. But his calm
and steady leadership certainly was of benefit to the Raiders, particularly in
keeping the team focused during periods of off-field turmoil, and none of the
club’s other coaches – including the more highly-esteemed Madden – can match
the two NFL titles achieved under Flores.
