Forty one years ago, Tom Flores stepped on the field of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the first time as the Raiders Head Coach.
We all know the incredible things the legendary coach went on to accomplish throughout his career, but it all started with the matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on September 2, 1979.
At the L.A. Coliseum, Flores and his squad took the field on a beautiful 70-degree day, prepared to take on a stout opponent. In his coaching debut, Flores and the Raiders trailed at half 17-7, but an offensive outburst in the third quarter flipped the script and resulted in a 24-17 come-from-behind win.
Ken Stabler tossed three touchdowns in the game, clinching the first win of Flores' legendary career. It's not the most significant game of Flores' tenure as the Raiders' head coach, but it marked the beginning of a Hall-of-Fame career.
While Flores has yet to be inducted to the Hall — a travesty to put it bluntly — his chances have improved this year, as he was recently named a finalist for 2021 Class. There are numerous factors that go into being elected, which you can view below.
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." The Hall's Selection Committee, at its annual meeting to be held on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 in Tampa, Fla., will consider 18 finalists, including a Senior (Drew Pearson, also named Tuesday), a Coach (Flores) and a Contributor (to be named Tuesday, Aug. 25), and 15 Modern-Era Finalists (to be determined from a preliminary list announced on September 16; trimmed to 25 semifinalists in November and to 15 finalists in January).
Current bylaws call for a class no smaller than four or larger than eight. Flores will be voted on for election independent of the other finalists.
