Henry Roldán
It is important to note that while there have not been many Latino head coaches in the NFL, a couple of them have succeeded in the most prestigious position on the coaching staff of an American football team.
As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, JefeBet brings you a brief account of the four Latino head coaches in the history of the circuit and how it was, and is, their trajectory in the position.
Latino NFL Head Coaches
Tom Fears
After an extraordinary career as a player for the Rams, which earned him a Hall of Fame induction in 1970, before that, in 1967, Tom Fears became the first Latino head coach in the NFL when he was at the helm of the New Orleans Saints, a franchise that made its league debut that season.
Fears, born in Guadalajara to an American father and Mexican mother, left a record of 13-34-2 in four seasons in the position, this being his only stint as head coach.
Tom Flores
There is no doubt that Tom Flores is the most successful on our list of Latino head coaches in the NFL. After a fine career as a Raiders quarterback, which earned him a Hall of Fame induction, ten years after his retirement as an active player in 1979, the Californian of Mexican parents returned to the organization to become head coach.
He was with them in nine of his 12 seasons in the position, winning two Super Bowl and leaving a record of 83-53. In 1989, he would go to the Seattle Seahawks as president and general manager, and with that same organization, between 1992 and 1994, he served as head coach and manager and left with a record of 14-34.
Ron Rivera
Like his predecessors, Ron Rivera, whose father is Puerto Rican and his mother has Mexican origins, first played nine NFL seasons, including a Super Bowl win with the Bears in 1985, before becoming a successful coach.
Before taking the reins of a team, Rivera spent 14 seasons in various assistant positions. But in 2011 he made the leap as head coach with the Carolina Panthers, an organization with which he left with a 76-63 record and an NFC championship after nine seasons. He has been Washington’s head coach since 2020 and twice won the Coach of the Year award.
Brian Flores
In 2019, after 15 seasons serving in various assistant and scouting roles within the New England Patriots, Brian Flores, whose parents are Mexican, is hired by the Miami Dolphins and begins to form part of our list of Latino head coaches in the NFL.
Flores was in charge for three seasons in which he left a 24-25 record, and after being fired, he accused the Miami organization of trying to bribe him to lose commitments in order to have a better spot in the NFL Draft. He currently serves as a linebacker and defensive assistant for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see him return to a HC position with another team soon.
