TOM FLORES TO RECEIVE 2020 Legacy Recognition Award™ THE NATIONAL QUARTERBACK CLUB’S HIGHEST HONOR
The National Quarterback Club (NQBC) announced today that legendary Tom Flores will receive the 2020 Legacy Recognition Award™. The award will be presented during the 2020 National Quarterback Club Awards Dinner and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on February 27, 2021 at The Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch beginning with a reception at 5:00 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. The ceremony will also include honors for the National Quarterback of the Year in high school, college and professional ranks. Roman Gabriel, James “Shack” Harris, Kurt Warner, and Doug Williams will be inducted into the National Quarterback Club Hall of Fame.
“There has been a lot of discussion about the charmed football life and career of Tom Flores, but if there is a lesson in either it lies in his life-long support for comprehensive immigration reform and his work for inclusion and diversity in government,” said Don Kile, NQBC president. “Flores is the epitome of what it means when someone speaks the words ‘give back to the community’. The Legacy Recognition Award™ honors this incredible man, and energizes future generations unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of what has been provided.”
“Everyone’s journey takes a path through some tough and confusing times. I am very proud of my football career and everything accomplished along the way, but I am more enthusiastic about having been a pioneer for all the Hispanic kids in my community,” said Flores. “I was the very first quarterback for the Raiders and was pleased to have the duty of being the first ever Hispanic quarterback. I was able to be part of four Super Bowls, and felt the exhilaration and joy of those achievements. The biggest excitement comes from seeing young people excel and thrive knowing they can make a positive difference.”
About Tom Flores - Indian Wells, California
Tom Flores’ career in football spanned more than 60 years and has rendered him a legend amidst the history-makers in the game.
Born into the strong fabric of a Mexican-American family working as itinerant farmers and sharecroppers in the valleys of California, Flores’ journey took him to the peaks of professional football success winning four Super Bowl championships, including two as head coach with the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders. Along the way, he overcame setbacks such as tuberculosis, severe shoulder injuries and the complete rejection by the NFL through 30 rounds of the 1958 draft. In 1960, Flores landed a position as quarterback with the upstart AFL’s Oakland Raiders becoming the first Latino quarterback in major professional football.
In January 1981, the former Raiders signal-caller also became the first Latino head coach to win a Super Bowl when his Oakland Raiders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XV. He won the title in his first playoff appearance as a head coach, too, becoming just one of seven coaches to do so in NFL history.
Flores embodied the early Raiders as much as anyone, going from the team's starting quarterback in its first-ever game in 1960, as part of the launch of the AFL, to the second-winningest coach in franchise history, trailing only his predecessor John Madden. As his players have often said, Flores' quiet, trusting style contrasted with that of Madden, but they both found success on the sideline as leaders of the Silver and Black. Flores' 8-3 mark in the postseason stands as proof that his way worked, regardless of if the team was in Oakland or Los Angeles, where he led the Raiders to another title in 1983 (Super Bowl XVIII).
Flores is one of eight head coaches to win a Super Bowl within his first two seasons, and one of three head coaches to win a Super Bowl with the team for which he played. He is one of only two in the NFL to win a Super Bowl as a player, assistant coach and head coach. He closed his head coaching career by patrolling the sideline of the Seattle Seahawks from 1992-1994.
In 1961, Flores married Barbara Fridell. Together they have twin sons and a daughter, three grandsons and two granddaughters. Flores holds an honorary doctorate degree from Pepperdine University for his countless acts of humanitarian service.
For tickets to the Awards Dinner and Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and for more information about the National Quarterback Club, visit www.nationalqbclub.com. A limited number of media credentials can be reserved by emailing info@nationalqbclub.com.