Tom Flores needs to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Tom Flores is one of the more successful individuals in NFL history, and his time has come to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

When it comes to people who have been pioneers in the game of football, there are few with the kind of record that Tom Flores does. Whether as a player, assistant coach, or head coach, Flores has reached the pinnacle of his professional, and now deserves to be placed among the immortals in Canton, Ohio.

This past week, Flores was announced as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, an honor that is way overdue. He joins legendary coach Don Coryell as the only coaches up for enshrinement in 2019, and for Flores, getting into the Hall of Fame would be a capper on a football life that is second to none.

A Super Bowl champion as a head coach, assistant coach, and player, Flores not only has four rings, but is one of those people who is an example of what a professional football person should be. He was the first person to play quarterback for the Oakland Raiders franchise, taking the first snap back in September of 1960, as he became the first Latino to play quarterback in professional football.

In addition, he was the first minority head coach to win a Super Bowl, and the first minority to be a president, and general manager. While he is on the ballot as a head coach, when those voting get in the room, they have to look at the big picture when it comes to what Flores has meant to the league.

Not to say he could not get in on his coaching resume alone, as he won two Super Bowl rings as the man in charge of the Silver and Black. During his time stalking the Raiders sidelines, Flores posted a .610 winning percentage, winning 83 of his 116 games, finishing with a 83-53 record.

In the playoffs, Flores was just as good, winning eight of 11, including victories in Super Bowls XV and XVIII.

While his coaching career ended on a sour note in Seattle, where he won only 14 games in three seasons at the helm of the Seahawks, his body of work speaks for itself. He is a Hall of Famer, and hopefully, the committee will do the right thing in February and vote him in.

Based on everything Flores has accomplished in his football life, how you could have a Pro Football Hall of Fame and not include him? He is finally a finalist for enshrinement, and you have to think this is the year he finally gets to don his Gold Jacket.