Las Vegas Raiders: Flores and Woodson a tale of two different HOF journeys

In the end, it is the same result for Raiders legends Charles Woodson and Tom Flores, two men who have meant so much to this organization over the years. Whether on the field or on the sidelines, these two men personified what it meant to be a Raider, though their journeys to the Hall of Fame could not have been more different.

As they were inducted together in 2021, they will be bound to each other forever, two more legendary pieces of the most legendary franchise in NFL history.

Raiders legend gets in on the first try

For Charles Woodson, the wait was not long, as C-Wood was inducted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Throughout his NFL career, Woodson had plenty of memorable moments, including winning a Super Bowl with Green Bay, a Rookie of the Year in Oakland, and finishing his career back in the Bay Area.

While he certainly had his moments for the Packers, Raider Nation sees him only in the Silver and Black, a testament to what he meant to this franchise. The first-round pick of the team after winning the Heisman at Michigan, Woodson spent his first eight years with the franchise, before landing in Green Bay in 2006. He spent seven years in Green Bay, getting his ring, and returned to the franchise that drafted him in 2013.

His three-year stretch with Oakland to close out his career was a memorable one, as he was the heart and would on some pretty bad Raiders teams. He retired just before the Raiders’ remarkable 2016 season, but it was the work ethic and drive that he installed in his young teammates that had a lasting effect after he hung them up.

Raiders legend waits forever to get in

Unlike Woodson, Tom Flores seemingly has waited forever to get into the Hall of Fame, so Saturday’s announcement was one that Raider Nation has been waiting for. Flores is a beloved member of this franchise, and fans of the team, young and old, have been clamoring for him to get into the Hall of Fame for years.

Flores’s accomplishments far exceed just what he did on the field, and on the sidelines. He was a pioneer in the league, as he was the first Latino quarterback and head coach, and the first minority head coach to win the big one. All told, the “Iceman” reeled in four Super Bowl titles, one as a player and assistant, and two as a head coach.

For Flores, this is a long time coming, as the fact that he was not a part of the Hall of Fame was downright baffling. Not only does he have the resume to be immortalized in Canton, but you cannot write the story of professional football without him, so congrats to a legendary player, coach, and person.