What former Raiders coach Tom Flores thinks about Hall of Fame skipping him, Cliff Branch
Tom Flores felt “very disappointed” he and Cliff Branch are not going to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year.
“Very disheartened because I felt I was led to believe that I would have a much better chance to make it this year,” the former Raiders coach said Wednesday when the full “Centennial Slate” of 2020 inductees was announced.
Flores had already learned his fate over the weekend, when Hall of Fame President David Baker surprised former coaches Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson on live TV with the news they’ll be enshrined in 2020.
Cowher and Johnson, both network TV studio analysts, were picked by a special 25-member panel assembled to choose the Centennial Slate. Ten senior candidates and three contributors (including former NFL Commissioner Paul Taglilabue) were added to the slate Wednesday.
“Needless to say, I’m disappointed,” Flores said in a telephone interview from his Palm Springs home. “But, hey, it is what it is and the sun will shine tomorrow. I can’t do anything else. My past is my history. My history is what they’re voting on, and the future for me is just to continue on and wait and see.”
Flores made it to the list of 15 finalists last year. The late Don Coryell was the only other coach on last year’s finalist list, and both Cowher and Johnson had failed to reach the finalists list.
So when the Centennial Slate concept (including two certain coach picks) was announced to boost the Class of 2020 marking 100 years of pro football, it seemed Flores’ candidacy was good.
Statistics and accolades suggest Flores and Branch both have credentials to be in the Hall of Fame.
Flores won two Super Bowls
Flores, 82, played at Sanger High, Fresno City College and University of the Pacific and led the Raiders to two Super Bowl wins as coach.
He won 97 games, including an 83-53 run with the Raiders from 1979 to 1987. But he was even better in the postseason, where his 8-3 record for a .727 winning percentage ranks second to Vince Lombardi among those who have coached 10 or more playoff games.
Under Flores, the Raiders became the first wild-card team to win a Super Bowl, beating the Philadelphia Eagles in 1980. They won again under Flores in 1983, holding offensive-minded Washington in check in a 38-9 victory.
Flores and Mike Ditka are the only two men to earn Super Bowl rings as a player, assistant coach and coach.
Branch excelled in 14-year career
Branch took three seasons to find his stride after the Raiders picked him in the fourth round (98th overall pick) of the 1972 NFL draft.
His speed was undeniable. It took awhile for his pass-catching abilities to develop.
In a 14-year career, he helped the Raiders to three Super Bowl victories (two under Flores) and was a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro.
He finished his NFL career in 1985 with 501 receptions for 8,685 yards and 67 touchdowns. He is third all-time in receiving yards in franchise history behind Hall of Fame members Tim Brown and Fred Biletnikoff.
Branch clearly had the Hall of Fame on his mind: When he was inducted into the California Sports Hall of Fame in 2018, he told the crowd he wanted to get to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020 “because the Raiders are going to be in Las Vegas and I want to be the first Hall of Famer to be inducted into the Las Vegas Raiders stadium.”
2020 dream
Branch died Aug. 3. Flores said the day before, he received a text from Branch with a link to an article about the Centenial Slate. “He said, ‘You’re in, Coach.’ And I was going to text him back as soon as I got home and say maybe we’ll both go in together. I didn’t get a chance to do that. Now, maybe we’ll still go in together.
“It would be the ultimate.”
Branch’s family said in a statement: “we are still remaining positive and hoping one day he gets in.”
Branch’s sister Elaine Anderson said, “He talked about it all the time. He would always say, ‘I know I’m going to get in, but the question is when.’ I was hoping and believing it was going to happen.”
Flores said he’s appreciative of the support he’s been getting from fans as well as for Branch.
“We’ll all go on,” he said. “We will survive and go on. It’s like what any coach would say: Wait until next year.”
This story was originally published January 15, 2020 at 1:22 PM with the headline "What former Raiders coach Tom Flores thinks about Hall of Fame skipping him, Cliff Branch."
