Former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback and head coach Tom Flores — along with defensive back Charles Woodson — were officialy elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a part of the 2021 class. The inductions were revealed Saturday night as a part of the 10th annual NFL Honors award show. Former Raiders DT Richard Seymour was among the 18 nominees but was not inducted in this year’s class.
Even though all three were not inducted, they all had remarkable careers wearing the Silver and Black. Flores played in the NFL for nine seasons, six of which came with the Raiders. From 1960-66, Flores was the team’s on and off starting quarterback. His best season as a player was likely 1966, when he went 7-2-1 in 10 starts, throwing 24 touchdowns, and getting elected to his only Pro Bowl.
As a coach is where Flores truly became an all-time great. He was the head coach of the Raiders from 1979-87, boasting a regular-season record of 83-53 during that time, as well as 8-3 in the playoffs. He was also the receivers coach for the Raiders from 1972-79 before becoming head coach. He won two Super Bowls in 1980 and 1983.
The wait for Flores to make the Hall of Fame was long overdue, but it is great to see he is finally making it in.
Woodson is widely considered one of the best defensive backs of all time, and an 18-year career is certainly something to marvel at. Of his 18 years, 11 came with the Raiders, playing with them from 1998-2005 and again from 2013-15. His statistics are even more impressive than his longevity, racking up 1,220 tackles, 33 forced fumbles, 65 interceptions, 183 pass deflections, and 13 touchdowns.
While he only made the playoffs three times with the Raiders, he got to the postseason five out of seven years with the Green Bay Packers, winning the Super Bowl in 2010.
Finally, Seymour was the only one of the three Raiders finalists that did not make the 2021 class. This is likely due to his lack of longevity and significant statistical achievements. Seymour played 12 seasons in the NFL, reaching double-digit games just 10 times. For his career, he had 57.5 sacks and 498 tackles.
His best Hall of Fame case comes from his success, winning three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots from 2002-04. He made the playoffs six out of eight years with the Patriots and zero out of four years with the Raiders.
Other members of the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, which is a loaded one, include Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson, John Lynch, Alan Faneca, Drew Pearson, and Bill Nunn.
The eight new Hall of Famers will be enshrined during a multiday event Aug. 5-9 in Canton. That ceremony will also include the 2020 class since they were not able to have their own due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
