ALABAMA - On Jan. 8, the Washington Commanders announced that the team was parting ways with Head Coach Ron Rivera after four seasons at the helm of the team. After winning the NFC East title in Rivera's first season, the team failed to impress on the field, with Rivera departing with a 26-40-1 record with the franchise.
Although Ron Rivera's chapter at Washington was a little bittersweet, his coaching credentials still position him as one of the best in the business.
Rivera is also one of only four Latinos to hold a head coaching position in the history of the NFL. Here's a quick look at what they accomplished during their time in the league.
Ron Rivera
Of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent, Ron Rivera became the third Latino head coach in NFL history after being named as the Carolina Panthers HC in 2011. A two-time NFL Coach of the Year and the first coach to win the award, Rivera led the Panthers to playing the Super Bowl 50 and won three divisional titles along the way.
Before his career as a head coach, Rivera had a respectable career as an assistant and player as well. As a member of the Chicago Bears, he became the first player of Puerto Rican descent to win a Super Bowl in 1985.
Rivera spent 14 seasons in different assistant positions with the Eagles, Bears and Chargers before joining the Panthers in 2011.
The 2015 season remains Carolina's best-ever campaign in franchise history, finishing 15-1 with the only loss coming against the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50. Panthers' QB Cam Newton was named the NFL's MVP that season.
Brian Flores
Flores was appointed as the Miami Dolphins head coach in 2019, becoming the fourth head coach of Latino descent in league history given his Honduran roots and holding the job for two seasons. Before this, Flores held various positions as an assistant, including a very successful stint with the New England Patriots, helping the team win four Super Bowl rings.
After conflict with management, he got fired after the 2021 season, with Flores filling a class-action lawsuit against the NFL alleging racial discrimination in the league's treatment of minority coaches and front office executives.
He took a job with the Minnesota Vikings as their Defensive Coordinator ahead of the 2023 season.
Tom Flores
One of only two people to win a Super Bowl as a player, assistant and head coach, Tom Flores had a legendary career for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. He became the first Hispanic QB to play in the NFL when he made his debut for the Raiders in 1960. Flores won a total of four Super Bowls, one as a player, another one as an assistant and the two remaining ones as head coach.
He also became the first minority head coach to win a Super Bowl in 1981 when the Oakland Raiders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10. Flores' 83 wins with the Raiders rank 2nd in franchise history, only behind John Madden's 103 victories.
Flores was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
Tom Fears
On 1967, the New Orleans Saints decided to make Tom Fears their first head coach. Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, to an American father and a Mexican mother, Fears' family moved to Los Angeles where he played college football at UCLA. A member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Fears spent nine seasons in the league with the Los Angeles Rams.
Fears won three NFL Championships throughout his career. The first one was as a player for the Rams in 1951, while the other two came during his stint as an assistant coach for the Green Bay Packers between 1962 and 1965.
Fears led the NFL in receptions in three straight seasons between 1948-50 and was named into the NFL's 1950s All-Decade Team.
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