The Hall of Fame NFL coach Tom Flores’ wife, Barbara Flores, has been the love of his life for 63 years. The couple raised three kids, including twin boys and a girl.
Before Tom was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2021, the couple spoke candidly with the media about the agonizing wait.
As a player, Tom’s football journey began at the University of the Pacific as a quarterback.
After going undrafted in the 1958 NFL Draft, Flores joined the Pacific Football Conference team Bakersfield Spoilers.
In 1960, Flores made a breakthrough as the Las Vegas Raiders (then Oakland Raiders) brought him to the team.
The Man.
— Chicano Marine 🇲🇽🇺🇸💙 (@elchicanomarine) February 7, 2024
The Myth.
The Legend.
TOM FLORES.#ChicanoPride pic.twitter.com/zlVvVBAFkY
The football coach played seven seasons with the Raiders before joining the Bills in 1967.
He retired from football as a player in 1969, and two years later, his coaching journey began with the Bills.
He joined the Raiders as their wide receivers coach in 1972 and won a Super Bowl title as a position coach in 1977.
Flores was promoted to the Head Coach position in 1979 and won two titles, one in 1980 and the other in 1984.
In his later years, Flores adapted to executive roles and served as Seahawks’ President/General Manager and their head coach from 1989 to 1994.
Coach Tom Flores’ Wife, Barbara Flores Is His College Sweetheart
Tom Flores met his wife, Barbara Flores, at the University of the Pacific. At the time, he was a junior, and Barbara, a freshman.
The two would eat in the same cafeteria and have their biology class together.
These small meetings slowly brought them close. The two dated for five years before they finally tied the knot in 1961.
In his Hall of Fame Speech, Flores revealed it wasn’t easy to impress his wife. The legendary coach said,
Barbara and I dated for five years. It took me five years to convince her that I was the guy. Now we’ve been married for 60 years. Barbara, I’m so grateful for you every day.
via: YouTube
The coach added that his wife had been there for him during the good and bad parts.
Tom called Barbara his biggest fan and his best friend, a claim many of his colleagues have said is true.
The Flores’ bad days were so bad that Tom found himself unemployed and had twin sons to raise.
In an interview with Desert Sun, Barbara recalled some of their hard-fought days.
Coach Tom y Barbara Flores! #LosRaiders pic.twitter.com/WRLH53HTqD
— Los Raiders ☠️ (@LosRaidersInfo) April 5, 2020
The year was 1962, and Tom came down with a lung infection, keeping him out of the season with the football player unable to bank any money that year.
Barbara returned to teaching, and her mother and Tom cared for their twin sons.
The couple would have to move frequently as they didn’t have enough money for rent.
This went on for nine to ten months. Incidents like these didn’t shake their faith in each other.
The couple always remained optimistic about getting out of such situations.
Tom And Barbara Flores’ Kids Chose Career Away From Football Field
The football coach and his wife, Barbara, are parents to three kids- twin sons, Mark and Scott Flores, and daughter, Kim Flores Vela.
Tom’s daughter, Kim Flores Vela, graduated from California State University with a Recreation and Leisure Studies degree in 1989.
She worked as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Rams. Since 2001, Kim has been working as a Credit Representative for Ashland.
Scott Flores graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a Computer Science degree and has worked as an Agile Coach/Release Train Engineer.
Until July 2024, Scott worked as a Staff Technical Program Manager at Clari.
He previously worked for CA Technologies as a Senior Principal Agile Program Manager and Senior Director of Engineering at SS8 Inc.
Scott’s son, Brian Flores, has pursued an acting career and, in recent years, has been seen in the shows The Deuce and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
In 2021, the Broadway actor performed the National Anthem at Allegiant Stadium.
Scott’s twin brother, Mark Flores, lives in Huntington Beach, California, with his wife and two girls.
All three of Tom and Barbara’s kids were present when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
On her Facebook handle, Kim has shared several appreciation posts for her dad, including a picture from the day of his induction.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Tom Flores remains the only Mexican coach to win the Super Bowl
- Tom Flores and Mike Ditka are the only players, assistant coaches, and head coaches to win a Super Bowl.
