Page 10 - Mid Valley Times 8-27-20 E-edition

hursday, August 27, 2020
Could this be the year for Sanger's Tom Flores?
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Former Apache, Raiders quarterback, Super Bowl coach named a finalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021
By Rick Curiel
Mid Valley Times
He’s been called the Jackie Robinson of ath- letes for Mexican-Ameri- cans. Around these parts, he’s a living legend.
This may be the year Sanger’s own Tom Flores adds one final accolade to his achievements, as the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced, once again, he is a finalist in this year’s road to Canton, Ohio.
Flores was born and raised in Sanger. After graduating from Sanger High, he first continued his football career at Fres- no City before finishing at the University of the Pacific. It was there that he caught the attention of NFL scouts.
In 1960, Flores made NFL history by becoming the first Hispanic starting quarterback in the league while also making history for the Oakland Raiders as he became the fran- chise’s first signal caller. His career as a Raider was highlighted in 1966,
Photo Contributed
After falling short of needed votes in previous years, the campaign for inducting Sanger Apaches and Raiders legend Tom Flores into the Pro Football Hall of Fame only becomes stronger. This year, he is once again a finalist for the honor.
also broke through in management. He became the league’s first Hispanic team president/general manager when he was called up by the Seattle Seahawks in 1989.
He retired from foot- ball in 1994 with a coach- ing record of 97-87, 83 of those victories with the Raiders, including an 8-3 record in the playoffs and, again, earned four Super Bowl rings.
Last year, Flores was also named a finalist by the Pro Football Hall of Fame but fell short of the needed votes by the Hall’s Selection Committee. To be elected to the Hall of Fame, Flores must receive 80 percent voting support by the 48-member com- mittee on “Selection Sat- urday”.
The Hall’s Selection Committee will tentatively meet on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 in Tampa, FL to make a final decision on the Class of 2021. The Hall’s Selection Committee will chose anywhere from four to eight inductees for this year’s class. Inductees will be announced over Super Bowl weekend.
This year, Flores was announced as a Senior fi- nalist from the coaching ranks.
when he was named to the Pro Bowl.
Thereafter, his career in Oakland was short- lived as he was subse- quently traded to the Kan- sas City Chiefs, where he would earn a Super Bowl ring in 1969 as a backup
quarterback.
But it was his coach-
ing that may have had the greatest impact on the sport. He returned to Oakland in 1972 and joined the Raiders coach- ing staff. Four years later, Flores earned his second
Super Bowl ring as an as- sistant coach for the Oak- land Raiders. And in 1979, Flores was promoted to head coach of the Raiders.
The very next year, Flores led his team to a Super Bowl victory, be- coming the first Latino in
league history to win an NFL Championship. He did it again in 1983, collect- ing his fourth Super Bowl ring.
Aside from all his con- tributions to ‘Raider Na- tion’, becoming the first in many arenas, Flores
North Yosemite League
releases its fall schedules
Pirates begin league play for water polo on Jan. 12, volleyball on Jan. 26
By Jon Earnest
Mid Valley Times
The North Yosemite League has fi- nalized its revised league schedules for water polo and volleyball during the re- vamped Fall Sports season, which will run from January through March 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic canceling the traditional fall season.
Reedley High School’s NYL sched- ule begins on Tuesday, Jan. 12 for boys/ girls water polo and Tuesday, Jan. 26 for volleyball. Because of the resched- uled season from COVID, both boys and girls volleyball will compete in the same season for the first time. Al- though finalized, the seasons remain at the mercy of the effects of the virus in the Central Valley at that time.
The Pirates’ non-league schedules of games still need to be finalized. Prac- tices begin on Monday, Dec. 14, and the first date for non-league games/match- es is Monday, Dec. 28.
Reedley’s varsity water polo teams open NYL play on the road against Fres- no High on Jan. 12. Varsity girls games will be at 4:30 p.m. followed by the boys at 5:30. The Pirates’ home opener is Thursday, Jan. 14 against Hoover High. Other league home games will be against McLane (Jan. 26), Roosevelt (Feb. 4), Fresno (Feb. 9) and Sunnyside (Feb. 18). The RHS girls are defending NYL champions while the boys placed second in league in 2019.
Reedley’s league volleyball cam- paign begins Jan. 26 at Fresno, followed by the home opener against Hoover on Jan. 28. That and a first round home match with McLane (Feb. 4) begins at 5:30 p.m. for varsity boys and 7 p.m. for the defending league champion varsity girls. The remaining NYL home match- es against Roosevelt (Feb. 16), Fresno (Feb. 18) and Sunnyside (Feb. 23) be- gin at 5:30 p.m. for girls and 7 p.m. for
boys.
Central Section playoff dates for
volleyball are March 1,3, 8 and 10 for boys and March 2, 4, 9 and 11 for girls. Section water playoff dates for girls playoff dates are March 2, 4, 9 and 13 while boys playoff dates are March 3, 5, 10 and 13.
Cross country also will compete in the fall, and league championship meets will be in mid-March with the section final on March 20 and state meet in Fresno on March 27. Those schedules are still being finalized.
REEDLEY HIGH SCHOOL
NYL WATER POLO SCHEDULE Tuesday, Jan. 12 — At Fresno Thursday, Jan. 14 — Hoover Wednesday, Jan. 20 — At Roosevelt Tuesday, Jan. 26 — McLane Thursday, Jan. 28 — At Sunnyside Tuesday, Feb. 2 — At Hoover Thursday, Feb. 4 — Roosevelt Tuesday, Feb. 9 — Fresno Thursday, Feb. 18 — Sunnyside Thursday, Feb. 25 — At McLane JV girls 3:30 p.m./Varsity girls 4:30
p.m./Varsity boys 5:30 p.m./JV boys 6:30 p.m.
REEDLEY HIGH SCHOOL
NYL VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE Tuesday, Jan. 26 — At Fresno Thursday, Jan. 28 — Hoover Tuesday, Feb. 2 — At Roosevelt Thursday, Feb. 4 — McLane Tuesday, Feb. 9 — At Sunnyside Thursday, Feb. 11 — At Hoover Tuesday, Feb. 16 — Roosevelt Thursday, Feb. 18 — Fresno Tuesday, Feb. 23 — Sunnyside Thursday, Feb. 25 — At McLane First round schedule: Varsity boys
5:30 p.m., Varsity girls 7 p.m. Second round: Varsity girls 5:30 p.m., Varsity Boys 7 p.m. Lower levels play a day earlier on the schedule.
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