5 NFL head coaches who are of Latino descent feat. new Panthers HC Dave Canales
Dave Canales brings impressive credentials as he takes on the Carolina Panthers head coaching role. He helped Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reach the Divisional Round in what turned out to be his lone season as offensive coordinator.
Before joining the Buccaneers, he spent 13 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, taking on roles like wide receivers coach, passing game coordinator, and quarterbacks coach. He was a part of the coaching staff that won Super Bowl XLVIII.
Canales helped wideouts Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, and DK Metcalf become 1,000-yard receivers and Pro Bowlers. Under his guidance, Russell Wilson became an All-Pro quarterback, and Geno Smith led the league in completion percentage.
But beyond his football accolades, Canales' hiring brings pride to his ancestry as the fifth NFL head coach of Latino descent. Here's a look at Canales' roots and the former head coaches who paved the way for him.
1) Tom Fears
Like Dave Canales, Tom Fears is Mexican-American. His father, a mining engineer by profession, is American, and his mother, Carmen Valdes, is Mexican. Fears made NFL history as the first Hispanic head coach when he became the head coach of the expansion franchise New Orleans Saints in 1967.
He didn't succeed in that role, tallying a 13-34-2 record before getting fired seven games into the 1970 season. However, he is considered a pioneer for the succeeding coaches on this list. His coaching stint may be forgettable, but his playing career isn't.
After becoming the first Mexican-born player drafted in the league, he established an eight-year career with the Los Angeles Rams that enshrined him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
2) Tom Flores
Flores was born in Sanger, California, four-and-a-half hours from Dave Canales' hometown, Harbor City. Tom Flores became the first Hispanic-American NFL quarterback when he joined the Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders in 1960. He played for the team until 1966, a year before he got traded to the Buffalo Bills.
He took over as Raiders head coach in 1979, leading the franchise to victories in Super Bowls XV and XVIII. Those titles made him only one of two people to win the Super Bowl as a player, assistant coach, and head coach. He also became the first minority head coach to have a Super Bowl victory.
After his time as president and general manager of the Seahawks, he became an announcer for the Raiders Radio Network from 1997 to 2018. In 2021, he was elected as a head coach to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
3) Ron Rivera
Rivera once filled the position currently held by Dave Canales. He took over the Panthers in 2011 after spending three seasons as San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers defensive coordinator. This coach with Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Filipino roots won his first AP NFL Coach of the Year award in 2013 after turning the 7-9 Panthers into playoff contenders.
Two years later, he won another Coach of the Year distinction after leading the 15-1 Panthers to Super Bowl 50. The Panthers fired the former linebacker in 2019 after starting the season at 5-7. The following year, the Washington Commanders hired him and stayed on the job until the 2023 season.
4) Brian Flores
If Dave Canales won one Super Bowl as an assistant coach, Brian Flores won four with the New England Patriots. That impressive run as one of Bill Belichick's deputies earned him the Miami Dolphins head coaching role in 2019.
After starting his head coaching stint at 5-11, Flores and the Dolphins finished the 2020 season with a 10-6 record. A year later, the Dolphins finished 9-8 despite starting the season at 1-7. Unfortunately, the Dolphins failed to clinch a playoff berth in both years.
The son of Honduran parents filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL for alleged discrimination in their treatment of minority coaches and front-office personnel. Despite that case, he remains the Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator.
5) Dave Canales
According to an article by Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr, Dave Canales' paternal grandparents migrated from Mexico to the United States. His grandfather founded the Mission Ebenezer Family Church, and his father served as a pastor.
Canales started his coaching career after quitting as a cowboy boot salesman. That journey brought him from the Buccaneers to the Panthers, making him the only head coach of Latino descent for the 2024 NFL season.