Wayne Fontes

Wayne Fontes (born February 2, 1940) is a former American football coach and college and professional football player who was the head coach of the NFL's Detroit Lions from 1988 to 1996. His 67 wins and 71 losses are each the most for a head coach in team history.

Background and early career

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Wayne Fontes in Tampa Bay

Fontes was born in the fishing community of New Bedford, Massachusetts and his parents were from Portugal. He grew up in Canton, Ohio where he played football at McKinley High School. He attended Michigan State University and graduated in 1962. After not being taken in the NFL Draft, Fontes played one year for the New York Titans (now the New York Jets) of the American Football League. Fontes played nine games for the Titans in the 1962 season as a defensive back, recording four interceptions. He returned one interception 83 yards for a touchdown, a franchise record that would stand for 27 years.

After playing one season for the Titans, he injured his achilles tendon, he returned to MSU to obtain a Masters degree.He became an assistant coach at MSU in 1963. He than coached high school football and basketball at bay city michigan visitation HS for two years losing only two games in his first year [1964 ] and his team was undefeated in his second year[1965 ] winning their league championship . He later left for the University of Dayton to serve under head coach George Perles. He also served as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa, Southern California, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His time in Tampa Bay was a result of following John McKay to the job from USC. Fontes was hired as the defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions in 1985.

Head coach

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Wayne Fontes Celebrating Lions Win

After 13 seasons as an assistant in the NFL, Fontes took over the Lions as interim head coach in mid-season of 1988 after head coach Darryl Rogers was fired. Fontes then campaigned to have the interim tag removed; despite a lackluster 2-3 finish, team owner William Clay Ford signed Fontes to a long term deal at the end of the season. Fontes hired Mouse Davis and June Jones as assistants and installed the Run & Shoot offense. The Lions improved from 4-12 to 7-9 in Fontes' first full season as head coach.

Fontes' career highlight was when he led the Lions to a 12-4 record and the NFC Championship game in 1991. The Lions were defeated by the Washington Redskins who would go on to win Super Bowl XXVI.

Fontes later abandoned the Run & Shoot offense. He enjoyed several more winning seasons, but the Lions' disappointing 5-11 record in 1996 combined with Fontes' 1-4 lifetime record in the NFL playoffs finally led Ford to fire Fontes on December 26, 1996. Fontes took his firing graciously, calling Ford "the best owner in the National Football League." However, he subsequently sued the Lions for worker's compensation, claiming he suffered injuries while coaching that prevented him from ever being able to coach again. The lawsuit was called "frivolous" by sportswriter Peter King and was thrown out of court without prejudice.

Legacy

Fontes' ability to survive rumors of being fired earned him nicknames like "Big Buck" (stemming from a comparison he made between his job security and a hunted buck deer) and "Rasputin" (coined by Chris Berman due to Fontes' apparent ability to "miraculously" coax a winning streak out of his team every time he was about to be fired). Berman also referred to him as the "Nanook of the North" because of Fontes' desire to bundle up so handily from the winter cold. He was also the brunt of many media jokes like "Mr. Fontes is an expert in primary colors and beige". Fontes was regarded as very personable, often joking with the media about his precarious job situation. He drew the line for this comedy though after the Detroit Free Press ridiculed him for sporting Mickey Mouse ears at a Disney Charity. The Free Press ran a tongue-in-cheek multiple choice quiz as to why he was wearing them the following day. The offbeat answers ranged from "Wearing his thinking cap" to "President of the "Mouse Davis" fan club". An irate Fontes slammed the media for making such a personal attack against him in such bad taste. He said, "It ain't funny....if you don't like me, tell me. That's bull. Didn't like it at all. I did something for charity and for kids, and I'll keep doing things for charity and for kids." This strong sense of compassion and conviction for a sense beyond himself is probably what endeared players to him. All joking aside, the players responded to Fontes and always came to his defense when the coach fell into the "firing line". He is the epitomy of a "players coach" and his style would probably be much more accepted in today's NFL.

Fontes popularity was waning in the later years of his career with the Lions. Many local media outlets and fans were openly critical of Fontes, forgetting that he was arguably the most successful coach in Lions' history since "Joe Schmidt" (1967-1972). The desolate years of winning prior to Fontes seemed to be an afterthought. Many felt the Lions were underachieving and a change in leadership to a firm disciplinarian such as Bobby Ross would produce better results. The move backfired as Ross was never able to earn the respect of superstar running back "Barry Sanders". It's widely speculated that the hiring of Ross accelerated the retirement of Sanders, who was very close with Fontes. Oddly enough, fans now appreciate Fontes more as the Lions have returned to their desolate ways of winning. The Lions were always fun and exciting under Fontes, where it was extremely difficult to beat them at home or after the media blasted him for underachieving. The opponent certainly didn't want to be an elite team either as Fontes' Lions had a knack for playing tough and winning against stiff competition. What ultimately led to his demise is the opposite side of this though, where they also had a knack for losing to less talented teams. The outlets and fans concluded that this inconsistency was a sign of poor discipline and leadership. Fontes was somewhat redeemed when Ross proved even less successful after installing this "discipline and leadership". Ross was swept out after four seasons with a 27-32 record and no playoff appearances, leaving many to speculate that maybe firing Fontes wasn't the best move after all. Fontes is the last Lions coach to lead them into the playoffs and NFC championship game.

Some rumors indicate that Fontes drafted future superstar Barry Sanders in 1989 against the wishes of other members of the Lions staff, and accounts from some contemporaries do indicate that Fontes was definitely focused on acquiring Sanders. Greenbay was showing a very strong interest in Tony Mandarich but expressed interests like this can often be ploys on draft day. The Lions were probably a bit surprised to find themselves in the position to choose between Barry Sanders and Deion Sanders with the third pick in the 1989 draft. It was Fontes who ultimately pulled the plug and drafted perhaps the greatest runner in the history of the NFL. Sanders made a point to thank Fontes for his guidance in his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech. The mutual admiration and respect between Fontes and Sanders was very strong and transcended beyond the football field. Sanders, to this day, credits Fontes for making him a superstar runningback.

After serving briefly as a color commentator on the English-language broadcasts of NFL Europe games, Fontes retired to his home in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

See also

Other American Football League players, coaches, and contributors