Wayne Fontes

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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.

[edit] Background and early career

Fontes was born in the fishing community of New Bedford, Massachusetts. According to the 1930 US Census, his mother, Matilda Fontes, was born in Central Falls, Rhode Island to Cape Verdean immigrants.^[1] His father, Caetano Fontes, was born in Cape Verde, a Portuguese colony at the time.^[2] Wayne Fontes is half African American. Fontes 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 Master's degree. He became an assistant coach at MSU in 1963. He then coached high school football and basketball at Bay City, Michigan's Visitation HS for two years losing only two games in his first year in 1964, and his team was undefeated in his second year in 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.

[edit] Head coach

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.^[3] Fontes hired Mouse Davis and June Jones as assistants and installed the Run & Shoot offense.^[4] 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^[5] and was thrown out of court without prejudice.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Legacy

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Wayne Fontes & William Clay Ford

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)^[6] 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 heavily in the winter cold. He has also been referred to as "Mr. Snuffleupagus", due to his resemblance of the "Sesame Street" character of the same name. He was also the brunt of many media jokes. Jokes like "Mr. Fontes is an expert in primary colors and beige" reflect the lack of respect that haunted his tenure. 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 sacrifice for others is probably what endeared players to him. The players responded to Fontes and always came to his defense when the coach fell into the "firing line".

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 behind Buddy Parker (1951-1956). The desolate years of medocrity prior to Fontes seemed to be an afterthought. Many felt the Lions were underachieving and that 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 build a strong relationship with 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. In ESPN's SportsCentury video on Barry Sanders, Barry's father confirms that Barry contemplated retiring before the start of the 1997 season, which was to be Ross' first season as Lions coach. In his autobiography, "Now you see him", Barry says of Wayne Fontes: "I thought he deserved another chance." (ISBN 1-57860-139-8 p.97)

In the fall of 1987, Fontes pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated after an incident in which he was originally also charged with possession of cocaine. The more serious charge was dropped, however.^[7]

As of 2007, Fontes is the last Lions coach to lead them into an NFC championship game (vs the Washington Redskins following the 1991 season), as well as a division title (1993 season). He led them to the playoffs in four out of eight seasons while he was head coach, including three consecutive playoff berths in the 1993, 1994, and 1995 seasons. He left the Lions compiling the most wins in franchise history (67), most playoff appearances (5), most loses (71), and is 9th (out of 23 coaches) in total win percentage. Fontes also earned the Associated Press 1991 Coach of the Year Award.

Some rumors indicate that Fontes drafted 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.^[8][9] Barry Sanders made a point to thank Fontes for his guidance in his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech.^[10] The mutual admiration and respect between Fontes and Sanders was very strong and transcended beyond the football field. In the mid-1990s, as the Lions hit a slump and anti-Fontes sentiment grew among Lions team members, Sanders remained a staunch supporter of Fontes. Of Fontes, Sanders said: "He proves that a coach can show affection and appreciation and still win." Sanders, to this day, credits Fontes for making him a superstar running back.

He still supports local Detroit charities on occasion with his former players although those opportunities have been fewer as of late. 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. He is frequently been spotted at Tampa Bay Buccaneers games.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

Other American Football League players, coaches, and contributors