University of the Pacific football produced a notable line of players and coaches whose careers reached the NFL and major college football. Tom Flores starred at Pacific after arriving in 1956 from Fresno City College, graduated in 1958, began coaching at Pacific, then joined the Oakland Raiders in their inaugural 1960 American Football League season and later became the NFL’s first Latino starting quarterback, the first Latino head coach in the Super Bowl, a four-time Super Bowl winner as a player, assistant coach, and head coach, and a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee on August 8, 2021. Bruce Coslet played for the Tigers from 1965 to 1967, graduated in 1968, played eight years with the Cincinnati Bengals, and later became head coach of the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals. Pete Carroll played free safety at Pacific in 1971 and 1972, graduated in 1973, earned a master’s degree in 1978 while serving as a graduate assistant, later returned to Pacific as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator in 1983, and went on to win both a Super Bowl and college football national championships. Hue Jackson transferred to Pacific, played quarterback in 1985 and 1986, graduated in 1987, and after a long assistant coaching career became head coach of the Oakland Raiders, the Cleveland Browns, and later Grambling State. Pacific was regarded as a cradle of coaches in the West, with alumni and staff advancing to head coaching roles in professional and college football. Among Pacific’s significant football head coaches were Erwin “Swede” Righter, who established early success and also coached basketball; Larry Siemering, whose teams included an undefeated 1949 season and the best winning percentage in program history; Jack “Moose” Myers, who led five straight winning seasons and coached Tom Flores; Doug Scovil, who guided a revival in the late 1960s; and Chester Caddas, whose 1970s teams posted four winning seasons and helped shape later coaching success in college football and the NFL.