Art by Stephany Torres for Remezcla
Latino players in the National Football League (NFL) have always been few and far between, so when something as monumental as the Super Bowl comes along, it’s nice to look back and remember some of the ones who defined the game over the years. Below are five Latino players in the NFL who took the field to compete in the Super Bowl.
The Mexican American quarterback led the Oakland Raiders to two Super Bowl victories. The first came in Super Bowl XV in 1981 where he threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Plunkett was named MVP. He returned to the big game in 1984 with the Raiders, now in Los Angeles, for Super Bowl XVIII where he threw for 172 yards and one touchdown in a 38-9 win over the Washington Redskins.
Not only did the Mexican American quarterback win Super Bowl IV in 1970 as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, he also won three more Super Bowls as an assistant coach and head coach for the Raiders. In his trip to the big game as a player, Flores was a backup for starting quarterback Len Dawson, so he didn’t get in the game. He did, however, earn a ring. Flores then won Super Bowl XI as an assistant head coach for the Raiders, and Super Bowls XV and XVIII as the Raiders’ head coach.
The Mexican American quarterback graced the cover of Sports Illustrated with the phrase “The Toughest Chicano” printed on it. Kapp led the Minnesota Vikings to Super Bowl IV where he threw 183 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, 23-7.
As the first Guatemalan American NFL player, Hendricks played 15 seasons in the league as an outside linebacker. He won Super Bowl V as a member of the Baltimore Colts and then as a Raiders linebacker won Super Bowls XI, XV and XVIII.
Considered one of the greatest linemen in NFL history, Muñoz, who is Mexican American, played in two Super Bowls, XVI and XXIII, for the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals lost both games to the San Francisco 49ers.
