Wayne Fontes

Lore & Background

Fontes was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts. His mother, Matilda Fontes, was born in Wareham, Massachusetts. His father, Caetano Fontes, was Portuguese, born in Cape Verde. Fontes grew up in Canton, Ohio, where he played football, basketball, and baseball at McKinley High School. He attended Michigan State University, where he was an All-Big Ten defensive back, graduating in 1962. He was taken in the ninth round of the 1961 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles but played one year for the New York Titans of the AFL. In the 1962 season, he played nine games as a defensive back, recording four interceptions. He returned one interception 83 yards for a touchdown. After playing one season, he injured his posterior cruciate ligament and returned to Michigan State to obtain a Master's degree. He became an assistant coach at Michigan State in 1963, then coached high school football and basketball at Bay City, Michigan's Visitation High School for two years, losing only two games in his first year (1964) and going undefeated in his second year (1965), winning their league championship. He later left for the University of Dayton to serve under head coach John McVay. He also served as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa and for John McKay at Southern California. He worked as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1982 to 1984. 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.

Reader's Guide

After 13 seasons as an NFL assistant, Fontes took over the Lions as interim head coach mid-season in 1988 after Darryl Rogers was fired. He was regarded as a highly regarded ball skill and positioning educator for defensive backs in the '3–4' defense. A personable 'player's coach' and excellent motivator, Fontes coached Detroit for another seven seasons. During his tenure, the Lions made the playoffs in 1991, 1993, 1994, and 1995. He coached the 1991 and 1993 teams to the NFC Central Division title; the 1993 title was the franchise's last division championship until 2023. The stretch from 1993 to 1995 was the first time the franchise had three straight winning seasons since 1969–1972. The three straight postseason appearances (and four in five seasons) was the franchise's best run since the 1950s. The 1991 Lions won 12 regular season games, a franchise record not matched until 2023 and surpassed the following year. They defeated the Dallas Cowboys 38–6 in the Divisional Playoffs for the franchise's first postseason victory since 1957 and only one until 2023. The Lions lost in the NFC Championship game to eventual Super Bowl Champion Washington. Fontes earned NFL Coach of the Year honors through the Associated Press and United Press International. His teams finished the 1991 season with six consecutive wins and the 1995 season with a franchise-record seven straight wins after starting 3–6. The Lions lost in the Wildcard rounds in 1993, 1994, and 1995, and missed the postseason in 1992 and 1996. Fontes was fired after going 5–11 in 1996. His 66 regular season wins and 67 losses are the most in franchise history.

Did You Know?

• Fontes' 83-yard interception return for a touchdown was a franchise record for the New York Titans that stood for 27 years.
• Fontes earned nicknames like 'Cocaine Wayne' (from a 1987 car accident arrest), 'Big Buck', 'Rasputin' (coined by Chris Berman), and 'Nanook of the North'.
• Fontes drafted Barry Sanders in 1989; it was rumored he did so against the wishes of other Lions staff, and accounts indicate he was focused on acquiring Sanders.