Latino NFL Greats And Super Bowl Stars (PHOTOS)

With all the attention that New York Giants' emerging star receiver, Victor Cruz, is receiving these days -- both for being a local New Jersey boy 'done good', and for his effusive salsa dancing in the end zone -- people may forget that the NFL has been home to many great Latino players, including a good number of Hall of Famers and a couple of Super Bowl stars.

For starters, this weekend's super match pits two boricuas, Cruz with the NY Giants, and his New England Patriots' counterpart, tight end Aaron Hernández. Either could be breakout stars and be key to their team's victory.

Going as far back as 1935, when Aldo Richins, of Mexico, played in the NFL Championship with the Detroit Lions, the top levels of football competition have included Hispanics. Fellow Mexican-born Tom Fears, a member of both, the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame, played in the 1951 NFL Championship, further cementing the burgeoning fandom for NFL football with our neighbors to the south.

During the 1970's and 1980's, perhaps the heyday of classic rough and tumble football, Ted Hendricks, of Guatemala, was affirming his place as one of the greatest linebackers to ever play. He starred in four Super Bows -- one with the Baltimore Colts, and three with the Raiders -- also being inducted into the College and NFL Halls of Fame after retiring in 1983.

More recently, stars like Max Montoya and Anthony Muñoz -- both playing with the Cincinnati Bengals -- established Latinos as great linemen. Since 2000, Latinos have also stepped up on the offensive side of things, with quartebacks Jeff Garcia (San Francisco 49ers and four other teams to date) and Mark Sanchez (New York Jets), and receivers like Cruz and Hernandez, showing that just as in every other facet of American life, no football team is truly complete without some Latino talent and energy.

TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE LATINOS WHO'VE GRACED THE NFL:

Comments

[alex angeles]

02:56 PM on 11/21/2012

What about Rafael Septien, with the Dallas Cowboys? Rolando Cantú, Frank Corral, Jim Mora, Gabe Rivera, Marco Martos, Ramiro pruneda, Carlos Rosado, The Zendejas dinasty: Max, Tony and Luis...

[Rob Paterson1]

05:41 PM on 02/07/2012

They Forgot all These MEXICAN-AMERICANS#1...which by the way is the biggest Latino Group in the NFL!

Joe Aguirre - NFL tight end
Raul Allegre - NFL Placekicker
Leo Araguz - NFL Kicker & Punter
Joe Arenas - NFL running back, safety, punt returner and kick returner
Marc Bulger - NFL Quarterback
Anthony Calvillo - CFL Quarterback
Greg Camarillo - NFL Wide Receiver
Tony Casillas - NFL Defensive Lineman
Jorge Cordova - NFL linebacker
Ronnie Cruz - NFL Fullback
Jack Del Rio - NFL Linebacker & Coach
Donnie Edwards - NFL linebacker
Tom Fears - NFL Wide Receiver
Manny Fernandez (American football) - NFL defensive tackle
Tom Flores - NFL Coach
Arian Foster - NFL Runningback
Aaron Garcia - College & Arena Football Quarterback
Jeff Garcia - NFL Quarterback
Norberto Garrido - NFL Offensive Lineman
Roberto Garza - NFL Offensive Guard
Joe Hernandez (wide receiver) - NFL wide receiver
Joe Kapp - NFL Quarterback
J. P. Losman - NFL Quarterback
Max Montoya - NFL Guard
Knowshon Moreno - NFL runningback
Moses Moreno - NFL quarterback
Zeke Moreno - NFL Linebacker
Anthony Muñoz - Hall of Fame NFL Offensive Guard
Mike Perez (American football) - NFL quarterback
Jim Plunkett - NFL Quarterback
Manny Ramirez - NFL Offensive Lineman
Ron Rivera - NFL linebacker
Pete Rodriguez - NFL special teams coach
Tony Romo - NFL Quarterback
Juan Roque - NFL offensive tackle
Eddie Saenz - NFL running back
Mark Sanchez - NFL Quarterback
Daniel Sepulveda - NFL Punter
Louis Vasquez - NFL Offensive

[tamazul]

02:07 PM on 02/06/2012

Where's Rams/ Cowboys' place-kicker New Mexico born and Calexico, Ca. raised, Danny Villanueva?

[Jibaro del Centro]

07:27 AM on 02/06/2012

If Cruz is a Boricua, I am a Spaniard. After all, here in PR, a lot of people are descendants of Spaniards....

[arecibo48]

01:30 PM on 02/06/2012

Do you have a problem with Cruz identifying himself as "Boricua?" If so, why?

[mellinsean]

01:14 AM on 02/06/2012

Cardboard blog: Can you afford 10K p/ for 30yrs ?

[Rob Paterson1]

12:07 AM on 02/06/2012

TOM FLORES ONE OF THE GREATEST LATINO, MEXICAN-AMERICAN#1, OR PERSON TO PLAY IN THE NFL...Only Player or Person to win NFL SUPERBOWL RINGS as a Quarterback and as a Head Coach in his lifetime..First Latino Head Coach in the NFL..etc,..go RAIDERS#1..made me proud to be CHICANO back in the DAY!

[ohslimgoody]

09:18 PM on 02/05/2012

Dude is black he may have a latino parent but again dude is black .

[Dominic87]

03:43 PM on 02/07/2012

Just a dumb statement. Last time I checked Latino wasn't a race.

[ohslimgoody]

07:00 PM on 02/07/2012

Black isn't a race either

[tehranweekly]

06:30 PM on 02/05/2012

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=xHX&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1280&bih=597&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnsuol&tbnid=DXW5eChMh_QatM:&imgrefurl=http://subtlepen.com/2011/02/09/eliza-kruger-mark-sanchezs-17/&docid=4wnfqEKA2hylPM&imgurl=http://subtlepen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/6a00d8341c630a53ef010536a26ef3970b-800wi.jpg&w=280&h=316&ei=3RAvT8fRKYStgwe4-_nnDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=442&vpy=65&dur=3807&hovh=137&hovw=115&tx=128&ty=141&sig=117976035054532915490&page=2&tbnh=137&tbnw=115&start=23&ndsp=29&ved=1t:429,r:16,s:23

[BlairCase]

04:26 PM on 02/05/2012

Aldo Richins, like Mitt's Romney's father George, was a U.S. citizen born in one of the Mormon colonies in Northern Mexico. He apparently returned with his family to the United States and played college football at Utah. He played one-game for the Detroit Lions before being released. Latinos playing in the NFL will be soon commonplace now thousands of Hispanic Americans are are playing high school and college football.

[Sebastin Emmanuel Mata]

11:26 PM on 02/05/2012

Glad to hear that.

[Andres Rivas]

12:58 PM on 02/05/2012

fact check, Mark Sanchez did not attend UCLA.

[Dominic87]

06:59 PM on 02/09/2012

He shouldn't even be in the NFL either. LOL

[Coloboricua]

12:55 PM on 02/05/2012

Go Giants I hope its a good game...I didnt know Jim Plunkett was Mexican...I do remember he was a good quarterback.

[BlairCase]

05:14 PM on 02/05/2012

Plunkett was Mexican-American, not Mexican. He was born in San Jose, California. His parents were Mexican American, but he had an Irish-German great-grandfather on his paternal side. He won the 1970 Heisman Trophy in 1970 when Hispanics made up only about three percent of the U.S. population.

[Vicky Valentine Proud]

04:06 AM on 02/06/2012

Germans also immigrated to Mexico as well. I had a Spanish professor, who although his last name was Gonzales-Mena, was blonde haired/blue eyed. He told us he grew up in a German neighborhood in Mexico where he was born, but you think to see him. It is just strange how genetics work.

[tamazul]

02:14 PM on 02/06/2012

So?