The 5 Best Mexican NFL Players in History
The Best Mexican NFL Players of All-Time
There is no doubt that the NFL has seen its share of players from outside the United States throughout the years- especially that country just to the South.
In Mexico, football has been just popular enough that the NFL will occasionally go down there and play a game during the season.
Legendary Mexican NFL player Anthony Munoz
In this article, we’ll concentrate on those players with Mexican heritage, including what they’ve done for the NFL over the years.
Jim Plunkett
Although Jim Plunkett played his career as quarterback with the Patriots (1971-1975), the 49ers (1976 and 1977) and the Raiders (1979-1986), the bulk of his success came with the latter.
His stint with the Raiders included two Super Bowls, in 1980 and 1983.
Season’s two through four were horrendous for Plunkett.
These seasons combined 40 touchdowns and 64 interceptions. However, he recovered from his three-year slump, winning 1980 Comeback Player of the Year.
During that season, he eclipsed a 50% completion percentage, going 165-320. He threw for 2,299 yards, along with 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
Plunkett’s achievements are vast. He won two Super Bowls with the Raiders, MVP Super Bowl XV, the 1970 Heisman trophy and Rookie of the Year with 19 touchdowns and 2,158 yards.
Anthony Munoz
Anthony Muonz is a three-time offensive NFL player of the Year (1981, 1987 and 1988) and he was also an 11-time bowler and nine-time All-Pro.
The 6’6, 278 pound left tackle was considered of monstrous proportions for that era, with the Cincinatti Bengals winning the 1991 Walter Payton Award.
He was the third overall pick of the 1980 draft.
Ron Rivera
Ron Rivera is the current coach of the Washington Commanders, serving as part of the Chicago Bears for nine years.
This was arguably one of the best NFL teams in history - yes it was those Bears that won the Super Bowl in 1985, ending in a trashing of the New England Patriots 46-10.
Rivera has also seen a small amount of success as a coach. He won Coach of the Year in 2013 and 2015 with the Carolina Panthers.
During the 2015 season he led the Carolina Panthers to a 15-1 season, whose only loss came to the Atlanta Falcons 20-13 on December 27.
He then made the Super Bowl and lost to Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos 24-10 in the Super Bowl.
Tom Fears
Tom Fears was a receiver with the Saint Louis Rams in the 1940s and 1950s.
He was a leading receiver for a single season, when he racked 1,116 during the 1950 season.
He is also one of four players who has led the league in receptions three times.
As a matter of fact, he did so during his first three seasons in the league, when he recorded 51 in 1948, 77 in 1949 and then 84 during the 1950 season.
He was also a Rams assistant from 1966-1972.
Tony Romo
While Tony Romo doesn’t match up to the other players listed in this article in terms accolades, he certainly has name recognition due to his broadcasting career with CBS.
He was a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, a team long-dubbed as “America’s team.”
Romo played for Dallas from 2004-2016 and his career included 24 comebacks, 29 game-winning drives and he also led the league in percentage completion at 69.9% during the 2014 season.
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