Wayne Fontes

About

Wayne Howard Joseph Fontes (; born February 17, 1940) is an American former professional football player and coach. He was the head coach of the National Football League (NFL)’s Detroit Lions from 1988 to 1996. He is the longest tenured head coach in team history. His 67 wins and 71 losses are each the most for a head coach in team history. Fontes played as a defensive back for the New York Titans of the American Football League (AFL).

Fontes was born in the fishing community of New Bedford, Massachusetts. According to the 1930 US Census, his mother, Matilda Fontes, was born in Wareham, Massachusetts. His father, Caetano Fontes, was Portuguese, born in Cape Verde, a Portuguese colony at the time. 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. He graduated from MSU in 1962.
After he was taken in the ninth round of the 1961 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, Fontes played one year for the New York Titans of the American Football League. Fontes played nine games for the Titans in the 1962 season as a defensive…