Wayne Fontes Wayne Fontes ( born February 2 , 1940 ) is a former American football coach and college and professional football player who was the head coach of the NFL ' s Detroit Lions from 1988 to 1996 . His 67 wins and 71 losses are each the most for a head coach in team history . Background and early career . Fontes was born in the fishing community of New Bedford , Massachusetts . According to the 1930 US Census , his mother , Matilda Fontes , was born in Central Falls , Rhode Island . His father , Caetano Fontes , was born in Cape Verde , a Portuguese colony at the time . Fontes grew up in Canton , Ohio where he played football at McKinley High School . He attended Michigan State University and graduated 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 back , recording four interception s . He returned one interception 83 yards for a touchdown , a franchise record that would stand for 27 years . After playing one season for the Titans , he injured his posterior cruciate ligament , he returned to MSU to obtain a Master ' s degree . He became an assistant coach at MSU in 1963 . He then coached high school football and basketball at Bay City , Michigan ' s Visitation HS for two years losing only two games in his first year in 1964 , and his team was undefeated in his second year in 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 , Southern California . He ultimately developed a close relationship with John McKay after working under his wing at USC , and went on to work as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1982 - 1984 . Head coach . After 13 seasons as an assistant in the NFL , Fontes took over the Lions as interim head coach in mid - season of 1988 after head coach Darryl Rogers was fired . Fontes was regarded as somewhat of an up - and - comer in NFL coaching circles during his time in Tampa Bay as defensive backs coach under John McKay , and became 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 was a key hire by Darryl Rogers , and would ultimately go on to coach Detroit for another seven seasons . The Lions were primed for success after William Clay Ford handed the job to Fontes in 1988 , and the ownership pulled out all the stops - drafting Pro Bowl - caliber players such as Barry Sanders , Chris Spielman , Robert Porcher , Luther Ellis , Lomas Brown , Bennie Blades , Jason Hanson , Jerry Ball , Herman Moore , Kevin Glover , and Rodney Peete . Detroit also made aggressive moves in free agency during this time , signing players such as quarterback Scott Mitchell and perhaps most notably Pat Swilling , which would ultimately cost the Lions a 1st Round Draft Pick ( Willie Roaf ) . The Lions would go on to achieve marginal success during his tenure . The team made the playoffs in 1991 , 1993 , 1994 , and 1995 under his leadership . Fontes coached the 1991 and 1993 squads that won the NFC Central Division Title . The 1991 team won 12 regular season games ( a franchise record ) , and Fontes earned NFL Coach of the Year honors through the Associated Press and United Press International . But Detroit was unable to find success in the post - season during this time , and Fontes became a sort - of media scapegoat , which ultimately resulted in his termination . Despite his successes , it was widely considered that the Detroit Lions of this era underachieved , never earning a berth in the Super Bowl . Legacy . Fontes ' ability to survive rumors of being fired earned him nicknames like " Big Buck " ( stemming from a comparison he made between his job security and a hunted buck deer ) and " Rasputin " ( coined by Chris Berman due to Fontes ' apparent ability to " miraculously " coax a winning streak out of his team every time he was about to be fired ) . Berman also referred to him as the " Nanook of the North " because of Fontes ' desire to bundle up so heavily in the winter cold . He has also been referred to as " Mr . Snuffleupagus " , due to his resemblance of the " Sesame Street " character of the same name . He was also the brunt of many media jokes . Jokes like " Mr . Fontes is an expert in primary colors and beige " reflect the lack of respect that haunted his tenure . Fontes was regarded as very personable , often joking with the media about his precarious job situation . He drew the line for this comedy though after the Detroit Free Press ridiculed him for sporting Mickey Mouse ears at a Disney charity . The Free Press ran a tongue - in - cheek multiple choice quiz as to why he was wearing them the following day . The offbeat answers ranged from " Wearing his thinking cap " to " President of the Mouse Davis fan club " . An irate Fontes slammed the media for making such a personal attack against him in such bad taste . He said , " It ain ' t funny . . . if you don ' t like me , tell me . That ' s bull . Didn ' t like it at all . I did something for charity and for kids , and I ' ll keep doing things for charity and for kids . " This strong sense of compassion and sacrifice for others is probably what endeared players to him . The players responded to Fontes and always came to his defense when the coach fell into the " firing line " . Fontes popularity was waning in the later years of his career with the Lions . Many local media outlets and fans were openly critical of Fontes , forgetting that he was arguably the most successful coach in Lions ' history behind Buddy Parker ( 1951 – 1956 ) . The desolate years of medocrity prior to Fontes seemed to be an afterthought . Many felt the Lions were underachieving and that a change in leadership to a firm disciplinarian , such as Bobby Ross , would produce better results . The move backfired as Ross was never able to build a strong relationship with superstar running back Barry Sanders . It ' s widely speculated that the hiring of Ross accelerated the retirement of Sanders , who was very close with Fontes . In ESPN ' s SportsCentury video on Barry Sanders , Barry ' s father confirms that Barry contemplated retiring before the start of the 1997 season , which was to be Ross ' first season as Lions coach . In his autobiography , " Now you see him " , Barry says of Wayne Fontes : " I thought he deserved another chance . " ( ISBN 1 - 57860 - 139 - 8 p . 97 ) As of 2011 , Fontes is the only Lions coach to lead the team to a NFC championship game ( vs the Washington Redskins following the 1991 season ) . He led them to the playoffs in four out of eight seasons while he was head coach , including three consecutive playoff berths ( 1993 , 1994 , and 1995 ) . He left the Lions compiling the most wins in franchise history ( 67 ) , most playoff appearances ( 5 ) , most losses ( 71 ) , and is 9th ( out of 23 coaches ) in total win percentage . Some rumors indicate that Fontes drafted Barry Sanders in 1989 against the wishes of other members of the Lions staff , and accounts from some contemporaries do indicate that Fontes was definitely focused on acquiring Sanders . Barry Sanders made a point to thank Fontes for his guidance in his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech . The mutual admiration and respect between Fontes and Sanders was very strong and transcended beyond the football field . Toward the end of his time in Detroit , an anti - Fontes sentiment grew among some Lions team members , but Sanders remained a staunch supporter of the coach . Of Fontes , Sanders said : " He proves that a coach can show affection and appreciation and still win . " Sanders , to this day , credits Fontes for making him a superstar running back . Fontes still supports local Detroit charities on occasion with his former players although those opportunities have been fewer as of late . After serving briefly as a color commentator on the English - language broadcasts of NFL Europe games , Fontes retired to his home in Tarpon Springs , Florida . He is frequently spotted at Tampa Bay Buccaneers games where he maintains a strong friendship with Jim Gruden , father of former Buccaneers Head Coach Jon Gruden .