Historic! Mexican flag football star debuts as coach at NFL Pro Bowl

Diana Flores, world champion with the Mexico Women’s National Flag Football team, has debuted as offensive coordinator for the American Conference (AFC) in the 2023 NFL Pro Bowl Games, alongside Peyton Manning, the team’s head coach.

The Borregos Santa Fe quarterback worked alongside NFL legend and icon Ray Lewis, who served as defensive coordinator.

The Pro Bowl is considered the NFL All-Star Game, where the best players of each season participate. The Pro Bowl is the NFL’s pre-event to Super Bowl LVII, where the Philadelphia Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs.

Peyton Manning is a two-time Super Bowl champion and holds a record of five NFL Most Valuable Player awards and 14 Pro Bowl participations.

On the other side, Lewis is a two-time Super Bowl champion and 12-time Pro Bowl player.

In addition to sports icons, Diana Flores worked with American rapper and musical figure Snoop Dogg, who was the captain of the AFC.

“It has been an enriching few days, being able to hang out with NFL players and legends. I’m very honored and privileged to have this experience,” said Diana Flores on social media.

“This is a step forward for flag football and for the importance of women in sports. I’m sure this is the beginning of something much bigger,” she said.

Diana Flores’ team lost the Pro Bowl against the National Football Conference (NFC) team after being defeated in 2 out of 3 flag football games in a competition defined by point accumulation.

Flag football (seven against seven) is a variant of American football in which adversaries are prevented from advancing yards by snatching one of the flags they carry on their waist, unlike American football, where they have to use physical contact to stop their rivals.

The NFL Pro Bowl adopted this style last season, in order to avoid injuries among players and to further promote flag football.

In the first of three Pro Bowl games, the NFC won the match 33-27, but Diana Flores’ team managed to win the second game 18-13, resulting in a draw.

In the last game of the three games, which determined the winner of the 2023 Pro Bowl, the NFC become this year’s champion with a score of 35-33.

Each game is divided into two 20-minute periods and is played on a 50-yard field, with 10-yard end zones.

The NFC team was led by Eli Manning, Peyton’s brother, with DeMarcus Ware as the defensive coordinator and Vanita Krouch for the offense.

“Bringing together an extraordinary coaching staff that combines NFL legends who have years of Pro Bowl experience with flag football champions who are the best in the world will ensure this first-ever Pro Bowl game is incredibly exciting, competitive, and entertaining,” said NFL Executive Peter O’Reilly in a statement.

The 2023 Pro Bowl was held on February 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Diana Flores: a born champion

Diana Flores, considered the best female flag football player in the world, led the Mexican team to win the gold medal against the United States at The World Games 2022 in Alabama.

This year she also led Borregos Santa Fe to be three-time champion in the top league.

The world star has been part of the flag football team since the 2014 World Cup in Italy. Then she went to the 2016 World Cup in Miami; the 2018 World Cup in Panama; and in 2021, in her debut role as captain, she led the team to win second place in Jerusalem, Israel.

After graduating from Tecnológico de Monterrey, Diana was awarded the Borrego de Oro for her sports leadership. This award is the highest recognition that can be given to a Tec student.

She graduated from the Tec with honors for being an excellent Marketing and Communication student and she is currently studying for an MBA at EGADE Business School.

Learn more about Diana Flores in this video story (In Spanish):

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