Pro Football Hall of Famer, 12-time Pro Bowl player and two-time Super Bowl champion Ray Lewis, Super Bowl champion and nine-time Pro Bowl player DeMarcus Ware, U.S. Women's National Flag Football team quarterback Vanita Krouch and Mexico Women's National Flag Football team quarterback Diana Flores will serve as defensive and offensive coordinators for The 2023 Pro Bowl Games presented by Verizon, the NFL announced today.
For the AFC, under head coach Peyton Manning, Lewis will serve as defensive coordinator while Flores will serve as offensive coordinator. In the NFC, under head coach Eli Manning, Ware will be the defensive coordinator and Krouch will be the offensive coordinator. The four NFL Legends, who were collectively selected to 39 Pro Bowls, along with the two international Flag football stars, will make critical coaching decisions in The Pro Bowl Games, which features the first-ever AFC vs. NFC Flag football games on Sunday and exciting Pro Bowl Skills competitions throughout the week.
"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 Games is incredibly exciting, competitive and entertaining", said Peter O'Reilly, Executive Vice President of Club Business and League Events. "What's particularly special about this year is the elevation of Flag football, not only through the best players in the NFL playing in our AFC vs. NFC Flag games on Sunday, but now through the appointment of Vanita Krouch and Diana Flores as our offensive coordinators. Having these elite Women's Flag football players from the U.S. and Mexico as counterparts to Peyton and Eli Manning, Ray Lewis and Demarcus Ware underscores the global growth of Flag football among women and men."
Organized in partnership with RCX Sports, the NFL's Flag football operating partner, and International Federation of American Football (IFAF), Sunday's culminating event at The Pro Bowl Games will feature three 7-on-7 AFC vs NFC Flag games. Each game will be 20 minutes in length (two halves) and played on a 50-yard field with 10-yard end zones.
The 2023 Pro Bowl Games, hosted in partnership with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and Las Vegas Raiders, will be a week-long series of AFC vs NFC competitions. On Sunday, Feb. 5, ticketholders to The Pro Bowl Games will be able to witness all the impressive player feats live, including epic Flag football games between the league's best players, exciting Pro Bowl Skills and a major musical performance. Sunday's events will also be televised from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. ET on ESPN and ABC. Fans can visit ProBowl.com/tickets to buy tickets, which start as low as $35.
Visit ProBowl.com for the latest event details.
AFC COACHING STAFF
Peyton Manning (AFC head coach): The only player in NFL history to win five Most Valuable Player awards, Peyton Manning was selected to 14 Pro Bowls during his 17-year NFL career with Indianapolis (1998-2010) and Denver (2012-15), tied for the second-most Pro Bowl selections all-time. Originally the No. 1 overall selection in the 1998 NFL Draft, Manning ranks third all-time in passing yards (71,940) and touchdown passes (539), and he is one of two starting quarterbacks ever to lead multiple franchises to a Super Bowl title. He was named the Comeback Player of the Year in 2012 and set NFL single-season records for passing yards (5,477) and touchdown passes (55) during the 2013 season. Manning was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Broncos Ring of Fame in 2021 and in 2017, and he became the first Colts player to have his jersey retired since they moved to Indianapolis when he was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor.
Ray Lewis (AFC defensive coordinator): A two-time Super Bowl champion, 12-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Lewis was selected in the first round (No. 26 overall) in the 1996 NFL Draft by Baltimore, where he spent all 17 seasons of his NFL career (1996-2012). In 228 regular-season games, he totaled 1,568 tackles, 118 passes defensed, 41.5 sacks, 31 interceptions, 20 fumble recoveries and 19 forced fumbles. During the 2000 season, he earned his first Defensive Player of the Year award and was named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player as the Ravens earned the Super Bowl XXXV title. In 2012, his final season, Lewis returned from injury and helped lead Baltimore to the Super Bowl XLVII title. In 2013, he was inducted into the Ravens Ring of Honor and in 2018, in his first year of eligibility, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Diana Flores (AFC offensive coordinator): Diana Flores was the fourth youngest quarterback at The World Games in 2022 and she has been a member of the Mexico Women's Flag National Team since 2014, beginning when she was just 16 years old. Diana has played for the 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2022 Mexico Women's Flag National Teams and led Mexico to a 6-0 record and a gold medal at The World Games this year. In the gold medal game against the United States, she completed 20 of 28 pass attempts for 210 yards and four touchdowns in Mexico's 39-6 victory. She finished with 23 touchdown passes at The World Games in 2022, the third-most among women's teams. She was the only starting quarterback to beat U.S. quarterback Vanita Krouch (19-1) in international tournament play.
NFC COACHING STAFF
Eli Manning (NFC head coach): A two-time Super Bowl champion, four-time Pro Bowl selection and the 2016 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year, Eli Manning spent his entire 16-season career with the New York Giants after entering the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. He ranks 10th in league history and holds the Giants franchise records in passing yards (57,023), touchdown passes (366) and completions (4,895). Manning started 210 consecutive games from 2004-2017, the third-longest streak of consecutive starts by a quarterback in NFL history. Manning led the Giants to Super Bowl XLII and XLVI titles and is one of five players in the Super Bowl era with multiple Super Bowl Most Valuable Player awards. He was inducted into the New York Giants Ring of Honor and had his jersey retired by the club during the 2021 season.
DeMarcus Ware (NFC defensive coordinator): A nine-time Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl champion, DeMarcus Ware was selected No. 11 overall in the 2005 NFL Draft by Dallas, where he spent the first nine years of his career (2005-13) before spending three seasons with Denver (2014-16). In 178 regular-season games, Ware totaled 657 tackles, 138.5 sacks, 127 tackles for loss, 35 forced fumbles and 25 passes defensed. A four-time first-team All-Pro selection, Ware led the NFL in sacks twice during his career (2008 and 2010), and he is one of six players since 1982 to record at least 10 sacks in seven consecutive seasons. He is the Cowboys' all-time leader in sacks (117) and is one of three players since 1982 to record at least 19 sacks in multiple seasons. Ware recorded 7.5 sacks in eight career playoff games, including two sacks in Super Bowl 50 with Denver.
Vanita Krouch (NFC offensive coordinator): Originally from Carrollton, Texas, Vanita Krouch has been the quarterback for the U.S. Woman's Flag National Team since 2016 and played for the 2016, 2018, 2021 and 2022 U.S. Women's Flag National Flag Teams. She was the oldest Flag football player (41) at the 2022 World Games (male or female). Vanita was inducted into the National Flag and Touch Football Hall Fame in 2016. She started playing Flag football per the urging of current U.S. Women's coach Chris Lankford, and she's played in men's leagues with USA teammate Joann Overstreet. After college, she played semi-pro basketball, touring to different colleges for exhibition games, and coached both high school track & field and basketball. Her family, originally from Cambodia, migrated to the United States in November 1980 in the wake of the Khmer Rouge genocide of 1970s. She is 19-1 as the United States' starting quarterback in international tournaments since 2018 and she ranked second among women with 25 touchdown passes at The World Games in 2022.
