[1] Fontes grew up in Canton, Ohio where he played football, basketball, and baseball at McKinley High School.
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.
After playing one season for the Titans, he injured his posterior cruciate ligament, and returned to Michigan State to obtain a Master's degree.
In the fall of 1987, Fontes pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated after an incident in which he was originally also charged with possession of cocaine.
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 Elliss, 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 quarterback Scott Mitchell, who had previously been Dan Marino's backup in Miami, and Pat Swilling, who was acquired from the Saints for a first-round draft pick.
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)[4] 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).
Jokes like "Mr. Fontes is an expert in primary colors and beige" reflect the lack of respect that haunted his tenure.
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 offbeat answers ranged from "Wearing his thinking cap" to "President of the Mouse Davis fan club".
Many felt the Lions were underachieving and that a change in leadership to a firm disciplinarian, such as Bobby Ross, would produce better results.
[5][6] Barry Sanders made a point to thank Fontes for his guidance in his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech.
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.
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.