Bruce Arians facts for kids
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Arians with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021
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| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
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| Position: | Senior football consultant |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | October 3, 1952 Paterson, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school: | William Penn (York, Pennsylvania) |
| College: | Virginia Tech |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
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| As executive: | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
As head coach:
As assistant coach: |
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| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season: | NCAA: 21–39 (.350) NFL: 80–48–1 (.624) |
| Postseason: | 6–3 (.667) |
| Career: | NCAA: 21–39 (.350) NFL: 86–51–1 (.627) |
| Coaching stats at PFR | |
Bruce Charles Arians (born October 3, 1952) is an American football expert and former coach in the National Football League (NFL). He is famous for his slogan, "No risk-it, no biscuit," which means he believes in making bold plays. Since 2022, he has worked as a senior football consultant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Arians was the head coach for the Arizona Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also served as a temporary head coach for the Indianapolis Colts in 2012 when their main coach, Chuck Pagano, was sick. Arians led the Colts to the playoffs and was named the AP NFL Coach of the Year. He was the first temporary coach ever to win this award.
After retiring in 2017, Arians returned to coaching in 2019 with the Buccaneers. He led them to a victory in Super Bowl LV. At 68 years old, he became the oldest head coach to ever win a Super Bowl. He retired from coaching for a second time after the 2021 season.
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Early Life and Playing Career
Bruce Arians was born in Paterson, New Jersey. He went to high school in York, Pennsylvania, where he was a star quarterback.
For college, Arians played football at Virginia Tech. In his senior year in 1974, he was the starting quarterback. He ran for eleven touchdowns, which was a school record for a quarterback at the time. The record lasted for 42 years.
Coaching Journey
College Coaching
Arians started his coaching career in 1975 at his old college, Virginia Tech. He later worked as an assistant coach at Mississippi State University and the University of Alabama, where he coached under the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant.
From 1983 to 1988, Arians was the head coach for the Temple University team. He coached several players who later became NFL players and coaches, including Todd Bowles.
Early NFL Career
In 1989, Arians began coaching in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs. He later worked as a quarterbacks coach for the Indianapolis Colts, where he was the first coach for future superstar Peyton Manning. He also served as the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, helping them reach the playoffs in 2002.
Pittsburgh Steelers
In 2004, Arians joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as the wide receivers coach and helped them win Super Bowl XL. He was later promoted to offensive coordinator, a role where he plans the team's plays on offense. In this role, he won another championship in Super Bowl XLIII.
Arians was known for his risky and exciting style of play-calling. This sometimes led to the team's quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, getting sacked (tackled before he could throw the ball) a lot. The team's front office decided not to renew his contract after the 2011 season.
Indianapolis Colts
In 2012, Arians returned to the Indianapolis Colts as the offensive coordinator. When head coach Chuck Pagano had to take time off for health reasons, Arians stepped in as the interim (temporary) head coach.
He did an amazing job, leading the team to a 9–3 record. The Colts had only won two games the year before, so this was a huge turnaround. For his incredible work, Arians was named the NFL Coach of the Year.
Arizona Cardinals
Arians' success with the Colts earned him the head coaching job for the Arizona Cardinals in 2013. He coached the Cardinals for five seasons.
- 2013 Season: The Cardinals finished with a 10–6 record, but they just missed the playoffs.
- 2014 Season: The team had an even better record of 11–5 and made it to the playoffs. Arians won his second Coach of the Year award.
- 2015 Season: This was his best season with the Cardinals. The team set a franchise record with 13 wins and made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game.
Arians retired from coaching after the 2017 season. He left as the winningest coach in the Cardinals' history with 50 wins.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Arians came out of retirement in 2019 to become the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He brought together the largest coaching staff in the NFL to help turn the team around.
In 2020, the Buccaneers signed famous quarterback Tom Brady. That season, Arians led the team to an 11–5 record and a spot in the playoffs. They went on to win Super Bowl LV by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs. This was a special victory because the Buccaneers became the first team to win a Super Bowl in their own home stadium.
After a strong 2021 season, Arians retired from coaching for good. He now works as a Senior Football Consultant for the Buccaneers, offering his advice and experience to the team.
Coaching Style
Arians is famous for his "No risk it, no biscuit" philosophy. This means he believes in taking chances to get big rewards. He encourages his quarterbacks to throw the ball deep down the field, even in situations where other coaches might play it safe.
He is also known as a "quarterback whisperer" because of his ability to connect with and develop quarterbacks. He believes in building strong, family-like relationships with his players based on trust. While he can be a tough coach, his former quarterbacks, like Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger, have said he was a big reason for their success.
Life Outside of Football
In 2018, Arians worked for CBS Sports as a game analyst for the NFL on CBS, providing commentary during games.
Arians and his wife, Christine, started a charity called The Arians Family Foundation. The foundation helps children who have been mistreated.
Arians is a prostate cancer survivor. He and his wife have a son, Jake, and a daughter, Kristi Anne. In 2017, he wrote a book about his coaching methods called The Quarterback Whisperer: How to Build an Elite NFL Quarterback.
Head Coaching Record
College
| Team | Years | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|
| Temple | 1983–1988 | 27–39 |
Note: The 1986 team had to give up its 6 wins because an ineligible player was on the team.
NFL
| Team | Years | Regular Season Record | Postseason Record | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IND* | 2012 | 9–3–0 | — | *Record as interim coach |
| ARI | 2013–2017 | 49–30–1 | 1–2 | Made playoffs twice |
| TB | 2019–2021 | 31–18–0 | 5–1 | Super Bowl LV champion |
| Total | 80–48–1 | 6–3 |
