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 | |
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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 who used to be a coach in the National Football League (NFL). Since 2022, he has been a senior football consultant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This means he helps the team with important decisions.
Arians was the main coach, called the head coach, for the Arizona Cardinals from 2013 to 2017. He also led the Buccaneers from 2019 to 2021. Before that, he was a temporary head coach for the Indianapolis Colts in 2012. Arians is famous for his saying, "No risk-it, no biscuit," which means you have to take chances to succeed.
He spent most of his career helping with offense. His first chance as an NFL head coach came with the Colts when their coach, Chuck Pagano, was getting treatment for a serious illness. Arians led the team for 12 weeks. The Colts had only won 2 games the year before, but with Arians, they won 9 out of 12 games and made it to the playoffs! He was even named the AP NFL Coach of the Year, the first temporary coach to win this award.
Because of his success, Arians became the Cardinals' head coach for five seasons. He led them to the playoffs twice, won a division title, and reached the NFC Championship Game in 2015. He won his second Coach of the Year award after the 2014 season.
Arians first retired in 2017, but he came back in 2019 to coach the Buccaneers. He helped the team reach the playoffs for the first time since 2007 and win a playoff game for the first time since 2002. This all led to them winning Super Bowl LV in 2020. At 68 years old, he was the oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl. Arians retired from coaching again after the 2021 season and became a consultant for the Buccaneers.
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Early Life and Playing Football
Bruce Arians grew up in Paterson, New Jersey. He went to William Penn High School in York, Pennsylvania. Before that, he attended York Catholic High School, where he was a great quarterback.
Arians played college football at Virginia Tech. In 1974, he was the starting quarterback. He threw for 952 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 243 yards and scored eleven touchdowns, which was a school record for quarterbacks for 42 years! He was also the first white player at Virginia Tech to share a dorm room with a black player. His roommate was James Barber, whose sons, Ronde and Tiki Barber, later became famous NFL players.
Coaching in College
Arians started his coaching journey in 1975 as a helper at Virginia Tech. He then coached running backs and wide receivers at Mississippi State University from 1978 to 1980. After that, he coached running backs at the University of Alabama from 1981 to 1982 under the legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.
Arians became the head coach at Temple University from 1983 to 1988. During his six seasons there, his team's overall record was 27 wins and 39 losses. In 1986, his team finished with a winning record of 6 wins and 5 losses. However, all those wins were later taken away because one of his star players, Paul Palmer, had signed with a sports agent before the season, which was against the rules.
Besides Palmer, Arians also coached other talented players at Temple who later played in the NFL, like Kevin Ross, Todd Bowles, John Rienstra, and Todd McNair. Some of these players, like Ross, Bowles, and McNair, even became NFL assistant coaches with or under Arians later on.
After coaching at Temple, Arians returned to college football as an offensive coordinator for Mississippi State (1993–95) and Alabama (1997) before taking more jobs in the NFL.
Coaching in the NFL
In 1988, Arians joined the NFL as a running backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs. Here, he worked with Bill Cowher, who later brought him to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also spent one season coaching tight ends for the New Orleans Saints in 1996.
He really started to make a name for himself when he became the quarterbacks coach for the Indianapolis Colts in 1998. He was the first quarterback coach for Peyton Manning when Manning started his NFL career. Later, Arians became the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns from 2001 to 2003. In 2002, he helped the Browns finish with a 9–7 record and reach the playoffs, where they lost a close game to the Pittsburgh Steelers. During his time with the Browns, he first worked with Chuck Pagano, who was the Browns' secondary coach.
Pittsburgh Steelers Success
After the 2003 season, Arians became the wide receivers coach for the Steelers. He helped the Steelers win Super Bowl XL. In 2007, he was promoted to offensive coordinator and went on to win another Super Bowl XLIII with the team.
Even with all his success, some fans and even the Steelers' front office had concerns. Arians liked to take big risks with his play calls, which sometimes made fans nervous. For example, on a crucial third down with only a yard to go, instead of a safe run or short pass, he would often call for a long pass down the field. This style also meant that his quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, often got sacked a lot, which the team's management didn't like. Because of these concerns, the Steelers decided not to renew Arians' contract after the 2011 season.
Indianapolis Colts: A Big Comeback
On January 28, 2012, Arians agreed to become the offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts. He had coached for the Colts before, from 1998 to 2000, when he worked with a young Peyton Manning.
On October 1, 2012, Arians was named the interim head coach for the Colts. This happened because their head coach, Chuck Pagano, was diagnosed with a serious illness. Arians led the Colts to an amazing 9–3 record. This was a huge improvement, as the team had only won two games the entire previous season! His nine wins are the most ever by a temporary head coach in NFL history. The Colts made it to the playoffs that year. Pagano returned to coach the team on December 24, 2012, and Arians went back to being the offensive coordinator. Arians missed the Colts' playoff game due to an illness. He was named the 2012 AP Coach of the Year, becoming the first interim head coach to win this award.
Arizona Cardinals: Leading the Team
On January 17, 2013, the Arizona Cardinals hired Arians as their new head coach. He signed a four-year deal.
2013 Season: A Strong Start
In the 2013 NFL Draft, Arians took a chance on a talented but troubled player, Tyrann Mathieu. Arians was the first Cardinals head coach since 1925 to win at least nine games in his first season, finishing with a 10–6 record in 2013.
2014 Season: Coach of the Year Again
The Cardinals finished the 2014 season with an 11–5 record, tying a franchise record for most wins in a season. They started strong with a 9–1 record. However, injuries to their starting quarterback, Carson Palmer, and backup, Drew Stanton, hurt the team. The Cardinals lost to the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. After the season, Arians was named AP Head Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons.
2015 Season: Reaching the Championship
On February 23, 2015, the Cardinals gave Arians a new four-year contract. He led the Cardinals to a 13–3 record, setting a new team record for regular season wins. The Cardinals defeated the Green Bay Packers 26–20 in overtime in the Divisional Round, which was Arians' first playoff win as a head coach. The next week, in the NFC Championship, the Cardinals lost to the Carolina Panthers again, with a score of 49–15.
2016 and 2017 Seasons
In the 2016 season, Arians led the Cardinals to a record of 7 wins, 8 losses, and 1 tie.
After the 2017 season, where he led the Cardinals to an 8–8 record, Arians announced he was retiring from coaching. His last game with the Cardinals was on New Year's Eve of 2017, a 26–24 win over the Seattle Seahawks. That day, he earned his 50th and final win with the Cardinals, becoming the winningest head coach in the team's history. Arians finished his time in Arizona with a record of 50 wins, 32 losses, and 1 tie.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Super Bowl Champion
On January 8, 2019, Arians decided to come out of retirement and became the 12th head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
2019 Season: Building the Team
Arians believed he could win right away with the Buccaneers team he had. He also trusted his quarterback, Jameis Winston. Arians put together the largest coaching staff in the NFL for the 2019 season, with 28 assistants. One of his main goals was to improve the team's defense. In his first season, Arians led the Buccaneers to a 7–9 record.
2020 Season: Winning the Super Bowl
In Arians' second season, the Buccaneers signed the famous quarterback Tom Brady and his former teammate, tight end Rob Gronkowski. In 2020, Arians led the Buccaneers to an 11–5 record, earning a Wild Card spot and their first playoff appearance since 2007. They won three straight road games against the Washington Football Team, New Orleans Saints, and Green Bay Packers. This led them to their second Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl LV. These playoff wins were the Buccaneers' first since they won Super Bowl XXXVII in 2002. Arians made history by being the first head coach to lead an NFL team to play and win a Super Bowl in their home stadium when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31–9 in Super Bowl LV.
2021 Season: Final Coaching Year
In Arians' third season, the Buccaneers finished with a 13–4 record. They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams, in the divisional round. This was Arians' final game as an NFL head coach. He finished his time in Tampa Bay with a record of 31 wins and 18 losses, and an impressive 5–1 record in the playoffs.
2022 Season: New Role
On March 30, 2022, Arians announced he was stepping down as head coach. He took on a new role as a Senior Football Consultant for the team. He was replaced by the Buccaneers' defensive coordinator, Todd Bowles.
Arians' Coaching Style
Bruce Arians' coaching style can be summed up with his famous saying: "No risk it, no biscuit. You can't live scared." His former quarterback, Carson Palmer, said that Arians is brave and will always "let it rip, let it fly."
Arians first learned this idea from older people at a bar where he worked in college. They told him, "In life you must take risks." During games, Arians always gave his quarterbacks at least two choices for each play, depending on how the defense lined up. He explained, "One option will give us a chance to make a first down and the other option will give us a chance to score a touchdown."
Arians strongly dislikes coaches who play "not to lose." He believes that playing too safely is a big mistake. In his book, Arians wrote that he would never be afraid to throw the ball, even if it's incomplete. He felt his job was to keep the offense on the field and score, not just to run out the clock.
Arians has a clear idea of what a perfect NFL quarterback looks like. He believes a quarterback must have a "big lion's heart" that beats for the whole team. He says this heart is shown when a quarterback plays through pain or makes a tackle after throwing an interception. He calls this "grit"—the ability to make many quick decisions during a play.
On the practice field, Arians spent a lot of time with his quarterbacks. He taught them to understand their protection first, because the defense can always send more players to rush than the offense can block. Because of this, the quarterback needs to quickly read what the defense is doing.
Arians is known as a "quarterback whisperer" because of the special relationships he built with his quarterbacks and how well they performed under him. He says, "My quarterbacks have to be a member of my family." He believes trust is key for deep communication and commitment. He cares for his players like family.
Even though he was caring, Arians was also a tough coach. Once, when Peyton Manning had a bad game as a rookie, he wanted to be pulled out. Arians told him, "Get back in there. We'll go no-huddle, and maybe you'll learn something." Despite his tough style, his former quarterbacks always respected him and said he was a big reason for their success.
Arians also liked to hang out with his players more than most NFL coaches. After home games, he would often open his car trunk and hand out drinks to his players. He wrote, "If a player had a bad game, I'm going to give him a beer and a big sincere hug. If a player had a great game, I'm going to give him a beer and a big sincere hug."
Broadcasting Career
On May 3, 2018, Arians joined CBS Sports as a game analyst for the NFL on CBS. He worked alongside Greg Gumbel and Trent Green, helping to explain the games to viewers.
Personal Life and Family
Bruce Arians and his wife, Christine, run a charity called The Arians Family Foundation. This foundation helps and supports programs that work to prevent and fix the abuse and neglect of children. They specifically support the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program.
Arians has always supported racial inclusion and fought against discrimination. After the murder of George Floyd and the protests that followed, Arians said it was "very disheartening" that these issues were still happening in 2020. He hoped that as a nation, people would have grown more since 1968.
Arians is a prostate cancer survivor. He and his wife have a son, Jake (born in 1978), who played as a placekicker for the Buffalo Bills for a short time. They also have a daughter, Kristi Anne (born in 1980). The family lives in Tampa, Florida, and also has a home on Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Georgia.
In 2017, Arians released a book called The Quarterback Whisperer: How to Build an Elite NFL Quarterback.
Images for kids
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Arians playing football at Virginia Tech around 1972.
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Arians coaching the Arizona Cardinals in 2016.
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Arians at a charity event in Phoenix, Arizona.
