Page 26 - Florida Sentinel 2-5-21

Bucs’ Coach Bruce Arians Assembled An Historic Coaching Staff Who Are Now Super Bowl Bound
Coach Bruce Arians is one of a kind.
Direct. Succinct. Supportive, according to a September 2019 in- terview.
The Super Bowl bound head coach of the Tampa Bay Bucca- neers, Arians’ 4 top coaches are Black, and he was the first head coach to hire 2 female coaches.
Harold Goodwin, his long- time friend, was his offensive co- ordinator when he was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Now Goodwin, who was hired to join the Bucs in 2019 with Arians is now the assistant head coach and run-game coordinator.
Arians is drawn to people like him: Talented, but oftentimes overlooked. Underdogs with something to prove. Driven indi- viduals eager for an opportunity.
No matter what others think.
“I don’t see color, I just see quality,” Arians said during an interview at the Bucs’ facility, in 2019.
Arians came off a year-long
retirement to accept the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head-coaching job and configured a staff made in his image.
All three of his coordinators — Todd Bowles (defense), Byron Leftwich (offense) and Keith Armstrong (special teams) — are Black, as is Goodwin. Ari- ans also hired the first two female coaches in franchise history — Lori Locust, a defensive line as- sistant, and Maral Javadifar, an assistant strength and condi- tioning coach.
Arians is the first NFL head
coach to have 3 Black coordina- tors and the Bucs are the first NFL team with two female coaches.
Harold Goodwin — Assistant Head Coach and Running Game Coordinator
He previously served as an as- sistant coach for the Arizona Car- dinals, Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears.
On January 19, 2013, Good- win was hired by the Arizona Car- dinals as their offensive coordinator under head
coach Bruce Arians.
On January 8, 2019, Good-
win was hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their assistant head coach and run-game coordinator, reuniting with head coach Bruce Arians.
Goodwin graduated from the University of Michigan in 1996 with a degree in management and communications. He and his wife, Monica, have three children. His younger brother, Jonathan is a former Pro Bowl lineman who won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints.
Byron Leftwich — Offensive Coordinator
A former quarterback, Left-
wich is the offensive coordina- tor for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He previously played in the NFL for ten seasons. After a success- ful college football stint at Mar- shall University, Leftwich was selected by the Jacksonville Jagu- ars in the first round, seventh overall, of the 2003 NFL Draft. He was a member of the Jaguars for four seasons before having one season stints with the Atlanta Fal- cons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Leftwich agreed to terms on a two-year contract worth $17 mil- lion with the Tampa Bay Bucca- neers on April 12, 2009.
On August 29, Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris named Leftwich the team’s starter for the 2009 regular sea- son. Leftwich also played four non-consecutive seasons with Pittsburgh Steelers as the backup to Ben Roethlisberger, where he was part of the Super Bowl-winning team in Super Bowl XLIII.
On May 9, 2016, Leftwich was hired by the Arizona Cardi- nals as a coaching intern during training camp. Leftwich was hired by the Cardinals as their quarterbacks’ coach under then head coach Bruce Arians.
On October 19, 2018, after the Cardinals fired offensive coordi- nator Mike McCoy, Leftwich was promoted to take over his role as interim offensive coordinator.
On January 8, 2019, Left- wich was hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their offensive co- ordinator, reuniting with head coach Bruce Arians.
Todd Bowles — Defensive Coordinator The defensive coordinator of
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was
also a former NFL player. He played eight seasons in the NFL as a safety, mainly for the Washing- ton Redskins, and started in Super Bowl XXII against the Denver Broncos. Bowles was the interim defensive coordinator for the Phi- ladelphia Eagles in 2012, and then for the Arizona Cardinals in 2013 and 2014. He was the interim head coach for the Miami Dol- phins for the final three games of the 2011 season with a 2-1 record after the firing of Tony Sparano, and served as the head coach of the New York Jets from 2015– 2018.
He played college football at Temple University for former Arizona Cardinals and cur- rent Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians.
After retiring as a player, Bowles was a member of the Green Bay Packers’ player per- sonnel staff from 1995–1996.
He was the defensive coordi- nator and secondary coach at Morehouse College in 1997, and the defensive coordinator and de- fensive backs coach at Grambling State from 1998–1999, all under head coach Doug Williams.
Keith Armstrong —
Special Teams Coach
Armstrong has over two decades of professional coaching experience. He played college football at Temple.
On December 31, 2012, NFL.com reported that Arm- strong was expected to be inter- viewed by the Chicago Bears for the head coaching position after Lovie Smith’s firing. He also met with the Philadelphia Ea- gles about possibly replacing Andy Reid.
In the 2016 season, Arm- strong and the Falcons reached Super Bowl LI, where they faced the New England Patri- ots. In the Super Bowl, the Fal- cons fell in a 34–28 overtime defeat.
On January 9, 2019, Arm- strong agreed to become special teams coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rejoining the staff of Bruce Arians who was the head coach of the Temple Owls when Armstrong began his coaching career.
When the hometown Bucca- neers make history by being the first NFL team to play in the Super Bowl at its home field, the Buccaneers will be making history on the sidelines as well.
HAROLD GOODWIN
Buccaneer Head Coach Asst. Head Coach and BYRON LEFTWICH TODD BOWLES KEITH ARMSTRONG
BRUCE ARIANS Running Game Coordinator Offensive Coordinator Defensive Coordinator Special Teams Coach
Super Bowl LV
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