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Bruce Arians surprised many when he stepped down as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday, but those following his career were not shocked he would step aside to help a Black coach achieve success in the NFL.
The Super Bowl-winning coach's decision to move to the front office opened the door for defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to become the sixth minority head coach of the 32 NFL teams.
Not only did Arians help a colleague breakthrough in a profession where Black coaches notoriously struggle to find opportunities, but he also put Bowles in a situation where he has a great chance of success.
In announcing the move, Arians said the strong potential for this year's team was a big reason for the timing, citing Tom Brady's decision to unretire and General Manager Jason Licht's strong off-season moves.
"I really began thinking about my personal transition plan earlier this off-season," Arians said in a statement. "I wanted to ensure when I walked away that Todd Bowles would have the best opportunity to succeed. So many head coaches come into situations where they are set up for failure, and I didn't want that for Todd."
Bowles previously served as the head coach for the New York Jets, going 24-40 in four seasons.
In 2003, the NFL adopted "The Rooney Rule," which was designed to increase head coaching diversity by requiring NFL teams to interview minority candidates for open head coaching positions. The rule has been viewed by many as a failure.
One of the most significant stumbling blocks to "The Rooney Rule" has been the relative dearth of people of color among the top assistant coaching positions — most often considered the best qualified head coaching candidates.
Arians not only wanted to see more diversity in the coaching ranks, but he also put his money where his mouth was.
Over the last two seasons, including the Bucs' 2020 championship season, Arians' top four assistants were Black. In addition to Bowles, Arians also hired Assistant Head Coach Harold Goodwin, Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich, and Special Teams Coordinator Keith Armstrong.
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Arians also had an unprecedented two women on his coaching staff, including Maral Javadifar, the assistant strength and conditioning coach, and Lori Locust, an assistant defensive line coach.
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In 2021, Arians cited his struggles in landing a head coaching job for his quest to give underrepresented groups more chances.
"I think probably because I didn't get a shot until I was 60, and Chuck Pagano had to get sick with leukemia for me to even become a head coach," Arians told Jenna Laine of ESPN. "I was a winning Super Bowl offensive coordinator and didn't even get a phone call. So the lack of opportunity I think has made me want to give more opportunities to more people."
Now that the 69-year-old Arians is ready to be done with coaching, he's paid his good fortune forward to the people he mentored, who are now in a better position thanks to him.
