Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach, William Penn grad Bruce Arians to offer commencement address at York College on May 16

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach and William Penn Senior High School graduate Bruce Arians will offer York College’s commencement address on May 16. He will also receive an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters during the ceremony, which begins at 10:15 a.m. on the campus mall. Tickets will be required for seating under the tent, where the ceremony will be held. A live video stream of commencement (www.ycp.edu/commencement) will begin at 10 a.m. 

Arians was named the 12th head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Jan. 8, 2019. He is a two-time Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year, earning the award in 2012 (Indianapolis Colts) and in 2014 (Arizona Cardinals). He is the only coach in NFL history to earn the award multiple times in a three-year span with different teams, and is one of only 12 coaches in NFL history to win the award multiple times.

Prior to arriving in Tampa, Arians spent five seasons (2013-17) as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, in addition to a 12-game stint as interim head coach for the Indianapolis Colts (2012). He previously spent eight seasons with the Steelers, five as offensive coordinator (2007-11) and three as the wide receivers coach (2004-06). Pittsburgh earned a victory in Super Bowl XLIII over the Cardinals; Arians was also part of the Steelers’ Super Bowl XL win as the team’s wide receivers coach. 

Before joining the Steelers, Arians spent three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns (2001-03). He joined Cleveland after spending three seasons with the Colts as the team’s quarterbacks coach. Arians’ first NFL job was with the Kansas City Chiefs, working as the team’s running backs coach for four seasons (1989-92).

Arians’ coaching career began in 1975 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Virginia Tech, where he played quarterback. He became one of the youngest head coaches in Division I history when Temple University hired him in 1983 at the age of 30. He spent six seasons coaching the Owls (1983-88).

Born in Paterson, N.J., Arians grew up in York. He and his wife, Christine, have two children – son Jake, and daughter Kristi Anne – as well as granddaughters Presley and Brylee, and grandsons Asher and Mills.