Where does Bruce Arians’ playing career rank among all head coaches?
Jun 23, 2016, 2:18 PM
FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2016, file photo, Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians smiles during an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, in Glendale, Ariz. Nearly every coach and every player heading to the playoffs will insist how beneficial skipping wild-card weekend is. It’s all about the bye in January. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)
Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians has had a successful coaching career in the NFL.
Over three years with the Cardinals, Arians has a 34-14 record, including an NFC championship game appearance last season. Additionally, Arians went 9-3 as the interim head coach for the Indianapolis Colts in 2012. He won the Coach of the Year award in 2012 and 2014.
Arians’ coaching career began in 1975 as a graduate assistant for Virginia Tech, but before that he was a pretty good player for the Hokies too.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert ranked each NFL head coach’s playing career and Arians’ time at Virginia Tech (he never played in the NFL) was good enough for 16th place.
16. Bruce Arians | Arizona Cardinals
Position, top level played: Quarterback, FBS
Arians landed at Virginia Tech because it was the only program that didn’t rescind its interest after he was expelled from high school in the early 1970s. As a college senior in 1974, Arians rushed for 243 yards and what is still a school-record 11 touchdowns. He also threw for 952 yards and another three scores to win the team’s MVP award. He moved straight into coaching in 1975.
Something you might not know: Despite his preference for downfield passing as a coach, Arians was a wishbone quarterback at Virginia Tech.
Arians played in 33 games across three seasons for Virginia Tech. In all, he completed 78-of-174 passes for 1,270 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions, while running for 319 yards and 14 scores on 135 carries.
