2019 may have been Bruce Arians’ first year serving as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the two-time NFL Coach of the Year actually has a connection to a former Bucs legend going back decades.
Arians played quarterback at Virginia Tech before becoming a graduate assistant in 1975, and it was during his time in Blacksburg that he roomed and became friends with a man who would have a pair of famous NFL sons one day.
Per ESPN:
“Arians and James Barber, father of Tiki and Ronde, were the first interracial roommates at Virginia Tech. After graduation, Arians worked as a graduate assistant at Virginia Tech — during which time Bruce and Christine [Arians] babysat Tiki and Ronde — before going to Mississippi State and then Bama under Bryant.”
The image of a young Bruce Arians bouncing a baby Ronde on his knee is just too good. And who could’ve imagined that both would one day wind up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Barber helped the team deliver a championship in 2002. Now, it’s Arians’ turn to try and win one in 2020.
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