Bucs begin new NFL coaching academy, continue legacy of inclusion
TAMPA — Had Todd Bowles not played eight seasons in the NFL for Washington and San Francisco, he says he may never have become an NFL coach.
“I think it would’ve been tough to make those contacts,” Bowles said.
But thanks to the futuristic thinking of the Glazer family, there will be another entry point into the NFL.
The franchise already known as the model for inclusive hiring is launching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coaching Academy, open to persons with three or more years of coaching or work experience in a football program at the high school, college or semi-professional league level, irrespective of background or status.
Twenty-five finalists will be selected from a national search and awarded full scholarships to cover costs for a weeklong academy during rookie minicamp in May 2024 in Tampa. In addition, the coaching and front office staffs will select five coaches to return to participate in training camp.
The application window is Oct. 31 through Jan. 31, 2024, but it is a rolling admissions process. For example, if 20 of the 25 candidates are selected in the first month, those who apply later will be eligible for one of the final five spots.
“The academy helps those people who normally wouldn’t have those contacts or access, no matter what level of experience you’re on, to get experience as an NFL coach and to learn what goes on in the NFL and what it takes, and for coaches to get valuable experience to see who knows what,” Bowles said.
“You may find a diamond in the rough. I think it works well for both parties.”
Ever since the Glazer family took ownership of the team and hired Tony Dungy as their first head coach, minorities and women have been given opportunities rarely afforded at such high numbers in the league.
Bruce Arians was the first head coach to have three Black coordinators, all on the Bucs’ Super Bowl 55 championship staff. He also hired Lori Locust as an assistant defensive line coach and Maral Javadifar to the training staff as director of rehabilitation/performance.
An NFL education
Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, the Bucs’ co-owner and president of the team’s foundation, enlisted the help of Bowles, general manager Jason Licht, Arians and Pro Football Hall of Famers such as Dungy and Ronde Barber to help develop the academy.
“The NFL crest is a powerful symbol all around the world. It’s also an exclusive symbol,” said Vicky Free, the Bucs’ chief impact officer who helped design the plan. “It’s rare, but once you get on the inside, it’s rare air. So we wanted to focus on how do we connect new entry points? How do we connect that talent who is changing the game, advancing the game in corners of this country that we don’t know about?
“We want to give that, not just access, but insider engagement, relationships. What really happens on the field? What are the tools and technology that you need? What are the tricks and tips to help you get a fair chance to enter the NFL for coaching?”
The academy complements the NFL’s Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship created in 1987 to open pathways for minority coaches in the league.
One who benefitted from that program is Bucs assistant secondary coach Rashad Johnson, who broke into the NFL with the Bucs as a coaching fellow during the 2022 offseason. Johnson played eight seasons for the Cardinals and Titans before being hired full time as a defensive assistant following the conclusion of training camp.
“I played the game. I had relationships already,” Johnson said. “Guys that don’t go that certain path, what we’re doing with the Buccaneers is giving them more exposure and more opportunity. ... Once you get that foot in the door, you build that relationship, that equity that every business needs. Then from there, you get an opportunity to scale forward.”
Prospective students of the academy will go to a URL and download applications that require one reference. They will be given an opportunity to break down a play on video that they will submit as an audition for the team to evaluate. The Bucs plan to build a video database for applicants that they not only could use to select the best coaches but also share with the league.
But the education doesn’t end on the practice field or in the meeting rooms. Those chosen for the academy will also get tutorials from Licht and the front office staff, as well as media training.
“The main thing for these candidates when they come in is giving them access to having met a wide variety of people,” Licht said. “You don’t necessarily have to know a coach to get into coaching. You can know a personnel person, a front office executive. It’s an awesome opportunity for them.”
A history of inclusion
Javadifar, in her fifth season with the Bucs, worked as a performance physical therapist in the Virginia/Washington D.C. area before completing her residency in sports physical therapy at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Her education in the NFL just began when she was hired by Arians.
“There’s a lot of moving parts, a lot of faces, a lot of names,” Javadifar said. “Understanding the ins and outs of the operation you’re not taught before being a part of it. I think that’s one of the biggest pieces of this program is the ability to feel it, see it, work and be alongside the people who are living it every day. Evolving as a person and seeing if this path is right for them. For some people, it might not be, and that’s OK. For others, it may solidify their passion to find opportunities in pro sports and the NFL, specifically.”
Glazer Kassewitz said the Bucs are committed to providing more opportunities for coaches to enter the NFL.
“It was important that the curriculum be inspired and led by our football staff and coaches in order to provide a real, immersive experience for these 25 finalists,” she said. “My entire family, along with the Buccaneers organization, is committed to ensuring that this Academy will thrive in its mission to find and develop the next wave of NFL coaches.”
Although minicamp and training camp are some of the busiest times for coaches, Johnson says he’s looking forward to paying some of his coaching experience forward.
“I want to be a sponge, whatever they can take from me or I can give to them, I want to be able to give it so that when they leave from here, they know they got the best, and they’ve got a great opportunity, if it’s not here, to get their foot in the door somewhere down the road,” he said,
Troy Vincent, the NFL’s vice president of football operations, called the academy “an outstanding development opportunity for aspiring coaches.”
“The league supports the Buccaneers and their longstanding history of inclusion in this initiative to inform, educate, network and develop coaches,” he said.
Bowles, the fourth Black head coach hired by the Glazers, said the academy will continue to add to the franchise’s legacy of inclusion.
“It’s been great, because you’re allowed to be heard as a female, as a diverse person of any kind, as a coach, as a person, and they’re always trying to help every person move forward,” Bowles said. “I think this is another way of expanding and pushing the needle, and we’re at the forefront of this as well.”
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