Super Bowl 2021: Tampa Bay Bucs Coach Bruce Arians, WR Chris Godwin Reflect On Local Roots Before Super Bowl 55 Vs. Chiefs
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- If you're 30 years old, you've spent nearly half your life watching Andy Reid coach the Philadelphia Eagles. He was here for 14 years.
So when the Chiefs play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, you may be cheering for Reid and Kansas City. But if you want to keep it local, there are some other guys to root for.
As the Buccaneers look to keep the Chiefs from going back-to-back in Super Bowl LV, two key pieces of the team have strong local ties. Head coach Bruce Arians coached at Temple University from 1983 through 1988.
"It's where I got started really. I was very, I thought I knew everything and I didn't know [expletive]. Temple was very special. After the game, I probably got at least 80-100 texts from former Temple players after we beat the Packers," Arians said.
Arians' tenure with the Owls coincided with the early years of John Chaney's run as head basketball coach. He spoke highly of the Hall of Famer.
"God bless John Chaney, who passed away this week. One of my dear friends. I probably learned as much about coaching watching him practice and how he taught his guys than just about anybody I worked with," Arians said.
Middletown, Delaware native Chris Godwin is one of the Bucs' brightest stars. He caught seven touchdowns during the regular season as a main piece of the Tom Brady-led offense.
Football coach Zach Blum says Godwin is a Middletown High School legend for many reasons.
"As good a player as he is, he's a better human being. Chris is a great kid. We tell all our guys every day, or every chance we get, just how special Chris' work ethic was," Blum said.
And Godwin is proud of his upbringing.
"There's not many of us from Delaware in the league. I really take pride in that, though. I take pride in being one of the few guys that was able to make it. And I also take pride in all the other guys as well," Godwin said.
Also on the Bucs' staff is defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, who played under Arians and graduated from Temple in 1986.
Super Bowl LV coverage kicks off Sunday at 11:30 a.m. on CBS3.
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