Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles earns bachelor’s degree 37 years in the making

Ask any big-time college football player and they’ll tell you the same thing: The allure of the NFL is almost too appealing, especially when actual money wasn’t on the table in the college ranks.

A career in the NFL was something that Todd Bowles aspired to 37 years ago when he left Temple to become an undrafted free agent in 1986. Bowles spent eight years in the league — seven with Washington — but made his name not on the gridiron, but rather on the sidelines as a coach.

His first NFL gig was as secondary coach for the New York Jets in 2000, and he ultimately became the franchise’s head coach in 2015. Bowles’ time in New York was a failure, but it ultimately led him to the defensive coordinator position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he won Super Bowl LV and ultimately replaced Bruce Arians as head coach just a season later.

Football has been a long journey for Bowles, without a doubt, but so has education. That journey has ended now, though, at least formally, as the Bucs announced that Bowles has earned his bachelor’s degree from Mount St. Mary’s University.

“Completing my degree was something I had always wanted to do over the years because it was something I had promised my mother when I went to play in the NFL, and I wanted to follow through on that promise,” Bowles said, via a statement from the team. “Over the years, as I became a father, it became something I wanted to do in order to set a proper example for my sons as they continue on their educational paths. I have also worked pretty extensively with children through my various community projects, and I felt it was important to show them they can achieve whatever they set their mind to.”

You never need to stop learning in life. Bowles is proof of that.