Todd Bowles has Bucs legend Doug Williams to thank for his coaching career

Todd Bowles has Bucs legend to thank for his coaching career

Todd Bowles says he would not be where he is today without former Bucs quarterback Doug Williams. FOX 13's Mark Skol Jr. reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - If one person never met Todd Bowles, he might not be the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"He's had quite an impact on my career," Bowles said.

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No one has meant more to Bowles coaching career than former Bucs quarterback Doug Williams.

"Doug is to blame for me even getting into coaching," Bowles said.

The backstory:

The two first crossed paths in 1986 when Bowles signed with the Washington Commanders organization as an undrafted free agent. Williams was the quarterback in the nation's capital at the time and loved Bowles' mind. After playing three years together, Williams gave Bowles his first coaching job at Morehouse College back in 1997 as the school's defensive coordinator. 

Pictured: Todd Bowles. 

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He then followed Williams to Grambling. However, it took some convincing to get Bowles to go down that route.

"I remember giving Todd his first job and he didn't want to coach," Williams said. "It took me two weeks to talk Todd into becoming a coach."

However, Williams twisted Bowles arm enough to get him to accept his first coaching gig after they were both NFL scouts on the East Coast. Bowles worked for the Packers while Williams was in the Jaguars organization.

What they're saying:

"I didn't think I could do it, but he thought I could do it," Bowles said. "Here we are 27, 28 years later, and I'm still coaching."

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Not only is Bowles coaching, but he's also winning. The 61-year-old has led the Bucs to three straight division titles, and has become the face of the franchise in the process.

Pictured: Doug Williams.

"When I think about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers today, I think about Todd Bowles," Williams said.

While Williams did not see this level of winning in Bowles' career, he figured he would amount to something special.

"It's just like anybody else who gets a job. You never know until they get in it," Williams said. "I did know that Todd was one of the smartest players I ever played with. When I was in Washington, we were like brothers. He will tell you now that I am his big brother, that's what he would say. But Todd has always been smart and what he is doing now really doesn't surprise me."

And, it's no surprise the connection between the two remains just as strong to this day.

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"I can't do [anything] but thank him," Bowles said. "He's been one of my best friends, a mentor, he’s like an older brother for me and, you know, I can't say enough good things about him."

What's next:

The Bucs begin their quest for a fifth straight NFC South crown on Sunday against the Falcons. An NFC team has not won five division titles in a row since the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s.