Ahead of the season, the Bucs had the perfect stage set for Bruce Arians’ Ring of Honor induction ceremony.

The retired head coach, who led Tampa Bay to the Super Bowl two seasons ago, was set to be inducted when the Bucs hosted the Chiefs — the team they beat for the Lombardi Trophy at Raymond James Stadium in February of 2021 — on Sunday Night Football.

Unfortunately, those plans changed due to the anticipated impact of Hurricane Ian back in late September. The game went on as scheduled, but the team had already made the call to postpone Arians’ ceremony.

Now, the Bucs have announced a new date, as Arians will see his name go up alongside other Buccaneer legends inside Raymond James Stadium when Tampa Bay hosts Carolina on New Year’s Day.

Arians’ Place In Bucs History

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians – Photo by: USA Today

Arians came out of a brief retirement to become the Bucs’ 12th head coach in 2019. He immediately began changing the culture within the organization and locker room, which was badly needed at the time. Tampa Bay went 7-9 that season and showed signs of being a playoff team — if only it had the right quarterback.

The right quarterback ended up being Tom Brady, who signed with the Bucs in 2020 due in part to Arians’ track record with quarterbacks. And that partnership proved fruitful, as the Bucs overcame a great deal of adversity that season to eventually go from 7-5 to 11-5, clinching a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

Then came a magical playoff run that saw Tampa Bay win at Washington, at New Orleans and at Green Bay before returning home to become the first team in NFL history to win the Super Bowl at its home stadium.

The Bucs kept the band together for 2021 and posted a franchise-record 13 regular season wins. They ultimately fell a play short in the NFC Divisional Round, and that game turned out to be Arians’ final game as an NFL head coach.

Bucs GM Jason Licht and senior football consultant Bruce Arians – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

On March 30, just a couple of weeks after Brady announced that he was coming out of his own brief retirement, Arians executed what he has long talked about as his succession plan. He turned the team over to longtime friend and protege Todd Bowles while transitioning into a front office role that allows him to work closely with general manager Jason Licht.

Arians will become the 14th member of the Ring of Honor inside Raymond James Stadium. He’ll become the fourth coach, joining John McKay, Tony Dungy and Monte Kiffin. Jon Gruden’s name was once among the others, but the Bucs removed it last year.

One can only wonder right now where the Bucs will be when their former head coach has his moment on Jan. 1, as they currently sit at 3-5 after losing three straight and five of their last six games.