Bruce Arians Bruce Arians ( born October 3 , 1952 ) is an American football coach who currently serves as the interim head coach and offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He has also been a head coach at the collegiate level . He was the offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2007 to 2011 after being promoted from wide receivers coach , a position that he had held with the team since the 2004 season . Playing career . Arians attended and played college football at Virginia Tech . As a senior in 1974 , Arians was the starting quarterback in a wishbone offense for the Hokies football team . That season he completed 53 of 118 passing attempts ( 44 . 9 % completion pct . ) for 952 yards with three passing touchdowns and seven interceptions . He rushed for 243 yards and eight touchdowns . Coaching career . College . Arians began his coaching career in 1975 as a graduate assistant at Virginia Tech . Arians then held an assistant coaching position at Mississippi State University ( running backs and wide receivers ) from 1978 - 80 before heading to the University of Alabama to coach the running backs from 1981 - 82 under Paul " Bear " Bryant . Arians was also the head coach at Temple University from 1983 - 88 . He also held positions with Mississippi State ( offensive coordinator , 1993 – 95 ) and Alabama ( offensive coordinator , 1997 ) . NFL . At the end of the college football season in 1988 , Arians was hired in the NFL as a running back s coach for the Kansas City Chiefs . It was during this time with the Chiefs that he worked with the coach who brought him to the Pittsburgh Steelers , Bill Cowher . He also spent one season as the tight ends coach of the New Orleans Saints . Following this stint was when he made a name for himself when he got the job as the quarterbacks coach of the Indianapolis Colts . He was the first quarterback coach of Peyton Manning when he arrived in the NFL . Afterward , he was hired as offensive coordinator ( 2001 - 2003 ) for the Cleveland Browns under Butch Davis . In 2002 he helped the Browns finish 9 - 7 ( 2nd in the newly aligned AFC North ) and to a wild card playoff berth where they lost to the Steelers ( 36 - 33 ) in the first round . It was during his tenure with the Browns that he first worked with Chuck Pagano who served as the Browns secondary coach from 2001 to 2004 . After the 2003 season he was hired as the Steelers wide receivers coach and in 2007 was promoted to offensive coordinator of the Steelers , a position he held until his contract expired after the 2011 season . On January 28 , 2012 , Arians agreed to become the offensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts , replacing Clyde Christensen . On October 1 , 2012 , Arians was reported to have been named the interim head coach of the Colts following coach Chuck Pagano ' s leukemia diagnosis . Personal . He and his wife Christine have a son , Jake ( ) , who spent less than one season as the placekicker for the Buffalo Bills in 2001 , and a daughter , Kristi Anne ( ) . He graduated from William Penn High School in York , Pennsylvania . Earlier , he attended York Catholic High School , where he was a standout scholastic quarterback . Head coaching record . College . < nowiki > * < / nowiki > 1986 team was 6 - 5 on the field , but had to forfeit their wins due to the presence of an ineligible player on their roster .