New Bucs Quarterbacks Coach John Shoop spent the last five years in Chicago, working with Kordell Stewart and other Bears quarterbacks
New Tampa Bay Buccaneers General Manager Bruce Allen is wasting no time taking care of business.
On Friday, one week after Allen's hiring and a few days after the team announced a series of 'reserve/future' free agent signings, the Bucs addressed several holes on the coaching staff. John Shoop, the Chicago Bears' offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, was hired as the quarterbacks coach and former UCLA assistant Kyle Shanahan was added as the offensive quality control coach.
The additions give the Bucs' coaching staff an infusion of youth. Shoop, despite almost a decade of NFL experience, is only 34. Shanahan, the son of current Denver Broncos Head Coach Mike Shanahan, is 25 and in his first position in the NFL.
"We're excited to add these two young, bright coaches to our coaching staff," said Buccaneers Head Coach Jon Gruden.
Shoop rose quickly through the NFL coaching ranks after spending just four years on the collegiate level. After one year at Dartmouth (1991) and three years at Vanderbilt (1992-94), Shoop joined the original Carolina Panthers staff under Head Coach Dom Capers in 1995. Though he began as an offensive quality control coach, he was promoted to quarterbacks coach after just two seasons, where he worked with young talent Kerry Collins and seasoned veteran Steve Beuerlein.
In 1999, Shoop was hired by Chicago to coach the Bears' quarterbacks, but he got a late-season promotion to interim offensive coordinator in 2000 as the team struggled through a 5-11 season. Chicago won two of its last three games in 2000, Shoop shook off the interim tag to begin 2001 and the Bears promptly went 13-3.
Under Shoop's direction, WR Marty Booker became only the fourth receiver in Bears' history to make the Pro Bowl, and RB Anthony Thomas, who set a club rookie record with 1,183 rushing yards, was named Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2001. In 1999, his first year in charge of the Bears' quarterbacks, Shoop coached three different signal-callers – Shane Matthews, Cade McNown and Jim Miller – who each passed for over 1,000 yards, a feat accomplished only one other time in NFL history.
Shoop played collegiately at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, serving four years as a quarterback for the Tigers. At Dartmouth, he was a volunteer quarterbacks coach and at Vanderbilt he coached as a graduate assistant while earning a master's degree in education. Shoop, a native of Oakmont, Pennsylvania, is married to Marcia and the couple has one son, Sidney.
Shanahan will find a familiar face at Buc headquarters in quarterback Chris Simms, who is just coming off his rookie season in Tampa. Shanahan was a receiver at the University of Texas, where Simms set a long list of passing records through the 2002 season. As a senior, Shanahan caught seven passes from Simms for 62 yards.
After leaving Texas, Shanahan served as a graduate assistant for UCLA during the 2003 season, working with the Bruins' offense. UCLA concluded its '03 campaign with an appearance in the Silicon Valley Bowl.
Though this is his first NFL job, Shanahan is a veteran of many Broncos training camps, where he often worked closely with the team's receivers. At Texas, he wore jersey number 87 in honor of Denver WR Ed McCaffrey, who worked with Shanahan during various camps.
