TAMPA, Fla. _ The sudden death of Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach Darryl Drake hit home for the Bucs coaching staff.
Drake worked under Bucs head coach Bruce Arians in all five of his seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, serving as Arians' wide receivers coach from 2013 to '17. And given the fact that Arians' current staff consists of several former Cardinals assistants, there are many others on the Bucs staff who also worked with Drake.
"We lost a great man, husband father, coach and a dear friend Darryl Drake," Arians tweeted on Sunday afternoon with a photo of Drake on the Cardinals sideline. "Our prayers go out to his family. RIP brother."
The Bucs just played the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Friday night, dropping their preseason opener 30-28 at Heinz Field.
The Steelers announced that Drake's death Sunday morning and canceled their scheduled practice for later in the day.
"We are at a loss for words following Darryl Drake's passing this morning," Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a release. "Darryl had such an impact on the players he coached and everyone he worked with throughout his entire career. He was a passionate coach and had a tremendous spirit toward life, his family, his faith and the game of football."
With the Cardinals, Drake coached an strong group of receivers headlined by Larry Fitzgerald, who went to four Pro Bowls with Drake as his coach. Drake was named the league's top wide receivers coach in 2015, the year Arians took the Cardinals to the NFC Championship Game, by Pro Football Focus.
Drake was entering his second season as receivers coach with the Steelers. Before coaching under Arians in Arizona, he was receivers coach for the Bears for nine seasons from 2004-'12. Before then, he spent 21 years as a college coach, including nine seasons at his alma mater, Western Kentucky. He also coached at Georgia, Baylor and Texas.
Former Bucs quarterback Josh McCown shared a story about how Drake impacted him as a high school quarterback. While attending Baylor's football camp, McCown said that Drake's encouragement then gave him the confidence he needed to find college and pro success.
