Forced to take over control of the Indianapolis Colts mid-season as head coach Chuck Pagano was hospitalized with leukemia, offensive coordinator Bruce Arians took the helm and guided the Colts to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth.
On Saturday, Arians was named NFL coach of the year.
While his friend and colleague was getting treatment for cancer, Arians managed to keep the Colts moving in the right direction. After just a two win season in 2011, the Colts won 11 games and made the playoffs.
Pagano finished second in the voting with 5.5 votes as Arians and Pagano split 42 of the 50 votes by an Associated Press panel of NFL writers. Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll finished third (5) and Minnesota Vikings head coach Leslie Frasier was fourth (3).