TAMPA, Fla. -- In his opening months as associate head coach and defensive coordinator at George Fox, Lukkes Gilgan is already making waves across the nation. 

Gilgan, who came to Newberg after nine seasons at Northwest Conference rival Pacific, was one of the 25 finalists for the 2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Coaching Academy.

The academy was established by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to deliver an intensive, comprehensive curriculum and an opportunity to participate in the team's 2025 rookie minicamp. The program was open to all persons with three or more years of coaching or work experience in a football program at the high school, college or semi-professional league level. 25 finalists were selected from a global search and participants will be awarded full scholarships to cover costs in Tampa for the week-long Academy.  

"I'm honored to be representing Bruin football on the NFL stage," Gilgan said of the honor, "and excited to learn from some of the best coaches in the world.
 
The week-long Academy, which was created by the NFL franchise's owners, the Glazer family, as part of their commitment to developing leaders on and off the field, will take place from May 5-11 at the team's training facility at AdventHealth Training Center. 

In addition to taking part in team meetings and on-field coaching sessions with Buccaneers rookies, this year's class will participate in masterclass sessions with Super-Bowl Champion head coaches Jon Gruden, Bruce Arians and Tony Dungy, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht. Additional programming will include sessions focused on film review and breakdowns, media training, business insights and interactive networking opportunities. 
 
More information on the program and the finalists selected can be found here.