Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Established 1976 Play in Tampa, Florida | |||
| League / conference affiliations | |||
National Football League (1976–present)
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| Uniforms | |||
| Team colors | Buccaneer Red, Pewter, Black, and Orange | ||
| Mascot | Captain Fear | ||
| Personnel | |||
| Head coach | Jon Gruden | ||
| Team history | |||
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| Championships | |||
League championships (1)
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Conference championships (1)
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Division championships (4)
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| Home fields | |||
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers American football club (sometimes abbreviated as the Bucs) is a National Football League team based in Tampa, Florida, currently owned by Malcolm Glazer and coached by head coach Jon Gruden. The team, along with the Seattle Seahawks, joined the NFL as 1976 expansion teams. The Buccaneers have won one Super Bowl.
- Helmet design: Pewter helmet, a tattered red flag hanging from a saber, on the flag a skull, crossed sabers, and a football
- Radio Stations: WFUS (103.5 FM), WDAE (620 AM), and WAMA (1550 AM)-Spanish
- Radio Announcers: Scott Brantley, Gene Deckerhoff, and T.J, Rives (sideline reporter): Enrique Oliu and Rodolfo Padron-Spanish
Franchise history
Started out in AFC West in 1976; moved to NFC Central in 1977. Tampa Bay went 0-14 in their inaugural season, and started their second season 0-12 before recording their first win, which was 33-14 against the New Orleans Saints. The club also did not win a game in which the temperature at kickoff time was below 40°F (4°C) until the last week of the 2002 regular season, having lost 20 such games prior. They also once lost 27 consecutive games played both outdoors and on artificial turf; this streak began after a victory over the Bengals at Cincinnati in the 1980 season opener and lasted until they defeated the Eagles in Philadelphia on the first week of the 1995 season. In addition, the club once had a 20-game road losing streak against AFC teams, which ended when they won 17-10 over the Denver Broncos on December 26, 1993.
The team made a habit of losing. The Buccaneers lost at least ten games in 17 of their first 21 seasons, including 12 straight from 1983 to 1994. After a particularly dismal effort in the late 1970s, longtime Bucs coach John McKay gave perhaps the quintessential comment on the organization's plight. A reporter asked McKay about his team's execution during the game. McKay responded, "I'm in favor of it."
The team's orange and white uniforms were often mocked because they looked like Creamsicles. The original logo of a feathered pirate 'winking' (also known as "Bucco Bruce") was also derided: sports writer/commentator Nick Bakay once noted it "struck fear in the hearts of no one." In 1995, the estate of original owner Hugh Culverhouse sold the team to Malcolm Glazer and his three sons, whose financial support allowed them to finally become competitive. The team's performance dramatically improved when the Glazers brought in Tony Dungy to coach. The Bucs also abandoned their traditional team colors of orange and white in favor of dark red, black, and pewter; and changing the logo from Bucco Bruce to a red flag displaying a pirate skull and crossed sabres.
In the 1996 season, new Head Coach Tony Dungy was hired and the team still continued to struggle as usual, starting the season 1-8. But in the second half of the season they finished 5-2, primarily due to the performance of a defense ranked 7th in the NFL led by Hardy Nickerson and younger players such as Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, and Warren Sapp.
In 1997, the Bucs shocked the world by starting the season 5-0, picking up where they left off the previous season. They ended up finishing 10-6, made the playoffs for the first time since 1982, and won their first playoff game since 1979. Their season ended in the Divisonal Round, losing at Lambeau Field to the eventual Super Bowl runner up Green Bay Packers.
The 1998 season saw the Bucs lose several close games, en route to a final 8-8 record and missing the playoffs. The following season, however, saw much better fortunes. On the strength of the NFL's #1 overall defense, the Bucs finished the 1999 season with an 11-5 record as champions of the NFC Central Division. They defeated the Washington Redskins 14-13 in the Divisional round, before losing to the eventual Super Bowl Champion St. Louis Rams in the NFC Championship Game, 11-6.
The Bucs made the playoffs in 2000 (10-6) and 2001 (9-7) as well, but after two lopsided defeats in the first round of the playoffs in both seasons at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles, Tony Dungy was fired at the end of the 2001 season. After a prolonged and much-maligned search for a new coach (during which both Bill Parcells and Marvin Lewis were considered for the position, but did not take the job), the Bucs finally hired Jon Gruden from the Oakland Raiders on February 20, 2002. The price, however, was steep - four total draft picks (the Bucs' 1st and 2nd round picks in 2002, their 1st round pick in 2003, and their 2nd round selection in 2004) and $8 million in cash. Gruden immediately went to work, acquiring Washington Redskins free agent QB Brad Johnson, former Jacksonville Jaguars WR Keenan McCardell, and RB Michael Pittman from the Arizona Cardinals to bolster an anemic offensive attack.
With league realignment in 2002, the Bucs moved into the new NFC South Division, along with the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints. They are 1-0 in Super Bowls, having defeated the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII in January, 2003, and they are 1-2 in NFC Championship games, having defeated the Philadelphia Eagles on the road on January 18, 2003), and losing to the Rams twice, in 1979 to the Los Angeles Rams at home, and in 1999 to the St. Louis Rams on the road.
The 2002 Buccaneers became the first team ever to win the Super Bowl after not having made selections in either of the first two rounds of the previous spring's college draft (having traded these selections to the Oakland Raiders for the rights to head coach Jon Gruden), the first team ever to win the Super Bowl after having lost at home on opening day, the first team ever to win the Super Bowl after having gained less than 100 yards rushing per game during the regular season, and the first team ever to win the Super Bowl after having been eliminated in the wild-card round of the prior season's playoffs.
The 2003 season proved to be a losing one for the Buccaneers. Finishing the regular season 7-9, it marked the first time in the decade of the 2000s that both Super Bowl teams from the previous season did not even make the playoffs; Tampa Bay was thus unable to successfully defend its Super Bowl title.
In the 2004 season, the Bucs started out 1-5 after losing two of the team's best defensive players (John Lynch and Warren Sapp, both of whom had their contracts expire and were not resigned) and two top wide receivers, Keyshawn Johnson (who was deactivated by the team ten games into the 2003 season, then traded to the Dallas Cowboys for Joey Galloway) and Keenan McCardell (who held out with a contract dispute and refused to play until he was given a new contract or was traded; McCardell was eventually traded to the San Diego Chargers for draft compensation.) This was Tampa's worst start since Gruden took over the Bucs in 2002, and led to a final record of 5-11, which made the 2003-04 Buccaneers the first NFL team ever to follow up a Super Bowl championship with back-to-back losing seasons.
The 2005 season, currently underway, has seen the Bucs return to a winning record. The Buccaneers captured their 10th victory of the season and moved into first place in the NFC South with a 27-24 overtime victory against the Atlanta Falcons. Without even stepping on the field, the Buccaneers were able to clinch their first playoff berth since 2002 when the New York Giants defeated the Oakland Raiders in week 17. The Bucs are also in control of their own destiny with regards to the NFC South title. They have the tiebreaker over the Panthers because of a better divisional record (the Bucs would have one more win in any scenario where both teams are tied) and can clinch the division with either a win or a Carolina loss. Should Tampa Bay tie against the Saints then Carolina must lose or tie. If Carolina ties against the Falcons then the Bucs must win or tie. In the event that the Buccaneers win their division with a record of 11-5, they will be seeded #3, by virtue of a better conference record than NFC East Champion New York Giants (9-3 to 8-4), who are also 11-5. If the Buccaneers end up as NFC South Champions at 10-6, they will be seeded #4. In both of the previous division title scenarios, they would host an NFC Wild Card game during the weekend of January 7-8, 2006 against the Carolina Panthers, Washington Redskins, or Dallas Cowboys. If the Panthers win the division, the Buccaneers will open the playoffs on the road against the Giants or Panthers.
Season-by-season
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 5th AFC West | -- |
| 1977 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 5th NFC Central | -- |
| 1978 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 5th NFC Central | -- |
| 1979 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 1st NFC Central | Lost Conference Championship (Rams) |
| 1980 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 4th NFC Central | -- |
| 1981 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 1st NFC Central | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Cowboys) |
| 1982 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 7th NFC Conf. | Lost First Round (Cowboys) |
| 1983 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 5th NFC Central | -- |
| 1984 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 3rd NFC Central | -- |
| 1985 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 5th NFC Central | -- |
| 1986 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 5th NFC Central | -- |
| 1987 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 4th NFC Central | -- |
| 1988 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 3rd NFC Central | -- |
| 1989 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 5th NFC Central | -- |
| 1990 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 2nd NFC Central | -- |
| 1991 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 5th NFC Central | -- |
| 1992 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 3rd NFC Central | -- |
| 1993 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 5th NFC Central | -- |
| 1994 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 5th NFC Central | -- |
| 1995 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 5th NFC Central | -- |
| 1996 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 4th NFC Central | -- |
| 1997 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 2nd NFC Central | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Packers) |
| 1998 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 3rd NFC Central | -- |
| 1999 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 1st NFC Central | Lost Conference Championship (Rams) |
| 2000 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 2nd NFC Central | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Eagles) |
| 2001 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 3rd NFC Central | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Eagles) |
| 2002 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1st NFC South | Won Super Bowl XXXVII |
| 2003 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 3rd NFC South | -- |
| 2004 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 4th NFC South | -- |
| *2005 | 10 | 5 | 0 | T-1st NFC South | -- |
*=Current Standing
Trivia
During the Buccaneers' losing seasons, the team frequently selected players in the NFL Draft that did not work out of them. Most memorable was the attempt to draft Bo Jackson in 1986: he refused to sign and went to play baseball instead. In the 1982 draft, the team was torn between drafting defensive end Booker Reese or offensive linesman Sean Farrell during the first round. The team's brain trust back in Tampa instructed their contact at the New York City draft headquarters to write out draft cards for both players, and to wait for the 15 minutes of selection time until they decided which to take. Their scout understood only part of the telephoned instructions, filled out the selection for Farrell and handed it in. Horrified, the team traded away their next year's First Round draft pick to the Chicago Bears so they could take Chicago's next available pick to use on Reese. In true ironic fashion, Farrell turned out to be a solid player. Reese failed to learn the team's defense, suffered from off-field problems with addiction, and was eventually traded for a 12th Round pick. And the Chicago Bears picked up wide receiver Willie Gault the following draft, who contributed to that team's Super Bowl run.
During their winning seasons, Tampa Bay has a history of being one of the top defensive teams in the league. They are currently known for running the Cover 2 defense, brought to the team during Dungy's tenure. Nicknamed "The Tampa 2", Dungy brought it to the Indianapolis Colts when he became that team's head coach, and other teams such as the Chicago Bears have copied it.
Players of note
Current players
- Lee Roy Selmon (the first pick in the 1976 draft and the Bucs' first ever pick)
- Steve Young (Began NFL career with Tampa Bay, appearing in 19 games. Acquired by San Francisco 49ers in 1987 for a second- and fourth-round draft choice and cash.)
Retired numbers
Not to be forgotten
Former players
- Ricky Bell
- Mark Carrier
- Reggie Cobb
- Steve DeBerg
- Warrick Dunn
- Paul Gruber
- Wayne Haddix
- Keyshawn Johnson
- John Lynch
- Hardy Nickerson
- Eric Rhett
- Warren Sapp
- Dwight Smith
- Steve Spurrier
- Doug Williams
- James Wilder
Front office
Head coaches
- John McKay (1976-1984)
- Leeman Bennett (1985-1986)
- Ray Perkins (1987-1990)
- Richard Williamson (1990-1991)
- Sam Wyche (1992-1995)
- Tony Dungy (1996-2001)
- Jon Gruden (2002-current)