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BUCCANEERS FOOTBALL HISTORY |
Awarded the National Football League's 27th franchise
in 1974 with the first kickoff scheduled for 1976,
owner Hugh Culverhouse, a successful Florida tax lawyer
and broker, hired John McKay as the first coach of
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McKay had achieved great
success at the University of Southern California with
four national championships in his 16 years and it
was McKay who orchestrated the building process that
led to the Buccaneers' stunning early success. Tampa
Bay Buccaneers, professional football team and one
of four teams in the South Division of the National
Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football
League (NFL). The Buccaneers play at Raymond James
Stadium in Tampa, Florida, and wear uniforms of red,
silver, and white.
The Buccaneers joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion
team. Former University of Southern California (USC)
head coach John McKay was hired to pilot the club,
but Tampa Bay’s first season was a dismal one.
The club became the first team in NFL history to lose
all 14 regular-season games, suffering five shutouts
and fielding the conference’s worst offense
and defense. The Buccaneers’ losing streak grew
to a league-record 26 consecutive games as the club
lost the first 12 games of its second season.
Tampa Bay improved in 1978, winning five games behind
running backs Ricky Bell and Anthony Davis, rookie
quarterback Doug Williams, and brothers Lee Roy and
Dewey Selmon, who played defensive end and linebacker,
respectively. A year later, in 1979, the Buccaneers
stunned the league, winning their first five games
en route to a first-place tie with the Chicago Bears
in the Central Division. Williams had an excellent
season, and Bell ran for more than 1,250 yards. The
Selmon brothers led a top-rated defense, and McKay
was named coach of the year. In the playoffs Tampa
Bay upset the Philadelphia Eagles before falling to
the Los Angeles Rams (now St. Louis Rams) in the NFC
Championship Game.
After an injury-plagued 1980 season, Tampa Bay qualified
for the playoffs in 1981 and 1982 behind Williams,
who continued to be one of the best quarterbacks in
the NFC. Both years the Buccaneers lost in the first
round of the playoffs. Tampa Bay’s 5-4 win-loss
record in the strike-shortened 1982 season was followed
by a long series of losing seasons through the mid-1990s,
as the Buccaneers perennially ranked as one of the
NFL’s worst-performing teams.
In 1996 Tony Dungy, a former defensive coordinator
for the Minnesota Vikings, was hired as the Buccaneers’
head coach. He rebuilt the team with young, talented
players such as running backs Mike Alstott and Warrick
Dunn, quarterback Trent Dilfer, and cornerback Donnie
Abraham. Tampa Bay began the 1997 season with five
consecutive wins and finished the season with a 10-6
win-loss record, advancing to the playoffs for the
first time in 15 years. After defeating the Detroit
Lions in the first round, the Buccaneers lost to the
Green Bay Packers, the eventual NFC champions. After
the 1999 season the Buccaneers reached the NFC Championship
game for the first time since 1979, but lost to the
Rams. With head coach Jon Gruden at the helm and young
stars leading the way, the new-look Buccaneers captured
their first NFL championship with a convincing 48-21
win in Super Bowl XXXVII.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in 2003.
Bucs
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