Now they've got two Lombardi trophies while the Browns, Bengals, Lions, Cardinals, Falcons, Chargers, Jags, Titans, Bills, Texans, Vikings and Panthers are still looking for their first!
So the Bucs become the leagues 27th team , hire a coach with 27 years experience , take 27 games to win their first , take 27 years to win a SB , by putting up 27 points on Philadelphia , then beat the Oakland Raiders.......by, oh yeah, 27 points. Anybody else, besides me, believe in lucky numbers?
As a bucs fan for over 20 years, I never thought our team would ever get this much coverage as it has lately. We've been thorough some dark times, let's enjoy this!
I remember going to the Sombrero, and listening to bears, packers, and browns fan drown out the home town crowd. We made it up by winning most of the fights.
Its all about ownership. Owner only cares about his wallet. In the NFL, u got spend on the right coaches and staff. You gotta bring in personnel who know wtf they are doing
I've been a Buccaneers fan since day one. When I was a little little kid it was so hard to keep being a fan and not simply jump ship for a much more successful team. To this day I tell people you will never find a more loyal fan than an old school Tampa Bay Buccaneer. #GOBUCS #BUC4LIFE #GOTB12
Did it ever occur to you that the first win was at the Super Bowl venue for Super Bowl XII, so it was maybe like getting a taste of winning a Super Bowl. In real time are you amazed by the contrast between the Buccaneers and Raiders, between the logo and the fight songs, The Raiders won the Super Bowl during the 0-14 year, and to have your first Super Bowl win be against the Raiders. I just think all of those things put together are pretty amazing.
"We will be competitive. Maybe not in this century, but we will be competitive." Except for a couple outlier seasons like 1979, those words turned out to be pretty prophetic.
I'm from San Diego Ca, I followed Football in 1995, I watched the Chargers go to the Super Bowl. I never Identified with them, 2 yrs later, I became a Tampa Bay Buc fan. Ive been a Die hard Buc fan for over 20yrs, they were born when I was born 1976, I've been so fortunate to see our beloved team win 2 super bowls. Ive gone every 8 yrs when the Bucs play against the Chargers, and its great to see our Bucs beat the crap out of the Chargers because I get to Brag that we're a super Bowl winning team, go Pewter Power Baby, bucs for Life.
Why did San Diego not support the Chargers? They had the worst fan base in America.....why is that? Too many distractions and things to do in San Diego?
@@Arturo-sm1tb the reason why is because when the previous Commissioner made it clear that their wasn't going to be another Superbowl in San Diego the Mayor of San Diego was busy stealing Pension Money from under the cities nose, meanwhile San Diego politicians acted very arrogant thinking that the Chargers needed the city when in fact the city needed the Chargers. 15 yrs passed and the city took their sweet ass time thinking when the Time is right we'll start to negotiate, by the time the Spanos made up their mind the city finally began to react and pay more attention. In the end, the city of San Diego screwed things up big time. It reminded me of the popular Guy in School he can pick anyone to go to the prom, he turns down the cutest chick at school. The popular guy at last minute has no date for the prom and now is desperate to ask the cutest girl in school but now she has a date so the popular guy now has no date, thats San Diego bro.
A woman I dated worked for Hugh Culverhouse, the original owner of the Bucs. She said he was so cheap that if the team landed for an away game before check in time at the hotel, the team would be dropped off at the mall with their luggage and they had to hang around the mall until check in time came.
When John McKay was hired by the Buccaneers in 1976, he brought a reputation as one of college football's best coaches out there who took a chance and made the jump into the NFL after winning 4 National Titles at USC. He had somewhat of an Urban Meyer persona that if you could win in college, you can do it in the NFL. John McKay lost his first 26 games as Buccaneers coach and was given the time to build the franchise from the ground up unlike Meyer who rubbed people the wrong way from the day took the Jacksonville Jaguars job in 2021 and not even finishing his first full season on the job. John McKay proved that he could win in the NFL and by his 4th season on the job, the Buccaneers had a winning season, a division title, a playoff win falling a game short of the Super Bowl.
It was a different situation and a different time. Jags weren't an expansion team and free agency is way different now. When Jags WERE an expansion team they were way better then in Meyer's tenure....
The fact that they couldn't even spike the ball in the End Zone right had be dying laughing.... Those poor guys I swear. This was a great documentary thanks for posting. That franchise had the worst luck for so long.
When the Buccaneers and Seahawks met in Week 6 of the 1976 season dubbed the "Expansion Bowl", it should've been called the "Stupor" Bowl. Go forward 47 seasons later, the Buccaneers and Seahawks both made NFL history as the two teams to play the first ever NFL regular season game in Germany.
Born in Tampa in 89. Started liking football around 8 or 9. A few years later I got to see the 2001 - 2004 run. Made me a true fan. Now after 2020 and having the Bucs win the NFC south and having the Bolts win 3 cups. I’m so proud of my city :)
The NFL overcorrected with Jacksonville and Carolina in 1995; both teams were nearly in the Super Bowl in their second season. Texans were at about the right level: won their first game, but went 4-12 then 5-11.
Been a fan since 0-0 experiencing the ride through 0-26. I was constantly dragged by my classmates for having my Tampa Bay Buccaneers book bag in school. Learn to stick with the plan and stick together and great things will happen. From the period of 1979-1982 the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won two division championships and were in the playoffs three out of four years. In 1979 they were the fastest expansion team to make a conference championship. Too bad they didn't have Abe Gibron singing Joy to the world.
The NFC CENTRAL was a joke back then. One season back then, the MINNY VIKES won it at 8-7-1. When the BUCS won it, they had played the new fifth place schedule that happened after the NFL went to playing 16 regular season games in the AUTUMN of '78. The BUCS in '78-79 got to play the fifth place 1977 teams in both conferences, including the two NFC fifth placers twice. And I think, only one other NFC CENTRAL team was .500 or better IN '78-79, and the BUCS played each of them twice. The playoff game in the divisional was 38-3 or 38-0, DALLAS. The following season armed with a more experienced qbacking DOUG WILLIAMS, and that terrific BUCS "D", they made it to the CONFERENCE titlegame, beating PHILLY, before losing NINE-ZIP to a 9-7-0 LA RAMS team that lost by 15 points to PITT in the SUPER BOWL(XIV) of '80, although that SBOWL game was close early in the fourth quarter. After they lost that one, in 1980-81, they had their best overall team during MCKAY's era, but lost to PHILLY the eventual NFC CHAMP in the divisional, and discounting 1982's strike/lockout shortened nine game season when the top eight made it in division-less only for that season, conferences, the BUCS never again made the playoffs under MCKAY, and did not until the late 1990's under HEAD COACH TONY DUNGY OR JOHNNY GRUDEN and either DILFER OR BRAD JOHNSON OR SHAWN KING at qback. YEP..
Charles, I’m no Tom Brady fan, but hearing stories like yours make me happy that the Bucs have been better of late. Give the fans like you who stuck it out through the tough times some hope. As I call it, the fountain in the middle of the desert.
@@stevendebraccio4657 Appreciate the words. Like now, the Bengals and Rams aren't my teams. One think for sure is there will be a QB who wins his first Super Bowl Title. I couldn't be happier that Matthew Stafford has a chance since he suffered the Lions for most of his career. For the Bengals, they too have been long suffering and they finally have a chance. I look forward to this Super Bowl and may the best team win. The future of the Bucs rests on whether they can continue a culture of winning that Brady brought to the organization. If not, I'll sit through every miserable loss because they are my team. Go Bucs!!! Go Rams!!! Go Bengals!!!
Stories like these make me proud to be a Bucs fans. This team has been through a hell of a lot of losing, which makes the winning that much sweeter... Go Bucs!
@@rodmunch69 I'm looking for the part where I said I didn't have a job (I do) or the part where I demanded anything for free (I didn't). I was simply pointing out that I've seen you make several comments and they're all irrationally angry for no reason, chill man that kind of rage is horrible for your health.
No team ever wishes to go winless in a season, but in time everyone looks back with fond memories in being part of something bigger than themselves during their prime years. That something that can't be taken away from you.
Those Creamsicle uniforms kinda became iconic in their own right. They certainly might have been the quickest uniforms to get dirty in NFL history, at least for the offensive players. That Expansion Draft really is something. The Buccaneers' first two REGULAR drafting wasn't all that bad.
The expansion draft was a disaster. The existing teams got to protect something like 37 players each. Basically everyone who was actually good. Then the Bucs and Seahawks couldn’t get any information on the players on the lists. Teams were throwing injured players on the list and the expansion teams didn’t find out they were injured until after they showed up to Tampa or Seattle.
Got rid of those creamsickle numbers trimmed in red on the white jerseys after the first season, pretty quickly; didn't they? Who thought that the former was a good idea? They must have been tough to read from the press box or the stands, lol. They went to red trimmed in creamsicle on the white jerseys from that point on until they changed into the others in the 1990's. And Buccaneer Bruce? Erroll Flynn on a helmet? Lol.. The five years I lived in TBAY made me appreciate better flowing traffic elsewhere, too, and younger, faster drivers not sitting on phonebooks at age 75, elsewhere.. lol. But, while not a Bucs fan, instead a Broncos guy, I did attend the REPUS("SUPER" spelled backwards) BOWL at TAMPA's ol' "Sombrero". Yep, ART SCHLICHTER VS. VINNY TESTAVERDE..1-14 VS. 1-12-1. TBAY WON 14-3.. My then- 8 year old daughter CLAIRE and I went on my birthday and between the constant people moving back and forth in the aisles in the lower section fifty yard line, or thereabouts, seats, and one of the worst football games I have ever seen, that was the longest day at a sporting event that I have ever attended. SHEER Torture, lol..
It sounds weird to me that there's some people that want the Bucs to go back to the creamsicle when I associate it with such futility. At least the 2000-2010s Browns had terrible QBs, the Bucs couldn't win with Steve Young and Vinny Testeverde.
Through all the hell our team endured over the years, it feels so damn good to have not one, but TWO Lombardis resting comfortably in our trophy case. This team is a prime example that perseverance PAYS OFF. We were once the worst, and now, ON TOP OF THE NFL MOUNTAIN!!!! #FIRETHECANNONS
That would be cool to be a bucs fan who saw their team as a kid go 0-26 and then as a older adult watching them finally win the super bowl in ‘02-‘03 with that legendary Defense! Great Video guys!!
From Tampa born in 1979 but grew up seeing some really bad football teams too. When we finally won in 02-03 the city of Tampa and the surrounding suburbs sounded like everyone had just won the lottery at the same time. I remember shedding a few tears of joy myself when the clock hit zero. Watching them win the second, the celebrations were more muted due to the pandemic but it didn't have quite that same level of joy for me. As they say you never forget your first.
I was in the military and moved from Pensacola to Tampa in 1985, went to my first Bucs Game in 86 and was hooked. Tampa stadium was awesome . Season ticket from 1987 to 1991. Was fortunate enough to attend super bowl 25. Lean years for the bucs back then, but always loved going to the games .
Can we also not forget that these Bucs were in the NFC Championship game 2 seasons later in 79? Why do they give so much crap to McCay? He did build a team there, a team that went to a Title game in 4 years after starting......
Yeah they almost beat Los Angeles and might have challenged Pittsburgh assuming they'd beaten Los Angeles. Unfortunately they lost. But yeah particularly good.
Actually given the disadvantage they had as an expansion team they did remarkably well to my way of thinking. They were playing particularly well in 1979. That's only like three seasons later. Not terribly bad all things being equal.
Great documentary, of the franchise, I am a LA Rams fan ,I enjoy McKays comments, 70s football was fun to watch ,you could really lay the wood on someone, loved seeing the 70s Ram clips they had great teams in the 70s
I became a band wagon fan of the Bucs when they started off 5-0 in 1979. I heard most of the quotes and stories about the 1976 team except for a couple that were new to me. The one about the player who went to the washroom and never returned was hilarious. That story was topped by the owner Hugh Culverhouse and his wife being left behind by the team bus! Maybe that was payback for having the team using a questionable plane for their first road trip. 😀
15:49 "In the 70s Tampa was a very divided metro. Pinellas county didn't do anything with Hillsborough county and it was very difficult to bring them all together." Boy I'll say. The way they have handled this Rays stadium issue is embarrassing. In all seriousness though, it really is a great region and they love their sports. Go Champa Bay.
The Bucs didn't become a playoff team until Doug Williams came along. He provided that strong arm that can get balls down the field quickly. I mean until 1997 when Tony Dungy took the Bucs back to the playoffs, Doug Williams was the best QB the Bucs ever had. When the Bucs didn't pay Williams a pay increase and got rid of him, the Bucs were terrible until again 1997 when Tony Dungy took the Bucs back to the playoffs.
How was it hard being a Bills fan in the early 90s. That was the best time in Buffalo. You went on a ride all the way to the last game every year 4 straight years. I'd take that all day versus the moribund 17 year playoff drought or 84-85 2-14 seasons.
Still can’t believe the broadcast of that final 1979 game against Kansas City in the driving rainstorm that clinched their first ever division title is nowhere to be found. it was televised in Tampa Bay. someone had to have recorded it.
I can't say they were fun times, as you can see. I was a kid and chose them as MY team and I loved them. Still a Bucs fan. Not because what has happened now, but because how they made me feel back then. THEY ARE MY TEAM. GO BUCS!!!
r p This made me smile to read that. You are the right kind of football fan. Baseball’s my main sport, my football team is the Rams, but wherever you are, you are the type of fan I’d have a beer with. It was never about the wins and losses. It was about the memories.
I feel bad for those defensive players because it seems like they played well enough to win more times than not if they had a decent offense & special teams.
Love my Bucs but what this documentary fails to tell most people is that 2 years after starting 0-26, the Bucs were in the NFC championship game (they lost but oh well).
I thought the documentary was about getting to that first victory. that's like Spike Lee bitching because "Hoosiers" doesn't mention that Oscar Robinson played in that championship game.
I’m a Miami Dolphins fan but I have to admit awesome story of never giving up. Reminds me of my high school team that went almost 5 years without a victory my freshman year was the 4th year. The next year we lost our first 7 games our coach quit. We got a new coach right before the next game. I’m proud to say I scored every point in the game. Including a 60 yard field goal, winning receiving TD 2 on the day including the clincher. 66 yard punt return for a TD that was the first time we had ever led the away crowd booed I bowed and patted my behind. 27-16 the final awesome memory. We also built a State Championship my senior year that was beyond awesome.
Just to be fair, the 1976 Bucs schedule was brutal. There were 7 teams in the AFC that were 9-5 or better (Oakland, Baltimore, Pittsburgh,Cincinnati, Denver, Cleveland and New England and the Bucs played them all. They also played the Oilers and Chargers early in the year when they were healthy, they played the Dolphins who had been 10-4 in 1975. They almost beat Buffalo but lost 14-9, they came close vs Miami and Seattle losing both of those games by 3 points. When the Bucs switched conferences to the NFC in 1977, they both had a better defense and were facing weaker competition. I don’t think they were quite as bad as people think
The way the schedule worked the first two years, the Bucs played everyone in their conference once, and then the other expansion team (Seattle) to get to 14 games. The NFL didn’t incorporate them into the usual scheduling rules (home and home in the division, etc.) until the 16-game schedule began in 1978. Speaking of Seattle, they weren’t much better the first year, at 2-12. The only established NFL team to lose to either expansion team in 1976 was the Falcons.
I have been a die hard Bucs fan since 1992. Even to this day it can be a difficult thing to be a fan. Thank you to Brady for bringing a bit more light to the franchise!
REPORTER: "Coach McKay, Ricky Bell carried the ball forty-seven times today in your victory over Detroit. How can he do that?" COACH McKAY: "Well, it's not that heavy..."
I was in high school and it was my very first year that I decided to become a Saints fan. I should have learned my lesson after this loss. But I stuck with them for ten more losing seasons. We had good teams under Jim Mora for a five year run, but no playoff wins until the year 2000 under Jim Haslett. Haslett's tenure meandered on for five years, culminating in the 2005 post Katrina season. The last 15 years makes up for all of that. But now win Brees gone it looks like he Saints are back to losing to the Bucs.
What’s also remarkable is that the Buccaneers are the only team in NFL history to draft 3 QB’s that would go on to start and win a Super Bowl and none of them won it with the Bucs.
Really, 26 straight isn’t the longest losing streak in the history of the league. The Cardinals lost 29 in a row during World War II, but they had to merge with the Steelers in 1944 so they could both stay in business (Card-Pitt). For whatever reason that means the record doesn’t count.
I think it overall has more so to do with the 1970 merger and basically how everything, from records to accolades to etc is tied to the 1970 merger. Think about it, how many times have you heard an accomplishment being done for the first time since the 1970 merger?
December 11, 1977 - the Buccaneers get their 1st NFL win vs. the New Orleans Saints January 17, 2021 - the Buccaneers beat the Saints in the 1st NFL playoff meeting between the two teams.
I wasn’t born to experience this and so glad I wasn’t lol. Had to go through Dilfer, king, simms, Garcia, gradkowski, freeman, Winston, and whoever else I may have forgotten but it’s been worth it. Go Freaking Bucs!
People loved to make fun of the Tampa Bay Bucs back then,but at least it didn't take them 20 years to make the playoffs like it did the New Orleans Saints after they joined the NFL..Tampa Bay made it to the playoffs long before Seattle did which came into to NFL the same year they did..They probably would've had a winning season much sooner if the rules for expansions teams to acquire talent was much easier like it was when Carolina and Jacksonville started out in the NFL.
