Tampa Bay Buccaneers, door mat no
longer by Kenny Watkins of
http://www.sports-gift.com
Many have call this franchise the worst ever.
Losing had become a natural thing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they first
joined the league in 1977. Their name was picked out by an advisory
board of over 400 choices. They went with the Buccaneers based on a
local pirate.
The First coach the Buccaneers hired was
legendary coach John McKay. The first two years were very rough for
the Buccaneers. They went on to lose their first 26 games. But it
wouldn't last long as the Buccaneers made the playoffs in 1979 in
their 4th season.
The Bucs were led by Defensive Player Of The Year Lee Roy Selmon and
Rickey Bell who rushed for over 1,000 yards. However they lost in the
NFC Championship to the rams 9-0. They had high hopes for the
following year. But it wasn't meant to be as they finish 5-10-1.
But the dismal performances keep coming no matter who they brought in
or whoever coached them. It got so bad they drafted Bo Jackson and he
wouldn't sign with them. He opted for baseball. The Bucs had 14
straight Losing seasons. But it came to an end with the hiring of Tony
Dungy.
Tony bought a renewed spirit to the organization. He taught them how
to win. With players like Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks brought in
Tampa Bay had one of the top defenses
in the league. In 1998 the Bucs opened their new stadium Raymond James
Stadium.
Along with new team colors of Red, Pewter, Black, and Orange their
sales of team jerseys took off. Winning got contagious and they became
a team to reckon with. Sadly though Tony Dungy couldn't get them to
the Super Bowl and was fired.
In came Jon Gruden from the Oakland Raiders. He was able to get the
Bucs to the Super Bowl in his first year and win it. The following
year hopes were high. But it ended quickly as the Bucs didn't even
make the playoffs. But Gruden continues working hard and another trip
is possible to the Super Bowl. With a little luck and hard work you
never know.
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About The Author
Kenneth Watkins is an avid college football fan as well as a
successful sports author and regular contributor to
http://www.sports-gift.com. A free service for people to find the best
sports fan gift idea for the sports fan in their life. |
