It was in 1976 that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the National Football League. Since then, the franchise has picked up two Conference Championships (2002, 2020), two Super Bowl Titles (2002, 2020) and six Division Titles (three in the NFC Central and three in the NFC South).
Here are five facts about the 2-time Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
5 Facts About the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
-
- From 1976 through 1977, the Buccaneers went on a historically bad 26-game losing streak. (source) This 26-game slide eventually ended with a 33-14 victory over the New Orleans Saints, in big part due to Tampa Bay’s defense bringing three interceptions back for touchdowns. Despite the win, the Buccaneers still finished the season 2-12, with an overall record of 2-26 over the course of the franchise’s first two seasons in the league.
-
- In 2003, the Buccaneers registered their highest point total in a playoff game ever – 48 against the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. (source) This marked the Buccaneers’ highest point total ever for a playoff game in their history. It happened for Super Bowl XXXVII at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The victory marked the first ever Super Bowl appearance and Super Bowl victory in franchise history, in a game that saw the Buccaneers dominate when the Oakland Raiders were actually favored by four points. The Buccaneers wouldn’t return to the Super Bowl until 2021, where they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs.
-
- Along with the Seattle Seahawks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were one of just two NFL expansion teams in 1976. (source) The Buccaneers finished their inaugural season with an 0-14 record, and wouldn’t capture their first division title until 1979. Over their first three seasons in the National Football League, the Buccaneers went 7-37, while the Seattle Seahawks compiled a record of 16-28.
-
- The first Buccaneers player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame was Lee Roy Selmon. (source) It’s very fitting that Lee Roy Selmon was the first Buccaneers player to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, because the star linebacker was the very first player ever selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL Draft. The Buccaneers held the first overall selection in the 1976 NFL Draft, and selected linebacker Lee Roy Selmon out of Oklahoma. He would go on to play his entire career in Tampa Bay (1976-1984), and along the way was selected to the Pro Bowl on six occasions, had his #63 jersey retired by the team, and was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1979. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995.
-
- Despite being in the NFL since 1976, the Buccaneers have only had 8 double digit win seasons. (source) The franchise has been able to take claim of two Lombardi Trophies over their 45+ year history in the National Football League, but they’ve historically been one of the worst franchises in the league. Over their 46 seasons of play, the Buccaneers have only registered double digit wins season on just eight occasions. The Buccaneers have never won more than 12 games in a single season.
-
-
- 1979: 10-6
-
-
-
- 1997: 10-6
-
-
-
- 1999: 11-5
-
-
-
- 2000: 10-6
-
-
-
- 2002: 12-4
-
-
-
- 2005: 11-5
-
-
-
- 2010: 10-6
-
-
-
- 2020: 11-5
-
For football fans and Buccaneers fans out there, do you have any more fun facts that you can share about the NFL’s 27th franchise?
Featured image photo credit: All-Pro Reels, 2021. Originally found on Wikimedia. Image was resized and cropped. Creative Commons 2.0.
.jpg){kind=link}