The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The club joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team, along with the Seattle Seahawks, and played its first season in the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Prior to the 1977 season, Tampa Bay switched conferences and divisions with Seattle, becoming a member of the NFC Central division. The Seahawks eventually rejoined the NFC in 2002, leaving the Buccaneers as the only NFL team not to play in their original conference. As a result of the league's realignment prior to the 2002 season, the Buccaneers joined three former NFC West teams to form the NFC South. The club is owned by the Glazer family and plays its home games at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Jeffrey Jason Garcia is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). After attending high school and junior college in Gilroy, California, Garcia played college football at San Jose State University.
Jeffrey Raye Tedford is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach for the Fresno State Bulldogs, a position he also held from 2017 to 2019. From 2002 to 2012, Tedford was the head football coach for the California Golden Bears, where he was twice named Pac-10 Coach of the Year and holds the California program records for most wins, games coached, and bowl game victories.
Stefan LeFors is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals. LeFors was selected by the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL) in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. After his playing career, he became a high school football coach.
Joseph Wiley Gilliam, Jr. was a professional football player, a quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. Primarily a backup, he started the first six games of the 1974 season.
Terrence Hugh Hanratty is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1960s and 1970s. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, earning consensus All-American honors in 1968. He won two Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a backup quarterback. Hanratty's son Conor also played football at Notre Dame as an offensive guard.
Raymond Robert Nagel was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He was the head football coach at the University of Utah from 1958 to 1965 and the University of Iowa from 1966 to 1970, compiling a career college football coaching record of 58–71–3 (.455). After coaching, Nagel was the athletic director at Washington State University from 1971 to 1976 and the University of Hawaii at Manoa from 1976 to 1983. From 1990 to 1995, he was the executive director of the Hula Bowl, a college football invitational all-star game in Hawaii.
Mark Richard Vlasic is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). During this time, he played for the San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Over the course of his career, he played in 15 games, completed 75 of 142 passes for 762 yards, threw four touchdowns and five interceptions, and finished his career with a passer rating of 63.2.
Bryan Randall is a former professional American football quarterback. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies. Randall was also a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers, as well as several indoor football teams.
Michael John Rae is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL).
Patrick Jay Toomay is a former professional football player, a defensive end for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Vanderbilt University and was selected in the sixth round of the 1970 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He is the author of books about professional football, including The Crunch and the 1984 novel On Any Given Sunday.
The 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's first season in the National Football League (NFL). The Buccaneers played their home games at Tampa Stadium and their inaugural head coach was John McKay. The Buccaneers gained infamy as the first team to play an entire 14-game season without winning or tying a single game. It remains one of only four winless seasons since the merger. The Buccaneers did not score until their third game and did not score a touchdown until their fourth. They lost by more than a touchdown eleven times. Colorful, maverick former USC coach McKay, whose wisecracking remarks occasionally agitated fans and the league, led the team. The only bright spot was future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Lee Roy Selmon, who made his rookie debut in an injury-plagued season.
The 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 2nd season in the National Football League, the 2nd playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the 2nd under head coach John McKay. After one lone season in the AFC, it was the franchise's first season in the NFC, competing in the Central division. It continued the losing streak that encompassed the entire 1976 season, and extended it to 26 games, second only to the Chicago Cardinals who lost a total of 29 games in a row from 1942 to 1945. Fear of becoming the Buccaneers’ first victim provided motivation to opposing teams. It took nearly two seasons for the Buccaneers to achieve their first franchise victory, a 33–14 win over the New Orleans Saints in the second-to-last game of the year. The next week, the Bucs earned their first home victory, over the St. Louis Cardinals.
The 1980 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 5th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 5th playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the 5th under head coach John McKay. They failed to improve on their 10–6 record from 1979 and finished 5–10–1.
Ray Jauch is an American former gridiron football player and coach. He was head coach in the Canadian Football League (CFL), the United States Football League (USFL), and the Arena Football League (AFL). He won 127 regular season games in the CFL, the sixth highest win total by a head coach in the league's history.
Parnell Dickinson is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for one season. Over the course of his career, he played in eight games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, completed 15 of 39 passes for 210 yards, threw one touchdown and five interceptions, and finished his career with a passer rating of 25.5.
Natravis DeVone Claybrooks is the former head coach of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was an American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for seven different teams. He also was a member of the Montreal Alouettes and Calgary Stampeders in the CFL. He has also been the defensive coordinator for the Calgary Stampeders. On December 11, 2018, he was announced as head coach of the BC Lions, replacing the retired Wally Buono. Claybrooks played college football at East Carolina.
Larry Cipa is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1971 to 1973 and professional football for the New Orleans Saints from 1974 to 1975.
Michael Joseph Glennon is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, and Miami Dolphins.
Brett Smith is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Wyoming. He attended Leslie Middle School in Salem, Oregon from 2004 to 07 and later graduated from West Salem High School in 2011.
