The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are just entering toddlerhood, as they have only been an NFL franchise since 1976. They began their journey as a member of the AFC Western Division, and quickly moved to the NFC Southern Division. The first season, they appeared on the field, had record ticket sales - residents were ready for a professional football team. It was apparent that the team had fans from the start, and even more so after their Super Bowl win in 2002.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have only been around for 33 years. They have experienced some major changes, some within the first couple of years of play. After only one year in the AFC Western Division, the team was moved to the NFC Southern division. The move took place to allow the team to play the Seahawks twice in a season, and other NFL teams once. This contract was to last for two years.
The Buccaneers, the name itself, has historic sentiment to Tampa Bay. The originating owner, of the Buccaneers, was a man by the name of Tom McCloskey. He did not stay around for long as he was unable to stabilize the team, financially that is. This left room for Hugh Culverhouse to come in and get the team on its feet and away from bankruptcy.
Today, after getting through many of their ups and downs, the Buccaneers play in the Tampa Stadium. The stadium, which holds 73,000 people, is nearly full to overflowing at every home game. Even with two other professional football teams in the state, the Buccaneers still thrive, both financially and from fan support.
During their first two years the Buccaneers could not win a game, literally, they had a 0-26 record. The beginning of the '79 season showed hope as they won five games in a row. It was not long before Buccaneers tickets became hard to find as they were snatched up the second they were released.
They were such a success that Sports Illustrated approached the team about being a featured cover story for the magazine. Fans began to get so rowdy, with excitement, which the goal posts had to be greased in order to keep them from toppling over. As the Buccaneers beat the Chiefs, the field was covered with fans. The team was on a streak, which continued into the Central Division title.
In '96, the Buccaneers faced many changes, the first of which was that Culverhouse was no long in charge of the team. Even though sales were through the rough, the team was suffering severe financial hardships, bordering bankruptcy. Malcolm Glazer purchased the Buccaneers, this same year, for over 190-million dollars. Glazer's goal was to turn the Buccaneers into a winning franchise - financially and on the field.
The 2008 season was a decent one, for the team, until Monte Kiffin - defensive coordinator - announced that he was leaving the team and moving on to Tennessee that December. This news broke the team and caused them to lose their last four games of the season, ruining their chance at the playoffs. The 2009 season; however, is already looking up. Loose ends have been tied up and the team is ready to play and get their name printed on a championship title.