Established: 1976
Home Field: Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, Florida
Owner(s): Malcolm Glazer
General Manager: Mark Dominik
Head Coach: Raheem Morris

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were established in 1976 as an expansion team in the NFL. They began as part of the AFC West but were moved to the NFC Central. In 2002, the team was moved once again to the NFC South. This is the division they currently play in.

The Buccaneers didn’t immediately find success upon their inception. In fact, before the 2008 Detroit Lions, the Buccaneers were the NFL team with the most losses as they didn’t win a single game until the end of their second season. It wasn’t until 1979 that the team posted their first winning season, made it to the playoffs, and clinched their first Division Championship. The Buccaneers continued with this success throughout the 1981 and 82 season, but again fell out of contention by 1983.

By 1996, the Buccaneers were in financial trouble, which sparked a bidding war over the team. Many people were interested in buying the franchise, including New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and Peter Angelos. These prospective buyers caused some uncertainty about the team’s future, as they wanted to move the franchise out of Florida. At the last minute, current team owner Malcolm Glazer outbid all other prospective owners and kept the team in Tampa Bay.

Glazer hired Tony Dungy as head coach and appealed to the taxpayers to raise funds for the construction of a new stadium. Thus began a brief period of rebuilding for the team that paid off in 1997 when they returned to the playoffs after their first winning season in 15 years. This newfound success culminated in a 2002 Super Bowl Championship.

Unfortunately, shortly after reaching the top, the Buccaneers dropped to the bottom once again. Though they made the playoffs in 2005 and 2007, the team has continued to struggle.

Championships

League Championships
Super Bowl: 2002

Conference Championships
NFC: 2002

Division Championships
NFC Central: 1979, 1981, 1999
NFC South: 2002, 2005, 2007

Buccaneers Trivia

• At one time, the Buccaneers had a streak of 14 losing seasons.
• Buccaneers RB Mike Alstott played his first two seasons in the NFL with his last name spelled wrong on his jersey.
• The Buccaneers mascot, known as Captain Fear, is a pirate.