* In April 2003, the Tampa Sports Authority proposed passing ownership of the stadium to Hillsborough County to avoid having to pay millions of dollars in property taxes ( The Bucs ' lease agreement dictated that they not have to pay property taxes ).

Media observers and local fans have expressed their suspicion that Glazer has diverted funds from the Bucs to reduce the debt accumulated in the Manchester United purchase at the expense of the Bucs ' continued success.

There were hopes that home games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the reigning Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints games might sell out in time to have the blackout lifted but those hopes would soon be dashed when the Steelers game was blacked out and the Bucs announced well in advance through an e-mail to the Tampa Tribune by Chip Carter, sports director at FOX affiliate WTVT which would have aired the home game against the Saints, that the Saints game would be blacked out as well.

Only a big splash hire could quiet the storm, and this may have been the primary motivation for the Bucs to give up as much as they did to acquire Gruden.

The Bucs have also earned the title of Conference Champions in the following sports (< font color = red >< big >•</ big ></ font > denotes Regional Champions ):

With the maturation of quarterback Doug Williams and future 4-time Pro Bowl tight end Jimmie Giles, the first 1000-yard rushing season from running back Ricky Bell, and a smothering, league-leading defense led by future NFL Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon, the Bucs kicked off the season with five consecutive victories, a stunning performance that landed them on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Once the Buccaneers began to build a winning team in the late 1990s, along with a new look and stadium, blackouts decreased and sellouts increased, thus increasing the number of games shown on WTVT ( however, all home games in 2010 were blacked out, after a 3-13 season in 2009, and despite improving in 2010 to 10-6, just short of a playoff berth ; in 2011, all five of the Bucs Sunday afternoon home games were blacked out as the team finished 4-12 ending the season on a 10-game losing streak ).

The Bucs traded him on March 19, 2004 to the Dallas Cowboys for Joey Galloway, who the Cowboys had also traded two first round picks to acquire.

Like most ABA teams, the Bucs were never on strong financial ground, and the move to the smaller Tulane Gym combined with the marked dropoff in their play caused revenue to dry up.

However, Bucs had a right of refusal and refused to sign off on the plan unless the local government paid more of the cost for game – day security and increased the amount of ( county-purchased ) insurance coverage for the stadium.

After Glazer began to take control of Manchester United in 2003 ( see below ), the Bucs ' fortunes faded, as they spent far less on player salaries than allowed under the NFL's salary cap.

With the franchise's search floundering, the coach they wanted having only one year remaining on his deal, and the immediate hire of Dungy by the Indianapolis Colts, many fans and sports commentators began to openly question if the Bucs had made the right move by dismissing Dungy.

Despite the Super Bowl win, there were many, including players on the Buccaneers like Warren Sapp, who attributed Gruden's win primarily to the defense that coach Tony Dungy and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin had created during Dungy's tenure with the Bucs.

In an interview with Ira Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune on March 28, 2007, Bucs executive vice president Joel Glazer discussed the state of the Bucs.

However, Barber had clearly made an impression on the then Bucs Head Coach Tony Dungy, and in his second season Barber started nine games, recording 81 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 interceptions.

The Bucs released Clayton on September 4, 2010.

But after a Bucs punt, Tampa Bay safety John Lynch intercepted a pass from Johnson on the Tampa Bay 27-yard line.

On the first play of the game, Bucs defensive end Steve White intercepted a screen pass from Warner on the Rams 20-yard line, setting up a 25-yard field goal from Martín Gramática.

That year, the " We Are Family " Bucs went on to win the World Series, with the Parrot serving as somewhat of a cheerleader to the crowd along the way.

1977 was not much better as the Saints went 3-11, including a humiliating 33-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 11, the Bucs ' first victory in the NFL after 26 consecutive losses.

The men's head coach has been Murry Bartow since 2003, and he has led the Bucs to win the 2004 Southern Conference championship, 2007 Atlantic Sun title, the 2009 Atlantic Sun Tournament championship, and the 2010 Atlantic Sun Tournament championship.

The Jets ' denials may be valid since Bucs coach John McKay, who allowed the Jets to score late in the 1984 contest, retired after the ' 84 season and had been replaced by Leeman Bennett, and also the Jets were 11-5 in 1985 and reached the playoffs, while Tampa Bay was in the midst of back-to-back 2-14 seasons in 1985 and ' 86.

In 1997, the Buccaneers finished second in the NFC Central division, Tampa Bay's first winning season since 1982 after starting the season 5-0 matching the only time the Bucs were ever undefeated with as many wins in the 1979 season.

The blackouts officially became reality first when the Bucs confirmed well before the 72-hour blackout deadline that the team's preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs would be blacked out marking the first ever blackout at Raymond James Stadium and the first blackout of any kind overall since an October 26, 1997 game against the Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Stadium failed to sell out before the deadline.

Tampa Bay did not win their first game until the 13th week of their second season, starting with a record of 0 – 26 ( though the Bucs had beaten the Atlanta Falcons 17 – 3 in a 1976 pre-season game before their first regular season ).

Sapp ( during his tenure with the Bucs ) visits members of the United States Navy | US Navy

The Bucs finished at. 500 with 42 wins and 42 losses.

A local court agreed with Poe, but the Bucs and local government appealed.

In 1988, Testaverde became the Bucs ' starting quarterback, with a 47. 6 % completion rate for 3, 240 yards and 13 touchdowns, and 35 interceptions.

Dungy thus became the first coach in Bucs history to leave the team with a winning record.

He had a good first season with the Bucs, helping them win the NFC South and finish as the number one ranked defense.

Near the end of his tenure with the Bucs, Wyche participated in a lighthearted pregame promotional piece for NFL Films.

In his first season with the Bucs, Barber was unable to force his way into the lineup and played little, making a rare appearance in one game in the 1997 season ( he did earn the nickel back job in the playoffs ).

David Akers tied it at 10, with a 30-yard field goal midway through the second quarter, but the Bucs responded with an 80-yard, 12-play drive that ended with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Brad Johnson to Keyshawn Johnson.

The Redskins had a chance to win the game with a 51-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds of the game, but the snap from center Dan Turk to Brad Johnson, the holder, was off and the Bucs won.

Its traditional mascot is the " Buccaneer " ( with the team called the Bucs ) and the school colors are navy blue and white.

He finished the 2006 season with the Bucs recording 24 tackles and intercepting two passes.

During 2007 he took over as the Bucs starting cornerback alongside Ronde Barber due to Brian Kelly's struggles with injury.

Six Bucs over.

There were some disputes also between Bucs K Martin Gramatica and Panthers P Todd Sauerbrun.

Teams such as the Ravens, Bucs, and Eagles copied these innovations in the late 90s, driving up the cost of their jerseys.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ( often shortened as the Bucs ) are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U. S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference ( NFC ) in the National Football League ( NFL ) – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West.

The Bucs played their first season in the AFC West as part of the 1976 expansion plan.

Until the Detroit Lions in 2008, the 1976 Bucs held the dubious title as the least-winningest team in NFL history.

The Bucs ' situation improved rapidly in.

Two shortened variations, " Bucs " and " Buccos ", are also commonly used for both the American football team and MLB's Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps.

The " Tampa Bay " in the names of local professional sports franchises ( Lightning, Rowdies, Rays, Bucs, etc.

Although his time in Tampa Bay was miserable, San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh was impressed by Young's natural abilities and felt that his problems were due to the struggling Bucs organization.

Spiller, former Colts and Rams running back Marshall Faulk, former Bucs and Falcons running back Warrick Dunn, former Kansas City Chiefs running back Abner Haynes, current Titans running back Chris Johnson.

He flourished in the Bucs ' aggressive Tampa 2 defense, which allowed him to put his devastating combination of size and speed to good use.

Coach Kemp has led the Lady Bucs to three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship ( 2008 to 2010 ) and has averaged 20. 3 wins over the 2006-2009 seasons.

On December 10, 2008, in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats, the Buccaneers were for the first time " revived " by the New Orleans Hornets, the city's current NBA franchise, who played the game in 1967-68 styled Bucs throwback jerseys.

The team's cheerleading squad was also dressed in Bucs throwback outfits, Bucs video highlights were played throughout the game, and many of the team's past players and coaches were honored at halftime.