1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On March 30, the Veteran Allocation Draft took place and the two expansion teams would select players from existing teams. The current teams could freeze 29 players and three would be chosen from each team. The Buccaneers selected 39 players that day, 20 defensive and 19 offensive. Baltimore Colts defensive tackle Dave Pear may have been the best of the bunch. Also picked up were Oakland running back Louis Carter, Rams wide receiver Willie McGee, Houston defensive back Mark Cotney and Pittsburgh tackle Dave Reavis. They also selected former Southern California running back Anthony Davis. While the Jets had the rights to Davis, he had signed with the CFL and did not join the Bucs until the 1977 season.
The Bucs first trade involved sending receiver Willie McGee and linebacker Bruce Elia, along with a second round draft pick, to San Francisco for backup quarterback Steve Spurrier. The former Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Florida was the third overall pick in the 1967 draft. Spurrier had spent nine seasons with the 49ers and was primarily a punter and a backup to John Brodie. The Bucs made several other deals, including a trade with Baltimore which brought Alabama defensive back Mike Washington to the team. Richard "Batman" Wood was acquired via a trade with the New York Jets. The former USC linebacker had spent his rookie season with the Jets.
On April 8, the Buccaneers made their first college draft selection. Tampa Bay drafted University of Oklahoma defensive end Lee Roy Selmon and drafted his brother Dewey, also a Sooner, late in the second round. The selection of Lee Roy Selmon proved to be, arguably, the most successful pick the team ever made. Also selected in the second round was Florida running back Jimmy DuBose.
The Buccaneers opened their first camp at One Buccaneer Place on July 5. Steve Spurrier would become the opening game quarterback for Tampa Bay. Parnell Dickinson, a seventh round draft pick from Mississippi Valley State nicknamed "Paydirt," was the Buccaneer's second quarterback for that first season. Also on the roster was former University of Notre Dame and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Hanratty.
The orange of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made its first appearance on a football
field on July 31. It was a preseason game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
against the Rams. The first points in Buccaneers history came on an 18 yard
field goal by Pete Rajecki in a 26-3 loss. Hugh Culverhouse said of the team's
first game, "When I saw the team come out for the first time, my whole body
felt like floating. My feet didn't touch the ground until twenty minutes
later. I haven't been that excited about anything since we won the war and it
was V-J Day."
An amusing story about Pete Rajecki was that he said kicking in front of head coach John McKay made him nervous. McKay's response was, "Tell Mr. Rajecki I plan to attend all the games." Another anecdote out of that first training camp was about a tight end out of the University of Miami named Ricou deShaw. The story goes that deShaw asked to be excused to go to the bathroom and never came back. Years later, deShaw claimed it was an injury that caused him to leave camp.
The next game was a 10-6 loss in Milwaukee against the Green Bay Packers. On August 14, the franchise posted its first victory, a 17-3 preseason win over Atlanta at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. Only 11,342 watched quarterback Steve Spurrier and running back Essex Johnson score on 1 yard touchdown runs. "Ho Hum, another dynasty," coach John McKay joked.
The Bucs first game at Tampa Stadium took place on August 21 against the Miami Dolphins. Steve Spurrier tossed two touchdown passes, as 67,466 watched the home team fall 28-21.
For the Buccaneers, the National Football League's 57th season was a nightmare.
Tampa Bay played their first official league game on September 12, as 42,228
fans were at the Houston Astrodome to watch the Bucs debut. Oilers head coach
Bum Phillips and the partisan crowd were not disappointed. Dan Pastorini (17
of 27 for 194 yards) threw two touchdown passes and Ronnie Coleman rushed for
142 yards. C.L. Whittington intercepted Steve Spurrier (8 of 21 for 90 yards)
twice and safety Ken Stone recorded the Bucs first interception in a 20-0
Oilers victory. The Bucs could only manage 49 yards rushing, 59 yards passing,
punted eleven times and were flagged for 80 yards in penalties in that first
game. When asked about the performance of the offense, head coach John McKay
replied "What offense?"
| While Lee Roy and Dewey Selmon played in Tampa Bay, there is also the third of
the famous Selmon brothers from the small town of Eufaula, Oklahoma. As with
his brothers, older brother Lucious was a consensus All-American defensive
lineman with the Sooners. In 1973, Lucious was a senior nose guard with
sophomores Lee Roy and Dewey alongside on the Oklahoma three-man front. Fans
would hold up signs at games proclaiming, "Thank you Mrs. Selmon."
New England selected Lucious Selmon in the 16th round of the 1974 NFL Draft, On playing with his brothers at Oklahoma, Lucious Selmon has said, "I wish there was some kind of way I could put it into words, but it just brings a smile to my face and lights me up every time I think about it." |
On September 26, Dave Green scored the first points in Buccaneers history by kicking three field goals against Buffalo. Joe Ferguson (12 of 22 for 188 yards) threw for two scores and Bob Chandler had five receptions for 110 yards and a TD. In the final minutes, Green caught a Steve Spurrier (13 of 27 for 170 yards) pass on a fake field goal, but the effort came up short and the Bucs turned the ball over on downs at the Bills 11 yard line. The defense did hold O.J. Simpson to 39 yards on 20 carries in a game the Bucs lost 14-9.
The first Tampa Bay touchdown came the following week at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. After fifteen quarters without a TD, defensive back Danny Reese returned a fumble 44 yards for a touchdown with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter. The Colts won 42-17 behind two TD passes by Bert Jones (15 of 24 for 186 yards) and two TD runs by Roosevelt Leaks. After the loss, John McKay stated, "We have now proven we can't win in front of our own crowd or on the road. What we would like is neutral site."
The next game was at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Ken Anderson (10 of 15
for 98 yards) hit tight end Bob Trumpy on a touchdown pass, fullback Bobby
Clark ran 3 yards for a score and defensive back Tommy Casanova returned a
fumble for a TD. Steve Spurrier (12 of 22 for 122 yards) was picked off twice
and the Bengals won 21-0.
Did the two new expansion teams play each other during that first season? Yes, talk about nightmares! The two new kids on the block squared off in the "Expansion Bowl" on October 17 at Tampa Stadium. Both teams were 0-5. The Buccaneers were penalized twenty times for 190 yards, the most penalties and yardage walked off in twenty five years. The game saw a total of 35 penalties for 310 yards. Seattle quarterback Jim Zorn was 11 of 27 for 167 yards with one TD and one INT, while Steve Spurrier went 18 of 30 for 170 yards with no picks. On a broken play, halfback Louis Carter hit wide receiver Morris Owens with a one yard pass for the first offensive touchdown in Buccaneers history. Dave Green, who had an earlier field goal attempt blocked, had a 35 yard field goal blocked that would have tied the game with 40 seconds left. The 13-10 score gave Seattle its first win in franchise history. Seattle coach Jack Patera said afterwards, "Every time the ball was snapped we were looking at the ground to see who was being penalized and where the flags were."
The following week, the Buccaneers played their best game of the season. Head
coach Don Shula brought the Dolphins north to play their new cross-state rivals
before 61,437 fans at Tampa Stadium. Parnell Dickinson (4 of 4 for 51 yards)
made what would be his only NFL start, however, he went down with a knee injury
after completing his first four passes. His 18 yard touchdown pass to Morris
Owens gave the Bucs a first quarter lead and ended up being the only touchdown
pass of Dickinson's NFL career. Miami scored two touchdowns in the second
quarter to lead at the half, but Steve Spurrier threw two second half touchdown
passes to give the Buccaneers the lead late in the final quarter. Morris Owens
had three touchdown receptions in the game, which was now tied at 20. Garo
Yepremian kicked a 29 yard field goal with just 55 seconds left in the game,
and when Dick Anderson picked off a Steve Spurrier (13 of 21 for 143 yards)
pass with just 13 seconds left, the Bucs lost 23-20. Linebacker Nick
Buoniconti was not happy with the narrow victory over an expansion team. "This
is the low point in Miami Dolphins history. It was a disgrace to everyone
wearing a Dolphins uniform."
| Called J.K. McKay, John McKay, Jr. played wide receiver for the first three
seasons of the Buccaneers existence. He took criticism about nepotism and
preferential treatment.
McKay, Jr. played under his father at USC and was named Rose Bowl MVP in 1975.
He was picked the Cleveland Browns in the 16th round of the 1975 draft, but In interviews, McKay, Jr. claims he was the very first player ever introduced as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer at the first exhibition game. His younger brother Rich would become the Buccaneers GM. McKay, Sr. has been quoted as saying his secret in recruiting his son at USC was, "I had an advantage, I slept with his mother." |
The Broncos were called for fifteen penalties for 160 yards in a game at Mile High Stadium in Denver. Dave Green kicked a 35 yard field goal with four minutes left in the third quarter to put Tampa Bay up 13-10. Denver scored the next 38 points. Steve Ramsey (9 of 18 for 200 yards) tossed two TD passes and Otis Armstrong had a TD catch to go with 116 yards rushing. Denver scored three defensive touchdowns in a 48-13 blowout.
Next on the schedule was a game against the Lou Holtz coached New York Jets at
Shea Stadium. Rookie Richard Todd (3 of 10 for 50 yards) started at
quarterback for the Jets with Joe Namath, who had been injured for several
weeks, coming off the bench in a scoreless first quarter. Namath (7 of 12 for
94 yards with a TD and no interceptions) lead his team to scores on the next
four possessions. Todd would come back into the game in the second half. The
Bucs also played musical quarterbacks, with Steve Spurrier (8 of 19 for 75
yards with 1 INT) starting and Parnell Dickinson (7 of 13 for 103 yards with 1
INT) and Terry Hanratty (3 of 8 for 24 yards) coming on in relief. New York
rookie halfback Clark Gaines ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-0
victory, which was the Jets first shutout at Shea in thirteen years. After the
Jets game John McKay commented: "Namath is still Namath, but I must say that
our guys were nice to him. I noticed when they knocked him down, they helped
him to his feet. That was gentlemanly. I thought one stood around long enough
to get his autograph."
When Cleveland came to town, Steve Spurrier (15 of 28 for 135 yards) hit wide receiver Essex Johnson on a 12 yard pass to tie the game 7-7 at the half. Browns quarterback Brian Sipe (10 of 18 for 131 yards) connected on a 14 yard pass play to wide receiver Paul Warfield to break the tie in third quarter. In the fourth quarter, a Spurrier fumble was recovered in the end zone for a TD and provided the final score in a 24-7 Bucs loss.
Next up was a trip to the Oakland-Alameda County Stadium to play the John Madden coached Raiders. Fullback Mark van Eeghen ran for a score to put Oakland up 7-0, but Bucs fullback Ed Williams ran for the tying touchdown. In the second quarter, when van Eeghen ran for his second touchdown, the Raiders went up for good. Steve Spurrier (12 of 29 for 128 yards with 1 TD) was picked off twice and Ken Stabler (15 of 23 for 245 yards) threw two TD passes in a 49-16 Oakland victory.
In a game at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Mike Kruczek (6 of 7 for 84 yards) started at quarterback for the Steelers. Terry Bradshaw (6 of 8 for 79 yards), who had been out with an injury, came into the game and threw two touchdown passes to Lynn Swann. Terry Hanratty (1 of 4 for -1 yard with an INT) started at QB against his former teammates and completed just one pass. With the score 28-0, Steve Spurrier (4 of 10 for 58 yards) took over in the second half. Steelers running back Rocky Blier had 118 yards rushing and three TDs, as Pittsburgh posted their eighth consecutive victory 42-0. John McKay said of what remains the Bucs largest margin of defeat, "There were times I felt like leaving the stadium and hitchhiking home."
| Since 1920, teams have managed to post a perfect season (all losses, no victories and no ties) 24 times. There was no balance to the early schedules, so some of these teams only played a game or two. Here are the dozen other teams that have managed the feat with a minimum of six games played. |
Tampa Bay posted the first win-less season since another expansion team, the 1960 Dallas Cowboys, went 0-11-1. It was the first time a team had lost all their games since 1944, when team rosters were depleted due to World War II. The Brooklyn Tigers (who had changed their nickname from the Dodgers and were in their last NFL season) and Card-Pitt (a team resulting out of a one year merger between the Cardinals and Pittsburgh) went 0-10. The zero victories is a mark the team has not repeated, but they would go on to lose fourteen games (over a sixteen game schedule) on three more occasions. This was the only season that the Bucs did not win at least one home game. Frustrated fans came up with slogans for the first year Bucs. "Go for O" and "Throw McKay in the Bay" were the most memorable.
The Bucs struggled on both sides of the ball. The defense allowed 412 points, second only to the 429 their expansion partner Seattle allowed. On offense, in addition to not scoring a touchdown in their first three games, the team ended up being shutout five times and scored a league low 125 points. Morris Owens lead the team in receiving and edged out place kicker Dave Green by a single point to lead the Bucs in scoring. The head coach's son, John K. McKay, played wide receiver and caught two touchdown passes over his three year career with the Bucs. The younger McKay, nicknamed J.K., played under his father at USC. Defensive tackle Dave Pear was voted the Bucs' Most Valuable Player by the Tampa Bay area media members who covered the team on a regular basis.
Steve Spurrier was 0-12 as the starting quarterback and was waived after the season, his final year playing in the NFL. Spurrier, who went on to a successful head coaching career, frequently opens speaking engagements with something along the lines of "I was the starting quarterback on the worst team in the history of professional football."
| Related Links |
| 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Results |
| 1976 AFC West Division Standings |
| 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft |
| 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Statistics |
| Back to Tampa Bay Buccaneers History Page |
| Back to Tampa Bay Buccaneers Main Menu |
| Back to Home Page |
but he decided to play for the Memphis Southmen of the World Football League.
After two seasons, he went into coaching. He spent 19 years as an assistant
coach at Oklahoma (1976-94) and the next six as an assistant with the
Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-2002). In 2005, he returned to the college ranks as
an assistant coach at Michigan State.
signed with the Southern California Sun of the World Football League. The Bucs
picked up his rights from the Browns in the 1976 Veteran Allocation Draft. In
three years, he caught 41 passes for 632 yards and two touchdowns. A hand
injury caused him to be cut before the 1979 season. He went on to a successful
law career and returned to football as the general manager of the XFL champion
Los Angles Xtreme.