1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
When projected starting quarterback Mike Boryla went down with a preseason injury, Randy Hedberg lead the Bucs to a couple of exhibition victories and beat out Gary Huff for the opening day QB job. Hedberg was an eighth round draft choice from little known Minot State University in North Dakota. T-shirts and buttons showed up in the Tampa Bay area stating: “Why not Minot?”
Hedberg threw ten interceptions without a scoring pass and was replaced by Gary Huff after four starts. He was head coach at his alma mater from 1982-89 and lead the Beavers to a 45-24-2 record. |
Tampa Bay opened the regular season on September 18 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Randy Hedberg (10 of 25 for 66 yards) lead a Buccaneers offense that generated only 26 net yards passing, 118 total yards and a field goal by Dave Green. The Bucs punted ten times and Larry Marshall returned nine of those punts. Despite five turnovers, the Dick Vermeil coached Eagles won 13-3 with quarterback Ron Jaworski (14 of 24 for 147 yards with 2 INTs) throwing two touchdown passes. "We played a horse manure game," said head coach John McKay.
The home opener took place against Minnesota before 66,272 fans on a Saturday night at Tampa Stadium. The game's lone touchdown came on a 31 yard pass from Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton (25 of 38 for 223 yards with 2 INTs) to running back Chuck Foreman. Randy Hedberg (4 of 14 for 51 yards) was intercepted three times and the Bucs lost 9-3.
Week three saw Tampa Bay visit Texas Stadium in Irving for a game against Tom Landry's Dallas Cowboys. Roger Staubach (15 of 24 with an interception) passed for 212 yards, while Gary Huff (8 of 23 with 2 INTs) threw for 87 yards. Richard Wood returned a Tony Dorsett fumble 37 yards for a Bucs touchdown and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson returned an interception 79 yards for a Cowboys touchdown in a 23-7 Bucs loss.
On October 9, at Tampa Stadium, the Bucs lost to Washington 10-0 in George
Allen's final season as head coach of the Redskins. Eddie Brown returned all
eleven Tampa Bay punts, the most an individual had ever returned in a single
game. Brown also returned the Bucs one kickoff. Washington and Tampa Bay had
a combined 16 punt returns. The Buccaneers opponents returned a total of 71
punts, tieing the record set by last year's team. Washington recorded ten
sacks, intercepted Gary Huff (10 of 26 for 138 yards) three times and did not
allow the Bucs inside their 15 yard line. John McKay admitted, "Our offensive
was terrible." Center Dan Ryczek asked, "Did it look as bad as I thought it
did?"
Next up was a trip to the Kingdome in Seattle. While Morris Owens had nine catches for 166 yards, including a 67 yard touchdown grab, Gary Huff (18 of 32 for 217 yards) threw four interceptions. Seahawks quarterback Steve Myer (20 of 30 for 252 yards with 2 INTs) threw four touchdown passes, two of them to Steve Largent, as Seattle posted its first victory of the season 30-23. John McKay remarked, "In essence, we had a chance to win and we didn't know how."
The first "Battle of the Bays" was next at Tampa Stadium. Green Bay beat Tampa
Bay 13-0. Two Chester Marcol field goals and a 5 yard touchdown run by Eric
Torkelson provided the scoring for the Bart Starr coached Packers. Bucs
quarterback Gary Huff (12 of 22 for 125 yards) left the game with bruised ribs
and his replacement, Randy Hedberg (3 of 13 for 31 yards with an INT), was
hospitalized with a possible concussion. After the game, head coach John McKay
commented, "That's about as poor as we can play. I should apologize, and I do,
sincerely, to the fans." The Bucs had lost twenty straight games, which broke
a record held by the Chicago Cardinals of the 1940's and the Oakland Raiders of
the early 1960's.
The Buccaneers thought they had a chance to break the streak at San Francisco against the 1-5 49ers. Jeb Blount finished 11 of 29 for 145 yards with an interception, while 49ers QB Jim Plunkett was 12 of 20 for 114 yards with an INT. San Francisco lead 14-0 at the half and the Bucs lost two of three fumbles. Louis Carter closed out the scoring with a fourth quarter TD run and the 49ers won the game 20-10 before 34,750 fans at Candlestick Park.
A week later, Jeb Blount (8 of 21 for 83 yards) was intercpted twice and Rams
quarterback Pat Hayden (10 of 21 for 83 yards) threw two second quarter
touchdown passes to lead them to a 31-0 win in Los Angeles.
Morris Owens had five catches for 113 yards and Jeb Blount was picked off three times by the Giants at Tampa Stadium. The game's only TD came when Buccaneers center Dan Ryczek snapped the ball over the head of punter Dave Green. Instead of running into the end zone for a safety, Green was tackled on the 1 yard line. The Bucs were inside the Giants 12 yard line six times, but failed to score. John McKay said of Tampa Bay's inability to score in the 10-0 loss, "We couldn't score against a strong wind."
While the Bucs offense generated just 76 yards rushing and 71 yards passing, a 4 yard run by Ricky Bell gave them a 7-0 halftime lead at the Pontiac Silverdome. Jeb Blount (4 of 12 for 56 yards with an interception) started and Randy Hedberg (3 of 9 for 43 yards and 2 interceptions) relieved him. Each team punted nine times, with Detroit's Eddie Payton returning eight punts. Dave Green got an astro-turf roll and set a Bucs record with a 70 yard punt. The Lions scored thirteen fourth quarter points, including a 48 yard interception return by linebacker Reggie Pinkney with 1:55 left, to take a 16-7 victory. Tampa Bay had lost their 24th straight game and established an NFL record for most consecutive games without a victory. The Rochester Jeffersons of the 1920's and Washington Redskins of the early 1960's had gone 23 games without winning.
The Leeman Bennett coached Falcons were next at Tampa Stadium. Atlanta lead 10-0 at the half of a game where the offenses struggled. The Bucs quarterbacks, Gary Huff (4 of 11 for 38 yards with 3 interceptions) and Randy Hedberg (1 of 12 for 38 yards and an INT), generated only 16 yards net passing. Atlanta QB Steve Bartkowski (9 for 14 and 82 yards) accounted for 47 net yards through the air. Running back Haskel Stanback scored on two 1 yard runs in the Falcons 17-0 victory. John McKay commented, "Our offensive line was horrible. Therefore our strategy was the same. I was betting some of our 6-6, 250 pound linemen would block somebody. That's what they get paid to do."
When Jack Pardee's Chicago Bears came to town, all the scoring took place in
the fourth quarter. After a Bob Thomas field goal, Walter Payton (101 yards on
33 carries) ran 3 yards for a touchdown. Again, the Bucs offense had its
problems and ten possessions ended in punts. Behind Randy Hedberg (4 of 15 for
36 yards and 2 interceptions), the Bucs generated 21 yards passing. After the
10-0 defeat, the Buccaneers had managed just seven points over their last five
games and were on a 26 game losing streak. A frustrated John McKay remarked,
"Oh, I don't know now. I may quarterback the team myself or go to the damn
single wing." Hugh Culverhouse joked about getting the number one pick in the
following year's draft. "It's set. The commissioner's office figured it out
according to the formula, at my request."
Before Tampa Bay traveled to New Orleans on December 11, Saints quarterback
Archie Manning was reported to have said, "It would be a disgrace to lose to
the Bucs." Before 40,124 witnesses at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans,
the Buccaneers posted their first victory. The visitors had a 13-0 halftime
advantage on a 5 yard Gary Huff touchdown pass to Morris Owens and two Dave
Green field goals. Gary Huff completed just 7 of 9 passes for 96 yards and the
touchdown, but the rapidly improving Bucs defense intercepted a team record six
passes in the game. Mike Washington, Richard Wood and Greg Johnson each
returned an interception for a touchdown in the second half. Lee Roy Selmon
became the first Buc to record three sacks in a game, as the Bucs got off the
schneid 33-14. For twenty years, the 19 point spread remained the team record
for largest margin of victory on the road. John McKay proclaimed, "I thought
it was the greatest victory in the history of the world. This is a habit I
could grow accustomed to. It took us a while to get the first win. I hope it
doesn't take this long to get the next one." When asked about becoming the
first victims of the Buccaneers, Saints head coach Hank Stram replied, "What a
nightmare! It was the worst experience of my coaching career. We're all
ashamed for our people, our organization, our fans." Stram burned the game
film in front of his players the following Monday and was fired after the
season. Over 8,000 fans were at Tampa International Airport to welcome the
team home from their first victory.
The following Sunday, the Buccaneers closed out the season against the St.
Louis Cardinals before 56,922 fans at Tampa Stadium. On the Bucs first
possession, the team marched down the field on a 63 yard scoring drive. A 1
yard touchdown run by Louis Carter was the team's first home TD of the season.
Gary Huff (7 of 12 for 171 yards with 1 INT) hit Morris Owens with a 61 yard
touchdown pass in the second quarter to give the Bucs a 14-0 lead. That
afternoon, in a game reportedly interrupted by 21 standing ovations, Morris
Owens had 138 of the team's 171 receiving yards and the Bucs posted their first
home victory 17-7. In what would be his last game as the Cardinals head coach,
Don Coryell praised the victors. "I would just like to congratulate coach John
McKay, his staff and, of course, the team for a great game. I think the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers are on their way to being a fine football team. The Bucs
defense is excellent." McKay opened his post game press conference "Gentlemen,
we played well and we deserved to win." He added that the victory "gives us
confidence going into next season. I think we have proved we can win in the
National Football League. It certainly makes our Christmas. I'm disappointed
we haven't won more games, but I think I'm intelligent enough to know the
reasons." Speaking of the fans, who stormed the field and tore down the goal
posts, McKay commented "They never got to see us win before, but I guess a lot
of people can say that." He also joked, "I'm going to go home, take a shower
and tell myself what a great coach I am. Fifteen more and we'll tie the record
for most consecutive wins."
Tampa Bay finished the season with a 2-12 record and last place in the NFC Central Division. John McKay found some solace, "I chased two coaches out of jobs," he joked. The offense struggled again, scoring only 103 points, the fewest by any team since World War II. The team was shutout six times and scored only once in four other games. Halfback Anthony Davis scored one touchdown and was with Houston the next year. While Randy Hedberg was the starting quarterback on opening day, Gary Huff took most of the snaps during the season. Jeb Blount, who played his college ball at the University of Tulsa, also quarterbacked. The QBs recorded rather anemic statistics. Huff threw three touchdown passes and thirteen interceptions, Hedberg ten picks without a TD and Blount did not throw a pass. Tampa Bay's leading scorer was place kicker Allan Leavitt, who had a mere twenty points. Leavitt played at the University of Georgia and this was his only season in the NFL. Defensive end Lee Roy Selmon, who had a team record thirteen sacks, was voted the Bucs' Most Valuable Player by the Tampa Bay area media.
Tampa Stadium also hosted its first post season NFL game, the NFL Pro Bowl on January 23, 1978. The Pro Bowl was moved around from site to site each year, and the league had even thought of doing away with the game, before giving it a permanent home in Hawaii. 51,337 fans watched the NFC defeat the AFC 14-13 in a game were Walter Payton was named the Most Valuable Player.
| Related Links |
| 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Results |
| 1977 NFC Central Division Standings |
| 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft |
| 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Statistics |
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