1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On September 2, the Buccaneers kicked off the year against the New York Giants. It was the first sellout at Tampa Stadium with 67,456 in the stands. Doug Williams started at quarterback and the team's top draft pick got off to a rough start. His second pass was intercepted by defensive back Terry Jackson and returned for a touchdown. Later in the first quarter, Giants defensive lineman Gary Jeter hit Williams (1 of 5 for 9 yards) out of bounds and the QB left the game with a shoulder injury. Gary Huff (9 of 22 for 84 yards) came in and had two passes picked off. A Jimmy DuBose touchdown run made it 7-7 after the first quarter, before Johnny Perkins caught four passes for 110 yards and a TD to lead the Giants to a 19-13 victory.

The second consecutive Saturday night game saw Detroit, and first year head coach Monte Clark, come to town. Ricky Bell opened the scoring with a 1 yard run, he also had a 56 yard run and finished with 98 yards on the ground. While the Bucs held the Lions to 196 total yards, Greg Landry (8 of 10) passed for 55 yards and a TD, they could not overcome a negative 31 net yards passing and three Benny Ricardo field goals. Mark Boryla (2 of 5 for 15 yards) and Gary Huff (4 of 9 for 48 yards with an INT) were sacked seven times, as the Lions prevailed 15-7.

At Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota, Doug Williams (5 of 19 for 63 yards) threw a touchdown pass and notched his first win as the starting quarterback. The Buccaneers forced four turnovers and Lee Roy Selmon sacked Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton (23 of 31 for 180 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs) three times. The Bucs generated just 155 yards of offense in a 16-10 victory. It was Tampa Bay's first win over an NFC Central division opponent. Tarkenton said of Selmon, "He's as good as any defensive lineman I have seen. The only reason he hasn't received more national attention is because of his team's 2-26 start, but Selmon rates right up there with the best."

When Atlanta came to Tampa, the start of the game was delayed due to lightning. On a wet field, each team's first score came courtesy of blocked kicks. The Falcons blocked a punt through the endzone for a safety, then Dewey Selmon blocked a field goal and Mike Washington ran it back 79 yards for a Tampa Bay touchdown. The longest return in team history gave the Bucs a 7-3 advantage after the first quarter. While Falcons running back Haskel Stanback rushed for 122 yards, quarterback Steve Bartkowski (12 of 24 for 81 yards and a TD) was intercepted three times. Doug Williams (6 of 23 for 74 yards) threw a 15 yard scoring pass to tight end Jim O'Bradovich in a 14-9 victory over the Falcons. The Bucs record was now even at 2-2, which marked the first time the team had reached the .500 mark.

The next week, Doug Williams (16 of 35 for 311 yards with 3 INTs) hooked up with Morris Owens (5 receptions for 132 yards) on a 56 yard touchdown pass, as the Bucs hosted the Vikings. Fran Tarkenton (20 of 31 for 208 yards with 2 INTs) tossed a touchdown pass to Sammy White in a 24-7 Minnesota victory.

In Marv Levy's first year as head coach at Kansas City, the Bucs made a trip to Arrowhead Stadium. Doug Williams (14 of 23 for 226 yards) hit Morris Owens on a TD pass and the Bucs lead 10-3 going into the fourth quarter. That final stanza featued four touchdowns, three of them by the Bucs. Jimmy DuBose ran for a pair of 1 yard scores and became the first Bucanneer to rush for two touchdowns in a game. Tampa Bay won the game 30-13.

On October 15, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Jimmy DuBose (109 yards rushing on 24 carries) became the first Bucs running back to have a 100 yard game. Doug Williams (7 of 27 for 100 yards) was intercepted twice, but on the strength of touchdown runs by Johnny Davis and DuBose, Tampa Bay lead 14-3 in the final quarter. Turnovers lead to two scoring runs by Larry Csonka and the Giants were on top. In the closing seconds, a 42 yard field goal attempt by Neil O'Donoghue was wide and the Bucs lost 17-14. The team lost more than the game. While trying to make a tackle on a fourth quarter interception return by linebacker Harry Carson, DuBose sustained a career ending knee injury.

The following week, first year head coach Neil Armstrong brought his Chicago Bears to Tampa. The 68,146 in attendance saw the Tampa Bay defense hold Walter Payton to 34 rushing. Bob Avellini (15 of 29 for 218 yards) was picked off three times, twice by Bucs linebacker David Lewis. The Bears only real weapon was wide reciever James Scott who caught five passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Ricky Bell ran for 95 yards and a TD, while Doug Williams (11 of 19 for 180 yards with an INT) threw touchdown passes to Morris Owens and Jim O'Bradovich in a 33-19 victory. It was the first time the Buccaneeers scored five touchdowns in a game and the team evened its record at 4-4.

It was a close game when Tampa Bay made its first visit to Green Bay's historic Lambeau Field. Even though they generated just seven first downs, and Doug Williams (5 of 17 for 98 yards with an INT) completed only five passes, a third quarter scoring run by Ricky Bell put the Bucs in front 7-6. A Chester Marcol field goal, with 41 seconds left, gave the Packers a 9-7 victory.

Another close game took place in Los Angeles against the Rams. Bad news for the Bucs came on a late hit from Rams defensive end Fred Dryer. A broken jaw would keep Doug Williams (1 of 4 for 13 yards) out of action for of the next five weeks. The Bucs had some highlights, such as quarterback Mike Rae (9 of 17 for 123 yards with a TD and 3 INTs) scrambling on a 42 yard run and Louis Carter hitting Morris Owens for 66 yards on the option pass. Ricky Bell rushed for 104 yards and Dave Green established a team record for best punting average (48.5 yards). Willie Miller lead the Rams with six receptions for 105 yards. A Frank Corral field goal, his fourth of the day, provided the winning margin. The Bucs turned the ball over five times in a 26-23 defeat. Head coach John McKay was not happy with the officials who did not throw a flag on the play that knocked his quarterback out of the game. "There's Williams sitting there with blood pouring out of his mouth. Did they think he bit himself?"

Detroit running back Horace King rushed for 104 yards, punchuated by a 75 yard scoring run, as the Lions took a 14-13 half time lead. Other stars for the home team were defensive end Al Baker, who recorded five quarterback sacks, and tight end David Hill, who caught seven passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns from Gary Danielson (15 of 24 for 206 yards with an INT). Mike Rae (10 of 17 for 89 yards with a TD) started and Gary Huff (2 of 5 for 37 yards with a TD) came on in relief, as the Bucs lost 34-23 to Detroit.

During Chuck Knox's first season at the helm for Buffalo, the Bills and Bucs played before 61,383 fans in Tampa. Johnny Davis and Ricky Bell ran for touchdowns, while Mike Rae (7 of 14 for 121 yards with 1 INT) threw scoring passes to Morris Owens and Jimmie Giles. Cedric Brown picked off two of the Bucs four interceptions in a 31-10 victory. At 5-7, the Bucs were still in playoff contention, but injuries caused the losses to mount. In the second quarter, a knee injury to Ricky Bell ended his season.

The team's first visit to Soldier Field in Chicago saw a kickoff temperature of 40 degrees. While the Bucs lead 3-0 at the half, the Bears ground attack controlled the game. Walter Payton rushed for 105 yards, with a TD, and Rowland Harper ran for 144 yards. Bob Avellini only threw the ball seven times, and completed four passes, both record lows for a Bucs opponent. The Bucs themselves, with Mike Rae (4 of 12 for 54 yards) at QB, only completed five passes and finished with a negative 7 net yards passing. Chicago won the game 14-3.

David Whitehurst (13 of 19 for 113 yards with an INT) threw a touchdown pass to James Lofton to open the scoring at Tampa Stadium. The game featured a scoreless second half and the Bucs held the Packers to 173 total yards. George Ragsdale ran for the Buccaneers touchdown, and Mike Rae (14 of 31 for 178 yards) was picked off twice, in a 17-7 loss.

Dave Pear recorded three quarterback sacks at San Francisco. The Bucs intercepted four passes, twice picking off Steve DeBerg (11 of 15 for 89 yards), and Mike Rae (13 of 17 for 140 yards) also tossed an interception. Field goals accounted for all the scoring, and a fourth quarter 30 yarder by Ray Wersching proved to be the difference, as the Bucs lost to the 49ers 6-3.

On December 17, Doug Williams (7 of 22 for 96 yards) returned to action before a home crowd of 51,207. A third quarter run by Chuck Mincie broke a 3-3 tie, then Williams hit Jimmie Giles on a short scoring pass to even things up again. An Archie Manning (25 of 36 for 250 yards with 2 INTs) to Henry Childs touchdown pass with 10:56 left in the game proved to be the difference. The Bucs had lost seven of their last eight games.

With a 5-11 record, the Buccaneers again found themselves last in the division. To say the Bucs struggled on offense would be an understatement. They were not shutout during the year, but did score only once six times. Despite scoring 241 points, more than the first two seasons combined, the team's offense was ranked last in the league for the third straight year. Team record lows for a sixteen game schedule, which still stand, include first downs (238), total yards (3,800), average yards per game (237.5), average yards per play (4.2), passing yards (2,171), passing yards per game (135.7), attempts (361), completions (151) and completion percentage (41.8%).

One the few highlights on offense was Morris Owens leading the NFC with a 20.0 average yards per reception. The quarterback position saw Gary Huff play his last season with the Bucs and Mike Rae come over from the Oakland Raiders, but rookie Doug Williams did show some promise. Dave Green had to punt a team record 100 times. On defense, team records for fewest attempts (419) and completions (241) were set, while teams ran a record 595 times against the Bucs. Defensive tackle Dave Pear became the first Tampa Bay Buccaneer voted to the Pro Bowl. Pear was to be a reserve, but ended up starting the game due to an injury to another player. Defensive end Lee Roy Selmon was the first Buc voted All-Pro by the Associated Press. Linebacker Dewey Selmon was voted the team's Most Valuable Player by Tampa Bay area media.

Related Links

1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Results

1978 NFC Central Division Standings

1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft

1978 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Statistics

Back to Tampa Bay Buccaneers History Page

Back to Tampa Bay Buccaneers Main Menu

Back to Home Page