1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The following week, the Bucs head to Memorial Stadium in Baltimore and ended up playing the first overtime game in franchise history. The Colts jumped to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, but Doug Williams (10 of 29 for 196 yards with 2 INTs) threw two TD passes and the Bucs came back to tie the game at the end of regulation. In OT, Bill Kollar recovered a fumble by Colt quarterback Greg Landrey (22 of 37 for 183 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTs) at the Baltimore 14 yard line and Neil O'Donoghue kicked a 31 yard field goal 1:41 into the extra period to win the game. The Bucs had a team record ten sacks in a 29-26 victory over the Colts.

The Bucs then went to Green Bay. Ricky Bell (97 yards rushing) scored on a 19 yard run and caught an 11 yard TD pass, while Jerry Eckwood (99 yards rushing) had a 40 yard run for a touchdown. Doug Williams (12 of 24 for 132 yards with an INT) and Davis Whitehurst (24 of 34 for 214 yards) each threw a scoring pass. The Packers lost three of six fumbles and the Bucs rushed for 235 yards in a 21-10 win.

The following week, a 31 yard interception return by linebacker Jim Youngblood gave the Rams a 6-0 lead after one quarter at a rainy Tampa Stadium. In the second quarter, Doug Williams (5 of 20 for 101 yards) hit wide receiver Larry Mucker and tight end Jimmie Giles on scoring passes, and Ricky Bell ran for a touchdown, as the Bucs took a 21-6 lead at the break. The Buccaneers defense forced four turnovers and did not allow Los Angeles to cross mid-field in a scoreless second half. Lee Roy Selmon lead the way with a dozen tackles, two fumble recoveries and two sacks. In an elated locker room Ricky Bell said, "We've come through the darkness and now we're in the sunshine. We've had the bad times. The good times are here." Linebacker David Lewis talked about the team's lack of respect and exposure. "If they don't want to put us on TV, we'll make the playoffs and put ourselves on TV." The Bucs earned the respect of Rams quarterback Pat Hayden. "I predict Tampa Bay will win its division. We may well see them in the playoffs."

The Bucs traveled to Soldier Field in Chicago. With Vince Evans (12 of 23 for 178 yards with a TD and 2 INTs) starting for the home team, this was the first NFL game to feature two black starting quarterbacks. Jerry Eckwood, who rushed for 120 yards against the Bears, set a Buccaneers record for the longest run for a touchdown on a 61 yard TD dash. With 5:07 left in the fourth quarter, Doug Williams (14 of 31 for 168 yards with 2 INTs) hit Issac Hagins from 8 yards out for the winning touchdown. Tampa Bay beat the Bears 17-13 to go 5-0 for the first time in team history and were the only undefeated team in the NFL after five weeks. The winning streak ends the following week.

At Tampa, the undefeated Bucs took on the winless Giants. It was the first start for rookie quarterback Phil Simms (6 of 12 for 37 yards) and the Bucs defense held the Giants to 18 yards net passing. Doug Williams (14 of 38 for 182 yards with 3 interceptions) threw two touchdown passes and New York running back Billy Taylor ran for 148 yards. Joe Danelo had missed four straight field goals, but his 47 yarder in the fourth quarter provided the margin of victory. The 17-14 final was the Giants first win under Ray Perkins. John McKay said of the loss, "They out played us in every phase of the game, including coaching; they just outwitted us."

New Orleans came to Tampa and the first half was scoreless. The Bucs scored first, and last, but the Saints scored 42 points in between. The Saints, with QB Archie Manning (11 of 14 for 141 yards) tossing a touchdown pass and running for a TD, scored 21 points in both the third and fourth quarters. Doug Williams (10 of 28 for 142 yards with 2 INTs) did throw a touchdown pass and Ricky Bell rushed for 101 yards on ten carries. A 49 yard dash helped Bell set a Bucs record for highest rushing average in a game with a minimum of ten carries (10.1 yards). John McKay said of the 42-14 defeat, "It was the worst we had ever played, including the 1976 season. It was disgraceful."

The Buccaneers rebound to beat Green Bay at Tampa Stadium on October 21. Ricky Bell had his best day as Bucs running back with a then team record 167 yards rushing. Doug Williams (6 of 10 for 85 yards) threw touchdown passes to Bell and Jimmie Giles, and he also ran for a score. Packers QB David Whitehurst (22 of 35 for 261) had three passes picked off, and tight end Paul Coffman had 106 receiving yards, in the Bucs 21-3 victory.

At Minnesota, the Buccaneers trailed 10-3 at the half. Bucs wide receiver Issac Hagins had 149 yards receiving on five catches, while the Vikings Ahmad Rashad caught 117 yards in passes from Tommy Kramer (22 of 36 for 223 yards with a TD and INT). Early in the fourth quarter, Ricky Bell ran 2 yards for what would be the winning touchdown. The 12-10 victory gave the first place Bucs a three game lead in the Central Division.

Next was Tampa Bay's first trip to Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. The Bucs held Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski (10 of 19 for 77 yards with an interception and a touchdown) to 51 net passing yards and lead 7-3 in the final quarter. When Atlanta running back Bubba Bean broke lose on 62 yard scoring run, the Bucs trailed 17-7. Doug Williams (11 of 21 for 198 yards and an INT) hit Jimmie Giles on a late touchdown pass to make the final score 17-14.

A third straight road game takes place at Detroit and the Lions lead 14-9 late in the game. Lions fullback Lawrence Gaines fumbled at the Detroit 31 yard line and linebacker Dana Nazfinger recovered for Tampa Bay. Two plays later, when Doug Williams (17 of 34 for 182 yards with an INT) hit wide receiver Larry Mucker on a 23 yard TD pass, Tampa Bay pulled out a 16-14 win.

70,261 Tampa Stadium fans came out to watch the Bucs play the New York Giants. The home team put pressure on the quarterback, as Phil Simms (17 of 33 for 180 yards) had two passes picked off, lost two of four fumbles and was sacked five times. Cedric Brown returned one of the interceptions a then Buccaneers record 72 yards. Doug Williams (12 of 24 for 176 yards) hit Larry Mucker on two scoring passes and Ricky Bell ran for 152 yards. Of the 31-3 victory, John McKay quipped, "We were magnificent."

On November 25, the 9-3 Bucs hosted Minnesota. A crowd of 70,039 was anticipating a victory which would secure the division title and the team's first playoff berth. Ricky Bell rushed for 101 yards to become the first Buccaneers running back to gain over 1,000 yards in a season. On the strength of a Bell touchdown run and Neil O'Donoghue field goal the Bucs had a 9-0 lead, however, by the third quarter the Vikings lead 17-9. An 18 yard TD run by Johnny Davis narrowed the gap, then Tommy Kramer's (15 of 26 for 158 yards) third touchdown pass of the afternoon put the visitors up 23-16. With 19 seconds left in the game, Doug Williams (19 of 38 for 242 yards) ran 13 yards and dove into the end zone for what appeared to be the tieing touchdown. When O'Donoghue's extra point attempt was blocked, the Vikings had a 23-22 victory. 425 yards of total offense by the Buccaneers could not overcome two blocked extra points, a blocked field goal and a punt block by Minnesota. John McKay went on a tirade after the game. "We stunk. We blocked bad, we were terrible on defense and our kicking game made up for it by being absolutely horrible. I saw nothing that delighted me, we ran on the field fairly well."

The next week, another sellout crowd filled Tampa Stadium for a game against Chicago. While the Bucs offense struggled, the defense held the Bears to 164 total yards. Doug Williams was 5 of 19 for 60 yards and four interceptions before being replaced by Mike Rae (6 of 12 for 98 yards with 1 INT). Gary Fencik and Terry Schmidt each had a pair of picks for the Bears. Walter Payton's first quarter TD run, the sixtieth rushing touchdown of his career, lead the way to a 14-0 Chicago victory.

The following Sunday, the Bucs made a trip to San Francisco, where Bill Walsh was in his first season as head coach of the 49ers. Since he was retiring at the end of the season, this was O.J. Simpson's last home game. Simpson would gain 25 yards on six carries. The 49ers opened the scoring on a 19 yard TD pass from Steve DeBerg (22 of 30 for 186 yards) to Mike Shumann. San Francisco place kicker Ray Wersching had three field goals, and Doug Williams (10 of 24 for 167 yards with a TD) suffered five interceptions, in a 23-7 49ers victory. Rookie Joe Montana (3 of 4 for 30 yards) played in the fourth quater. John McKay commented "What we needed was Knute Rockne and he was not here." After losing three straight, fans began to wonder if the 9-6 Buccaneers had blown their chance to make the playoffs. The thought of them not making the postseason for the first time had some already labeling the team the "Chokeneers."

The regular season finale was at Tampa Stadium on December 16 against Kansas City. In the pouring rain, 63,624 came out to see if the Buccaneers could post the victory to make the playoffs. With the horrid weather conditions, both offenses struggled and the Bucs ran the ball a team record 62 times. Doug Williams (5 of 13 for 51 yards) was picked off twice and Tampa Bay's best offensive weapon was Ricky Bell, who sloshed for 137 yards on 39 carries. The home team drove from their own 35 to the K.C. 2 yard line to set up the game's only score. The Bucs had muffed a field goal attempt in the first quarter, and Lee Roy Selmon blocked a Jan Stenerud attempt in the second, before Neil O'Donoghue was successful on a 19 yard kick with 8:50 remaining in the game. The Buccaneers defense had a record setting performance in the 3-0 victory. They allowed team record lows in first downs (4) and total yards (80), which was lowest total yards ever for the Chiefs. The visitors ran just 38 plays, compared to 76 for the Bucs, and the home team had a 40:22 to 19:38 advantage in time of possession. Tampa Bay made the playoffs in only their fourth year in existence. The Bucs and Chicago had finished the season with identical 10-6 records, but the Bucs won the division title on the basis of a better division record. John McKay exclaimed, "We is the champions of the Central Division. I am proud of this team after all the abuse it has taken, some richly deserved." The head coach suggested the media "Go talk to the players, they're champs." It was a jubilant locker room. Danny Reese talked of ending the losing streak. "Now we won't have to go home and know that the rest of the NFL is laughing at us. Now the Bucs are in and the rest of the league can say, 'oh no,' now they have to watch us on television." On the first shutout in franchise history Reese added, "We could have played in overtime, we could have played all month and Kansas City would not have scored." Richard Wood said "I'm proud to be a part of this team and to represent this city. It's going to be hard to keep us out of the Super Bowl."

On December 29, the Buccaneers played their first postseason game, and appeared on National television for the first time, as Philadelphia came to Tampa Stadium for an NFC Divisional Playoff game before 71,402 fans. On their first possession, the Bucs went for it on a fourth down play at the Eagles 4 yard line. A Ricky Bell touchdown run capped off an eighteen play drive of 80 yards, using 9:34 off the clock. Bell's second touchdown run of the half, on a fourth and goal from the Eagles 1 yard line, gave the Bucs a 17-0 lead. Ron Jaworski (15 of 39 for 199 yards) threw the first of his two touchdown passes and the Eagles closed the gap to 17-10. Late in the third quarter, with Philadelphia driving, Lee Roy Selmon sacked Jaworski on back-to-back plays to force a punt. Early in the fourth quarter, Doug Williams (7 of 15 for 132 yards and an interception) hit Jimmie Giles with a 9 yard TD pass and the Bucs posted the franchise's first postseason win. The Bucs ran for 186 yards and held the Eagles to 48 yards rushing in the 24-17 victory. Ricky Bell carried the ball a postseason record 38 times and gained 142 yards, as the Bucs overcame nine penalties for 105 yards. Coach John McKay said afterwards "We deserved to win today." When asked about Bell carrying the ball 38 times, McKay joked, "It's not heavy." Philadelphia head coach Dick Vermeil praised the victors. "This is not an expansion team. It is a pro football team. A conference championship football team that won ten games. There was no question about who was the best football team today. The game wasn't as close as the final score. With such a strong defense, these Bucs can be contenders for a long time." Jimmie Giles added, "The Bucs have ceased being a joke."

On January 6, the Los Angeles Rams were the opponent as Tampa Stadium hosted the NFC Championship Game. 72,033 watched the game which would decide who would play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIV. Both teams had made it to the game with outstanding defense and the defensive struggle was exemplified by Rams defensive end Jack Youngblood playing on a fractured leg. Doug Williams (2 of 13 for 12 yards and an interception) started the game with eight straight incompletions, before injuring his arm in the third quarter and being replaced by Mike Rae (2 of 13 for 42 yards). Running back Jerry Eckwood completed a 42 yard pass to wide receiver Larry Mucker, but Williams and Rae combined for only 54 yards through the air. The Bucs could only manage seven first downs and were out gained 369 to 177 yards. Quarterback Vince Ferragamo (12 of 23 for 163 yards) and running back Cullen Bryant (106 yards rushing) lead the Rams, who scored on three short field goals by Frank Corral (19, 21 and 23 yards). In the second half, the Bucs had a touchdown pass called back and Lee Roy Selmon left the game with an ankle injury. The Rams won the first Championship Game in history which did not feature a touchdown 9-0. John McKay talked after the game. "We did make it to the final four. All we needed was a couple of big plays, which we did not get. We'll be back and we'll get better as the years roll on." Linebacker David Lewis added, "We have nothing to be ashamed of. We'll be back and that's a promise."

This was the Buccaneers first double-digit winning season and the first time they had a winning record on the road (5-3). Tampa Bay went from worst to first and won five more games than the previous season, the biggest improvement in team history. The defense was the key in turning it around for Tampa Bay. The Bucs sacked the quarterback 40 times, lead the league in fewest points allowed and fewest total yards allowed (3,949). Other defensive record lows, which still stand today, include average total yards per game (246.8), average yards allowed per play (4.1), net passing yards allowed (2,405) and average yards allowed per rushing attempt (2.9). The Bucs forced a team record 45 fumbles and opponents had to punt 104 times. The Buccaneers only allowed 14.81 points per game, which remained the team record for twenty years. Offensively, the Bucs ran the ball 609 times and also set team records for net yards rushing (2,349) and average rushing yards per game (146.8). The offensive line, which had allowed 52 sacks in 1978, allowed just twelve sacks. A team record for yards penalized (905) was set and the Bucs tied an NFL record by returning 71 of their opponents punts.

Lee Roy Selmon was named the defensive player of the year by the Associated Press. Selmon was voted a starter for the Pro Bowl, but did not play due to the injury sustained in the NFC Championship Game. Ricky Bell had his best season with the Bucs. Bell, the first Buccaneers running back to go over 1,000 yards for a season, ran for 1,263 yards (fourth best in the NFC) with a 4.5 yards per carry average. He also set a team record with five games with 100 yards rushing and was voted the Bucs' Most Valuable Player by the area media. Rookie Jerry Eckwood added a career high 690 yards on the ground. Even though second year quarterback Doug Williams threw 24 interceptions during the regular season, he showed considerable improvement. Danny Reese returned a league record 70 punts for a team record 431 yards.

The fans came out in record numbers with an average attendance of 68,248 at Tampa Stadium. The Bucs captured the nation's attention, as a team which had not even been around five years ago came within one game of the Super Bowl. Dewey Selmon talked about how nobody expected the Cinderella team to get this far. "Underdogs? Man, this whole season's felt like the whole pound has been on top of us." In a time before free agency, reaching the Conference Championship game so fast was quite an accomplishment.

Related Links

1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Results

1979 NFC Central Division Standings

1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft

1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Statistics

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