Tampa Bay Football History Network - 1980 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

1980 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs drafted Wisconsin offensive guard Ray Snell with their first round pick in the NFL draft, the twenty-second overall selection. They followed it by drafting Southern Illinois wide receiver Kevin House in the second round and Florida linebacker Scot Brantley in the third round. It seemed to be a good draft and Bucs fans looked forward to another successful season. The Bucs also signed former Miami Dolphins place kicker Garo Yepremian who was coming off a season with New Orleans.

It was Forrest Gregg's head coaching debut with the Bengals, as the Buccaneers opened the season on September 7 at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium with 55,551 in attendance. It was a close game, on a wet field, going into the final quarter. The Bucs caught a break when Cincinnati punter Pat McInally fumbled a snap out of bounds in the final minutes. With 1:47 left to play, tight end Jimmie Giles caught his second Doug Williams touchdown pass of the day, this one from 15 yards, to seal a 17-12 Buccaneers victory. Bengals quarterback Jack Thompson could only complete six passes for sixteen yards, a Bucs record low for passing yards allowed, and the defense held Cincinnati to a total of 128 yards.

The following week, they returned home to play their first prime time nationally televised game, a Thursday night re-match of the previous season's NFC Championship Game against the Rams. 66,576 watched another defensive struggle between these two teams, as the Bucs intercepted four Vince Ferragamo passes. Just like last year's game, the only scoring for the Rams came on three Frank Corral field goals, but this game featured a touchdown. Doug Williams scored on a one yard run with 57 seconds remaining to tie the game at 9-9. Garo Yepremian then kicked the winning extra point in a 10-9 Bucs victory.

On September 21, a Doug Williams (17 of 30 for 258 yards with 2 INTs) to Jimmie Giles (4 receptions for 105 yards) touchdown pass gave the Bucs a 17-7 second quarter lead lead at Dallas. The Buccaneers generated 312 total yards in the first half and finished with 442 total yards. The Cowboys would came back with Tony Dorsett rushing for 100 yards and Danny White tossing three touchdown passes. White (24 of 33 for 244 yards) hooked up with tight end Billy Joe DuPree for a pair of scores, as Dallas won 28-17.

The team's next game was against Cleveland at Tampa Stadium before 65,540 fans. Doug Williams, who had three TD passes, established Buccaneers records for pass completions (30), pass attempts (56), and passing yardage (343). Jerry Eckwood also became the first Buc to catch ten passes in a game. Cleveland QB Brain Sipe had three touchdown passes and a Browns record thirteen consecutive pass completions. Cleveland won the game 34-27.

On October 6, in Chicago, the team played the first Monday night game in Bucs history. The Bears lead 3-0 at halftime, but two second half touchdown runs by Bears quarterback Mike Phipps put the game out of reach. Walter Payton rushed for 183 yards and Chicago defensive tackle Alan Page recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass. After the 23-0 defeat, John McKay said "We set Monday night football back 2,000 years."

The following Sunday, Green Bay came to Tampa Stadium and Packers quarterback Lynn Dickey (35 of 51 with 2 interceptions and a touchdown) threw for 418 yards. His favorite receivers were running back Eddie Lee Ivery (128 yards), tight end Paul Coffman (109 yards) and wide receiver Aundra Thompson (102 yards). With five minutes left in the game, Doug Williams (6 of 24 for 103 yards) ran for a touchdown to tie the score 14-14. Packers place kicker Tom Birney missed a 25 yard field goal, with 1:39 on the clock, so the game went to overtime. Birney would get another shot, with just five seconds left in OT, but he missed a 36 yarder and the game ended in the only tie in Buccaneers history. While the Bucs punted eleven times, they ran a team record 99 offensive plays in the five quarter draw.

At Houston, the highlight was the longest fumble return for a touchdown in Tampa Bay history. Cedric Brown returned a fumble 80 yards for a score and Doug Williams connected with Gordon Jones on a 17 yard TD pass. Earl Campbell ran for 203 yards, and Kenny Stabler (19 of 26 for 242 yards and an INT) threw a touchdown pass, as the Oilers won 20-14.

The next week in San Francisco, Freddie Soloman opened the scoring on a 53 yard punt return for the 49ers. Joe Montana (24 of 31 for 200 yards and an interception) threw for a touchdown, while Doug Williams (10 of 18 for 89 yards with a pick) ran for a score. Ray Wersching kicked three field goals for the niners, but the game winner was booted by Garo Yepremian with 47 seconds remaining. The Buccaneers came from behind four different times and posted a 24-23 victory.

When the Giants came to Tampa Stadium, the Bucs lead 10-0 with one minute to go in the first half. New York fumbled twice and Tampa Bay took a 23-0 halftime lead. Ricky Bell ran for 130 yards with two touchdowns and the Bucs set a team record for rushing with 244 yards. The 30-13 victory kept the Buccaneers in playoff contention with a respectable 4-4-1 record.

71,636 fans came out to Tampa Stadium for a game against Pittsburgh. Terry Bradshaw (11 of 26 for 100 yards and an interception) threw a touchdown pass to Lynn Swan, but Doug Williams (21 of 34 for 302 yards and an INT) tossed three TD passes. The Bucs lost a couple of fumbles, Jimmie Giles had 128 yards in receiving and the game came down to a controversial play in the final seconds. With just 21 seconds left, the Bucs thought they had a first down at the Steelers 46 yards line, so Doug Williams threw the ball away to stop the clock. The officials said the Bucs did not have the first down, which meant that Williams had thrown the ball away on fourth down, and Pittsburgh took over on downs. After the 24-21 loss, an angry John McKay said, "The officials blew this one. These people think they are a little higher than the pope."

The Bucs headed north to play the Vikings on November 16. Doug Williams completed 30 of 55 passes for 486 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. Williams was the first Bucs QB to throw for over 400 yards and four scores in a game. His 486 passing yards, along with his 499 yards of total offense, remain team records. Kevin House caught two TD passes and wide receiver Gordon Jones totaled 121 yards receiving. Tampa Bay had a team record 573 yards of total offense. Minnesota's Tommy Kramer (24 of 37 for 324 yards) threw a pair of touchdown passes, wide receiver Sammy White had 120 yards receiving with a TD and fullback Ted Brown ran for two scores. The Bucs punted ten times in a 38-30 defeat. John McKay advised, "That both teams burn their defensive tapes of this game."

Detroit came to town and on the strength of a Garo Yepremian field goal, and a Doug Williams touchdown pass to wide receiver Gordon Jones, the Bucs lead 10-0 at the half. Tampa Bay fumbled the ball away three times and Detroit roared back for 24-10 win.

In Milwaukee, the Bucs lead 13-3 going into the fourth quarter. Doug Williams was 16 of 32 for 235 yards and no interceptions, while Packers QB Lynn Dickey went 24 for 36 with 180 yards and no interceptions. Green Bay scored two fourth quarter touchdowns, including a one yard run by Johnny Davis with 1:58 left in the game, to pull out a 20-17 victory.

The Bucs lead Minnesota 10-0 at the half, Doug Williams had hit Kevin House on a 30 yard TD pass, and things looked pretty good for the home team. In the second half the Vikings, behind Tommy Kramer (22 of 31 for 264 yards with a touchdown) came back to post a 21-10 victory. John McKay gave Williams a vote of confidence, "There is not another quarterback in football who could have made the touchdown pass he did."

Doug Williams (13 of 37 for 186 yards with 2 INTs) hooked up with Kevin House on a touchdown pass, Lee Roy Selmon recorded three sacks and David Logan returned a fumble 60 yards for a score at Detroit. The Lions' Ray Williams returned a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown, which remains the longest kick return against the Buccaneers, and returned a total of eight punts. Detroit's Gary Danielson (29 of 44 with a TD) passed for 360 yards, his favorite target was wide receiver Leonard Thompson (106 yards receiving), and the Bucs lost 27- 14.

On December 20, the season finale was played on a Saturday at Tampa Stadium in front of 55,298 fans. Doug Williams completed 16 of 29 passes for 350 yards and the Bucs lead Chicago 10-0 at one point. Walter Payton rushed for 130 yards and the Bears mounted a comeback. When Al Harris blocked a 32 yard field goal attempt by Garo Yepremian, Chicago won the game 14-13. Tampa Bay had lost six of their last seven games.

With a 5-10-1 record, people wondered what happened to the Cinderella team from the year before? By losing five fewer games than last season, the Bucs posted the biggest decline in team history. They finished tied for last in the division, but took fourth place over Green Bay on the tiebreakers. Doug Williams did continue to improve at quarterback and was voted the team's Most Valuable Player by the Tampa Bay area media. Williams established the team record for touchdown passes at twenty on a team record 521 attempts. However, Ricky Bell had an injury plagued season and the defense slipped dramatically allowing 371 points. Opponents completed a Bucs record high 63.6 percent of their passes. Three Bucs were voted to the Pro Bowl as starters, defensive end Lee Roy Selmon, who had two sacks in the game, tight end Jimmie Giles and linebacker David Lewis.

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