1981 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay opened the season on Saturday night, September 5, before a home crowd of 66,287. Doug Williams (8 of 22 for 108 yards) hit Kevin House on a 55 yard TD pass, he also ran 10 yards for a score, and the Bucs lead by a single point late in the game. Minnesota was driving and had the ball within field goal range, before defensive back Neal Colzie intercepted Vikings quarterback Steve Dils (37 of 62 for 361 yards with an INT). It was Colzie's second pick of the game and he returned this one a team record 82 yards for a touchdown with 35 seconds left. Minnesota gained 443 total yards, but they turned the ball over four times, as the Buccaneers took a 21-13 victory.

The season's first road game takes place in Kansas City. A James Wilder touchdown run, and a Garo Yepremian field goal, put the Bucs up 10-7 in the second quarter. Four Nick Lowery field goals helped the Chiefs post a 19-10 victory. Doug Williams (20 of 43 for 294 yards) did throw for almost 300 yards, however, the Bucs were held to 12 yards rushing.

The next week in Chicago, cornerback Mike Washington returned a Vince Evans interception 29 yards for a touchdown and the Bucs lead 7-0 after one quarter. A Matt Suhey TD run and an 88 yard punt return for a score by Jeff Fisher put the Bears up 14-7 at the half. In the third quarter, Doug Williams (17 of 40 for 324 yards with 2 INTs) found Kevin House on an 11 yard scoring pass and the game was tied. Evans (13 of 23 for 126 yards) ran into the end zone from 7 yards out late in the quarter to break the 14-14 tie. Jimmie Giles had 109 receiving yards and Jerry Eckwood ran for 114 yards, yet Chicago won 28-17.

Two Bill Capece field goals gave the Bucs a 6-3 halftime lead over St. Louis at Tampa Stadium. The Cardinals took a 10-6 fourth quarter lead, before the Bucs went on a 16 play, 80 yard, drive. Twice Tampa Bay converted fourth downs and James Owens scored on a 2 yard run to put the Bucs in front with 2:41 left. Less than a minute later, following a Cecil Johnson interception of Cards QB Jim Hart (11 of 18 for 91 yards), Jerry Eckwood ran 31 yards to provide the final margin of 20-10.

The next week, 71,733 watched the Lions take a 10-0 lead after one quarter at Tampa Stadium. Defensive end Bill Kollar recovered two fumbles, and forced another, as Detroit turned the ball over six times. Three of those turnovers resulted in Doug Williams (13 of 29 for 168 yards and an interception) touchdown passes. Williams hit Kevin House twice in the second quarter and the Bucs lead 14-10 at the break. Free safety Cedric Brown picked off two passes in Tampa Bay's 28-10 victory.

Packers linebacker George Cumby returned a fumble 68 yards against the Bucs in Green Bay. Doug Williams (15 of 23 for 199 yards and an interception) threw a TD pass to Jimmie Giles, while Lynn Dickey (19 of 33 for 219 yards) was intercepted four times. Williams and James Wilder each had 1 yard touchdown runs. Tampa Bay's 21-10 victory over the Packers gave the team a three game winning streak and a 4-2 record.

The Bucs traveled to Oakland the next week. Todd Christensen blocked a Larry Swider punt for a safety and the Oakland defense held the Bucs to 21 total yards, as the Raiders took a 15-0 lead at the half. In the second half, Doug Williams (16 of 30 for 335 yards) threw touchdown passes to Kevin House and Jimmie Giles. House finished with 178 receiving yards on four catches and a 77 yard TD helped him average 44.5 yards per reception. A Bill Capece field goal put Tampa Bay up 16-15, then Oakland regained the lead on a Chris Barr field goal. The Bucs moved the ball down the field, but Ted Hendricks deflected a 31 yard field goal attempt by Bill Capece with just eight seconds left to preserve an 18-16 victory for the Raiders.

On Tampa Bay's first possession in Philadelphia, Doug Williams scored on a 1 yard run to give the Bucs a 7-0 lead. The lead was 10-7 after three quarters, however, the vistors could not overcome four turnovers and three missed field goals. While Williams (19 of 45 for 243 yards) was intercepted three times, Eagles running back Wilbert Montgomery ran for 119 yards and a TD. With 4:18 left on the clock, a 32 yard field goal by Tony Franklin gave Philadelphia a 13-10 lead. A late Eagles TD made the final score 20-10 and the Buccaneers record stood at 4-4.

The Bucs rebound by beating the struggling Chicago Bears at Tampa Stadium. Walter Payton did run for 105 yards and a touchdown, but Doug Williams (9 of 21 for 192 yards with 1 INT) tossed long TD passes to Jimmie Giles (81 yards) and Kevin House (51 yards). Jerry Eckwood rushed for 110 yards, including a 59 yard run to set up a second Bill Capece field goal. Hugh Green had ten tackles, forced a fumble and intercepted a pass, as and Tampa Bay topped Chicago 20-10.

At Minnesota, Vikings running back Ted Brown had a career high 129 yards rushing and a TD run. When Doug Williams (13 of 27 for 154 yards with a TD) was sacked in the end zone for a safety, Minnesota lead 25-3. Minnesota had a 40:24 to 19:36 advantage in time of possession and ran 88 plays compared to 42 for the Buccaneers. The defense did intercept Tommy Kramer (24 of 41 for 228 yards with a TD) twice. John McKay said of the 25-10 defeat, "We almost got rigor mortis watching them move up and down the field."

Denver came to Tampa with Dan Reeves in his first season as the Broncos head coach. Cedric Brown returned an interception 40 yards for a TD and the game was tied at 7-7 in the third. Doug Williams (14 of 31 for 189 yards) was intercepted twice in the game. Craig Morton (10 of 14 for 73 yards with a TD) started at quarterback for the Broncos and Steve DeBerg (10 of 15 for 70 yards) came off the bench in the second half. Two TDs by Larry Canada, one on the ground and one on a pass from DeBerg, gave Denver a 24-7 win. Tampa Bay's record stood at 5-6.

For the first time in team history the Buccaneers did not have to punt the ball, as they beat Green Bay. Safety Cedric Brown returned an interception 81 yards for a touchdown, which began a 24 point second quarter outburst by the Bucs and a 27-0 halftime lead. James Owens rushed for 112 yards, including a 35 yard TD run, and Doug Williams (12 of 23 for 148 yards with an INT) tossed a TD pass. Bill Capece kicked three field goals, including one from 51 yards. In the fourth quarter, Chuck Fusina (1 of 1 for 2 yards) threw his only touchdown pass with the Buccaneers. A 53 yard fourth quarter field goal by Jan Stenerud accounted for Green Bay's scoring in 37-3 Bucs victory. The 37 points scored and the 34 point margin of victory were new team records. Tampa Bay had evened its record at 6-6.

At New Orleans, Archie Manning (16 of 23 for 162 yards with 2 INTs) threw a touchdown pass and running back George Rogers (120 yards rushing) ran for a TD to give the Saints a 14-0 second quarter lead. Doug Williams (16 of 24 for 218 yards with an interception) threw for two TDs and ran for another, as the Buccaneers scored 31 unanswered points. Kevin House caught a TD pass and had six receptions for 107 yards, Lee Roy Selmon recorded two sacks and Bill Capece booted a 51 yard field goal in a 31-14 win.

When Atlanta came to Tampa Stadium, Falcons fullback William Andrews rushed for two touchdowns and the Bucs trailed 23-17 in the fourth quarter. Doug Williams (19 of 29 for 336 yards) hit Kevin House (126 yards receiving) on a 71 yard touchdown to give Tampa Bay the lead with 9:39 left. Mick Luckhurst kicked three Falcons field goals, but his 45 yard attempt with four seconds left was deflected and the Bucs held on for a 24-23 victory. Tampa Bay moved into sole possession of first place with an 8-6 record.

67,112 watched the last home game of the season against San Diego. Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts (33 of 49 for 352 yards with a TD and 2 INTs) had a big day and his favorite target was wide receiver Wes Chandler (112 yards). Doug Williams (22 of 35 for 321 yards with 2 interceptions) and Theo Bell hooked up on a 58 yard pass play, however, the Bucs trailed 21-10 in the fourth quarter. Williams then completed seven straight passes on a drive that lead to a James Wilder TD run, but Bill Capece missed the extra point. Wilder scored again and the Bucs were in front 23-21. A Buccaneers turnover gave San Diego a chance to win with 45 seconds left in the game. Rolf Benirschke kicked a 29 yard field goal and the Bucs three game winning streak ended 24-23. Now, a victory was needed to make the playoffs with one game left to play.

On December 20, the winner of the season finale at Detroit would take the NFC Central Division title. The Lions had not lost in the Silverdome all season and were so confident that they had champaign on ice. In the second quarter, Doug Williams (8 of 19 for 172 yards) hit Kevin House with an 84 yard touchdown pass to give Tampa Bay a 10-7 lead. While Williams was not sacked, and the Bucs did not turn the ball over, Lee Roy Selmon recorded two of the four sacks of the Detroit QBs. Cedric Brown accounted for two of the Lions three turnovers with a pair of key interceptions. The third Detroit turnover came in the fourth quarter. Selmon forced a fumble by quarterback Eric Hipple (18 of 28 for 205 yards with a TD), which David Logan picked up on the first bounce and returned 11 yards for a touchdown. The play gave the Bucs a ten point fourth quarter lead and they held on for a 20-17 win. Tampa Bay clinched their second Central Division title in three years with a 9-7 regular season record. Detroit head coach Monte Clark said, "It was a bitter defeat." Jerry Eckwood talked of the underdog Buccaneers winning the game. "There was an awful lot of talking being done when we got to town. There won't be much when we leave." John McKay stated, "We were better on this day and we won and we are the champions." In the locker-room the Bucs head coach joked, "Lets go steal their champaign, but drink our beer."

On January 2, the Bucs traveled to Texas Stadium to play the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Divisional Playoff. After a scoreless first quarter, a Danny White touchdown pass to wide receiver Tony Hill and a Rafael Septien field goal gave the home team a 10-0 halftime lead. Dallas opened the third quarter with an 80 yard drive, keyed by runs of 25 and 26 yards by Tony Dorsett, and capped by a 1 yard TD run by Ron Springs. Soon after, a Dorsett (86 yards rushing) touchdown run made it 24-0. Dallas rushed for 212 yards that day and scored 21 points in the third quarter to put the game away. In the fourth quarter, Doug Williams connected on a 75 yard pass to Jimmie Giles to give the Bucs a first down on the Cowboys 5 yard line, however, the Bucs could not put it in the end zone and turned the ball over on downs. Williams (10 of 29 for 187 yards) was sacked four times and intercepted four times, twice by cornerback Dennis Thurman. The Bucs had 105 yards in penalties, including two intentional grounding calls on Williams. Dallas head coach Tom Landry said of the 38-0 victory, "We played a near-perfect game."

Tampa Bay's nine victories are the third most in franchise history and their 6- 2 home record established a team record. It was a close race for the Central Division title and the Bucs prevailed primarily because of a 6-2 record within the division. The Bucs offense picked up considerably from the year before, scoring 315 points and averaging a team record 5.5 yards per play. While opponents ran 1,092 plays, the most ever against a Bucs defense, team records were set for the lowest number of touchdown passes allowed (10), the most turnovers forced (46) and most passes intercepted (32).

Doug Williams, with a team record 3,563 yards passing, had his best season with the team. Williams was named the Bucs' Most Valuable Player by the area media. Kevin House became the first Buccaneer in history to go over 1,000 yards in pass receiving with a career high 1,176 yards. House established the team record with a career high nine touchdown catches and lead the NFC in average yards per reception (21.0). Garo Yepremian finished his NFL career and was replaced after three games by Florida State rookie Bill Capece. Cedric Brown set a team record with nine interceptions, Neal Colzie had a career high six picks and Mike Washington picked off a career high five passes. Hugh Green set a team rookie record with 151 tackles. Lee Roy Selmon and Jimmie Giles were again elected as starters for the Pro Bowl. Selmon had four sacks in the game and was named Pro Bowl Co-Most Valuable Player along with San Diego tight end Kellen Winslow.

Related Links

1981 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Results

1981 NFC Central Division Standings

1981 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft

1981 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Statistics

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