The Bucs First Championship: A Dozen Days in January

Sunday January 26, 2003

More reports, stories and buildup. One of the local papers had a special section with the rather clever title of "May the Best Pirates Win." The pre- pre-pre-pre-game shows were already on television when I woke up. Since the kickoff is not until almost 6:30 pm, there is still plenty time for hype.

Even die hard fans probably take a break from the official ABC pregame show, which ran almost as long as the game. As the game nears, more and more people settle in front of the set to watch a purely American event and the most watched television program of the year. The site is Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. ABC begins the game telecast with the familiar "Are you ready for some football" theme music. It is finally time for Super Bowl XXXVII.

The AFC Champion Oakland Raiders were introduced first and the Raider Nation roared. The NFC Champion Buccaneers were introduced and the Buc flags waved. Most of the pre-game festivities were now over and the teams were on the field. The Dixie Chicks, prior to the controversy generated by some comments they made about President Bush, sang the national anthem. Members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins were honored and Don Shula, head coach of that undefeated team, handled the coin toss. The Bucs won the toss and elected to receive. Time to play ball.

Brad Johnson was intercepted on the Bucs third offensive play by Charles Woodson and the Raiders had the ball at the Bucs 36. The game's first points came on a 40 yard Sebastian Janikowski field goal and Oakland lead 3-0 with 4:20 off the clock. Midway through the first quarter, Martin Gramatica kicked a 31 yard field goal to even the score. While Oakland continued to win the field position battle, three and outs were the trend over the next few possessions. The field possession battle turned when Dexter Jackson intercepted Rich Gannon at mid field. Early in the second quarter, a Gramatica field goal gave the Bucs their first lead at 6-3. Jackson picked off Gannon a second time and the Bucs were in Oakland territory.

The Bucs could not move the ball, however neither could the Raiders, and after an exchange of punts Tampa Bay was at the Oakland 27 yard line. Mike Alstott ran for the game's first touchdown from 2 yards out and the Bucs lead 13-3 with 6:24 left in the half. The Bucs got the ball back at their 23 yard line and marched down the field. With 30 seconds left, Brad Johnson hit Keenan McCardell on a 5 yard scoring pass and the Bucs were up 20-3.

With the Bucs up by three scores, was the game over? FOX put a microphone on John Lynch and he made a telling remark just before the intermission. "It's like every play they've run, we ran in practice," Lynch said.

Not only was the Bucs defense dominating, but the offense was starting to click. The Bucs started their first possession of the second half on their own 10 yard line and an 8 yard TD pass to Keenan McCardell capped a 90 yard drive. McCardell had his second touchdown of the game and the Bucs were up 27-3. There was 5:30 left in the third quarter and Tampa Bay was rolling.

Less than a minute later, Dwight Smith intercepted Rich Gannon and returned the ball 44 yards for a touchdown. The Bucs were up 34-3 with 4:44 left in the third quarter. Thirty-four unanswered points and this one had to be over. There was plenty of celebrating on the Buccaneers sidelines.

Oakland had not given up and the Bucs began to sputter. Jerry Porter scored on a 39 yard pass play and the score was 34-9 with 2:14 left in the third quarter. Tim Johnson blocked a Tom Tupa punt, Eric Johnson caught the ball in mid air and returned it for a touchdown. It was 34-15 with 14:16 left in the fourth quarter. The Bucs did march down to the Oakland 9 yard line before the drive stalled. A fumbled snap on a Martin Gramatica field goal attempt gave the ball back to Oakland with 9:02 left. Rich Gannon found Jerry Rice on a 48 yard scoring pass and the Raiders were within 34-21. Oakland had scored eighteen straight points and now were down by thirteen with 6:06 left. They could have been closer ten points, but misfired on three two-point conversions.

The game was now surprisingly close and Oakland was driving again, before Derrick Brooks sealed the victory. Brooks intercepted Gannon and returned the ball 44 yards for the touchdown. The Bucs were now up by twenty, 41-21, and the championship hats came out on the sidelines. There was still 1:18 on the clock, but it did not matter. At the 1:00 mark, Jon Gruden got the Gatorade shower. The celebration was in full swing and was punctuated by Dwight Smith returning a pick for a 50 yard score with 2 seconds on the clock. The final score was Bucs 48, Raiders 21.

Dexter Jackson had two interceptions and was named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player in game of great performances. Dwight Smith also had a pair of picks and returned both for touchdowns. Derrick Brooks also returned his interception for a score giving the Bucs a Super Bowl record five interceptions and a record 172 interception return yards. Michael Pittman had his first 100- yard rushing effort of the season with 124 yards and Keenan McCardell had two TD catches. Brad Johnson (18 of 34 for 215 yards with 1 INT) was not sacked and threw for two touchdowns. The Bucs sacked Rich Gannon (24 of 44 for 272 yards) five times, twice by Simeon Rice. The Bucs held the Raiders to 19 yards rushing, had an 365 to 269 advantage in total yards and had 24 first down to Oakland's 11. The 48 points equaled the franchise record for points scored in a game. It was now time to enjoy.

With confetti flying at Qualcomm Stadium, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue presented the Vince Lombardi trophy to Malcolm Glazer. The team owner said, "First, I want to thank coach Jon Gruden for what he did. He came from heaven and he brought us to heaven. Next, the players. We've got the greatest players in the whole world. And the fans, we got the best fans in the whole world. Tampa Bay, we love you!" Glazer then lead the "Tampa, Bay" cheer.

Jon Gruden, who became the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl, said "I'm so happy for the fans and these great players. That's what it was about today. We're going to get a lot better, I promise you that. This is Tampa Bay's night and we're world champions."

Back in Tampa Bay, in virtually every neighborhood, the streets erupted. Television stations began broadcasting live shots of people partying in Ybor City and of traffic backed up along roads near Raymond James Stadium.

In San Diego, interviews continued with players and team management. John Lynch commented, "When you consider where we've come from as an organization, I can't imagine anyone feeling better than I do now." Rhode Barber spoke to the fans, "Keep that party going, man. We'll be right back." General Manager Rich McKay admitted, "I got to believe tonight is a special night, but calm yourself down. I'm a little nervous about tonight and tomorrow night."

The official victory ceremony was scheduled for the next night, so the Tampa Police Department did not want people coming out to RJS. When the game was going on, the streets around the stadium were deserted. After the game, fans were drawn to that area like a magnet. Cars pulled to the side of the road, fans were running around and fireworks were going off. Traffic backed up for miles, horns were blasting, people were hanging out car windows and Bucs flags were waving everywhere. In the interest of safety, the police first worked on getting people off the streets. Next, officers started closing roads and eventually cordoned off the stadium area. After a couple hours, things were relatively quite around the stadium. Seventh Avenue in Ybor City was also closed down and people celebrated in that part of town all night.

All over Tampa Bay, in neighborhoods large and small, fans took to the streets. It was time to yell and scream, light off fireworks, and erase 27 years of suffering. There were very few problems associated with all the celebrating. The area can be proud of the fact that the television stations were broadcasting exuberant fans, instead of the civil unrest frequently associated with such victory celebrations. In Oakland, people set fires, trashed cars and police had to use tear gas. There was a banner hanging from the Tampa city hall stating, "Tampa knows how to party." Yes, the Tampa Bay area celebrated with class.

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