Remembering Tampa Bay’s First Two Seasons

In 1976 and 1977, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers experienced what is probably the worst two seasons to begin a modern franchise in pro football history. Most fans and historians of the NFL know that the Buccaneers had ended their inaugural season of 1976 with the embarrassing record of zero wins and 14 losses.

But did you know that even though they earned a 2-12 mark in 1977, their 1977 season was actually worse in a statistical sense than their winless season of 1976. It’s true!

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1976 SEASON

The Buccaneers were the butt of many jokes all throughout the sports world in 1976 and 1977. Many people felt sorry for them. Let’s take a look at that 1976 season first.

In that year, as the weeks trudged on, it appeared to many observers that the Bucs would quite possibly become the first NFL team since 1960 to go without a win. They actually were members of the AFC Western Division in 1976, which at that time only had one really good team…the Oakland Raiders. So Tampa Bay did not have what you would consider an outrageously tough schedule in 1976.

But you had a sense that because the vast majority of the players on their roster were comprised of discarded players from the other NFL teams…you just had a sense that this Tampa Bay team was not going to be in the least competitive. They were shut out five different times in 1976, including their first two games.

Their offense could manage to score just 125 points, easily the lowest number of points scored in the league. Their defense was also especially poor, as they gave up a total of 412 points in 1976.

It was going to take some time until some unit familiarity and cohesion took effect in Tampa before they were going to show at least some level of competition with the other teams in the NFL. It would not be easy, however. Assorted injuries did not help matters, and head coach John McKay was undoubtedly scratching his head, as he tried all year long to find players good enough to perform at a pro level.

1977 SEASON

In 1977, the Bucs were moved into the NFC Central Division, where they remained for several decades until realignment occurred for all the league’s teams in 2002. But the change in conference and division location did not really help the Buccaneers.

They actually played what most people would consider weaker teams in 1977 than whom they played in 1976. But that did not matter. Tampa Bay only scored 103 total points in 1977, which was 22 less points than they scored in 1976. Again, injuries at many positions hurt the Bucs quite a bit. They had three different starting quarterbacks in 1977.

By seasons end, Gary Huff was their only quarterback who threw any touchdown passes, and he could only account for three scoring tosses. Also by season’s end, Huff, Randy Hedberg, and Jeb Blount managed to throw for a combined 30 interceptions. It also did not help that their best running back, Ricky Bell, was sidelined for most of the 1977 season with nagging injuries.

He could gain just 436 yards in 1977. By the end of the 1977 season, Tampa Bay was shutout six times. Considering that there were 14 games in a regular season back then, you must conclude that the Buccaneers’ offense was truly abysmal.

A SILVER LINING?

But I suppose that there is a silver lining for all teams sooner or later, and for the 1977 Buccaneers, that silver lining was their defense. Remember those 412 points that they gave up in 1976?

Well in 1977, they surrendered just 223 points. That’s a 189-point difference! Indeed, it was Tampa Bay’s defenders which kept the margins of their defeats at least not as embarrassing as the margins of their defeats from their previous year.

With two games left in the 1977 season, the Buccaneers won them both, defeating the lowly New Orleans Saints and the mediocre St. Louis Cardinals. Regardless of the level of their competition, those two wins were indeed a blessing for the team, as they could at least go into the 1978 season with a small amount of optimism. Indeed, Tampa Bay would improve over their rough first two seasons to the point that they would win a division title in 1979.

Trivia Question:

Who was the quarterback who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in passing in their inaugural season of 1976?

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Host of Pro Football in the 1970s - Joe Zagorski

Throughout his days, Joe spent some time as a sportswriter and has been a member of the Pro Football Researchers Association since the mid-1980s. Joe is also a proud member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

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