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Started out in AFC West in 1976; moved to
NFC Central in 1977. Tampa Bay went 0-14 in their inaugural
season, and started their second season 0-12 before recording
their first win. The club also did not win a game in which
the temperature at kickoff time was below 40°F until the
last week of the 2002 regular season, having lost 20 consecutive
such games prior. They also once lost 27 consecutive games
played both outdoors and on artificial turf; this streak began
after a victory over the Bengals at Cincinnati in the 1980
season opener and lasted until they defeated the Eagles in
Philadelphia on the first week of the 1995 season.
The
team made a habit of losing. The Buccaneers lost at least
ten games in 17 of their first 21 seasons, including 12 straight
from 1983 to 1994. After a particularly dismal effort in the
late 1970's, longtime Buc's coach John McKay gave perhaps
the quintessential comment on the organization's plight: A
reporter asked McKay about his team's execution during the
game. McKay responded "I'm in favour of it". Besides
their poor performance the team's bright creamsicle uniform
and logo (pictured right) were often mocked. In the mid 1990's
the team was sold by original owner Hugh Culverhouse to the
Glazer family, who's financial support allowed them to finally
become competitive. The team's performance dramatically improved
when the Glazers brought in Tony Dungy to coach. The Bucs
also abandoned their traditional team colours of orange and
white in favour of scarlett, black and pewter.
The 2002 Buccaneers became the first team ever to win the
Super Bowl after not having made selections in either of the
first two rounds of the previous spring's college draft (having
traded these selections to the Oakland Raiders for the rights
to head coach Jon Gruden), the first team ever to win the
Super Bowl after having lost at home on opening day, the first
team ever to win the Super Bowl after having gained less than
100 yards rushing per game during the regular season, and
the first team ever to win the Super Bowl after having been
eliminated in the wild-card round of the prior season's playoffs.
The
2003 season proved to be a losing one for the Buccaneers.
Finishing the regular season 7-9, it marked the first time
in the decade of the 2000s that both Super Bowl teams from
the previous season did not even make the playoffs, thus Tampa
Bay was unable to defend their Super Bowl title.
In
the 2004 season, the Bucs started out 1-5 after trading away
two of their best defensive players (John Lynch, Warren Sapp)
and one offensive player (Keyshawn Johnson) after deactivating
him ten games into the 2003 season. This is Tampa's worst
start since Jon Gruden took over the Bucs in 2002.
Another
interesting fact that demonstrates the team's losing history
is the fact that they are the only NFL team to have never
run back a kickoff for a touchdown in the regular season.
They have received over 1,500 kickoffs in their nearly three-decade
history but none of them have been taken back for a touchdown.
However, they returned one kickoff in the first game of the
2002 preseason against the Miami Dolphins.
Founded:
1976 as an NFL expansion team
Home stadium: Raymond James Stadium formerly
at the adjacent Houlihan's Stadium (previously known as Tampa
Stadium)
Uniform colors: Red, Pewter, Black, and White;
some Orange
Helmet design: Pewter helmet, a tattered
red flag hanging from a saber, on the flag a skull, crossed
sabers, and a football
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Arizona
Cardinals 
