1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season The 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season continued their season - long losing streak of 1976 . They began play with a somewhat - improved lineup that included a running back ( Anthony Davis ) playing as a rookie for the third time , in his third different league , and a free - agent linebacker from Miami ( Cecil Johnson ) who chose the Buccaneers over three other teams so that he " wouldn ' t have a long , sad ride home " if he didn ' t make the squad . Their first victory as a franchise came in week 13 , 33 – 14 over the New Orleans Saints . A crowd of 8 , 000 celebrating fans surrounded team headquarters to greet them on their return from New Orleans . The win ended a 26 game losing streak which , , remains a record in the modern NFL . They scored only six touchdowns and were shut out six times during the season , which also remains an NFL record . The year opened with shouts of " Why not Minot ? " and sales of " RH Positive " t - shirts , as preseason injuries to both candidates for the starting quarterback job left rookie Randy Hedberg of Minot State as the surprise starter . The move resulted in the team adding a radio affiliate in faraway North Dakota . Coach John McKay declared the team to be " stronger at every position , with the exception of the quarterback position " than the 1976 team . Unfortunately , injuries , especially at quarterback and offensive line , prevented the offense from gaining any consistency ; while the inexperienced line was able to provide neither adequate pass protection nor lanes for the running backs . Opposing players praised the performance of the Tampa Bay defense , even while posting record numbers of sacks against the Tampa Bay offense . Opposing teams played in fear of being the first to lose to the Buccaneers . Offseason . Rumors that the Buccaneers were a disorganized and confused organization became more common . Returning veterans were promised that changes were forthcoming . Six coaches and administrators resigned or were fired at the beginning of the year , resulting in Head Coach John McKay taking control of more aspects of the organization . Some of the rumors included criticisms of McKay ' s handling of the team , and accusations that ego conflicts caused him to cut veteran players , such as Ira Gordon , who could have helped the team . McKay was also said to have come unraveled over the losing season , as evidenced by his complaints about his coaching assistants , game - day officiating , and opposing coaches who he accused of running up the score . Criticism continued that McKay was attempting a style of play better - adapted to the college game , with Don Shula comparing preparing for the Buccaneers to preparing to play USC . McKay ' s trademark humor had taken on a bitter tone , with comments such as " I keep a picture of O . J . Simpson by my side at all times to remind me of the days when I knew how to coach " . Special teams coach Dennis Fryzel was replaced by USC offensive line coach Skip Husbands , who became the fifth USC assistant to join McKay in Tampa . Head trainer Dave Kendall was replaced by Northwestern University trainer Tom Oxley . The Buccaneers surprised many by waiving quarterback Steve Spurrier , and trading for Chicago Bears backup Gary Huff as his replacement . A rumored attempt to make a deal for Cleveland Browns quarterback Mike Phipps was denied , although a trade was later made for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mike Boryla . NFL Draft . Draft trades . The Buccaneers traded away all of their picks from rounds 4 – 7 . The 4th - rounder went to the Cincinnati Bengals in 1976 for running back Charlie Davis . The 5th was traded to the Miami Dolphins for linebacker Ray Nettles . Their 7th had been traded to the New York Jets for linebacker Richard Wood . They had extra picks in the 6th and 9th rounds , from the Oakland Raiders in return for safety Cedric Brown , who was waived by the Raiders and wound up returning to the Buccaneers . Both of the Buccaneers ' 6th - round picks were in turn traded to the Chicago Bears for quarterback Gary Huff . Finally , they received an additional 10th - round pick from the San Francisco 49ers in return for guard John Miller . Draft selections . In the 1977 NFL Draft , Ricky Bell became the first running back selected No . 1 overall since O . J . Simpson in 1969 . The Buccaneers signed him to a contract the same day . The Buccaneers ' second - round selection of Dave Lewis left them with 11 former USC Trojans , the most from any one school on any one team . Buccaneer staff were not amused with their nickname of " USC East " . Even Lewis , when given the news that he was now a Buccaneer , said , " You mean a " Trojan " Buccaneer " . Lewis was not highly regarded by scouting services , but was rated by the Buccaneers as the best linebacker in the draft . By season ' s end , McKay was calling Lewis " the steal of the draft " , and saying that Lewis would be a top five pick if the draft were held over again . Despite their offensive line troubles of the previous year , the Buccaneers avoided linemen with their later picks , as they didn ' t feel that there were any available worth drafting . Preseason . The team entered preseason with expectations that Mike Boryla and Gary Huff would compete for the starting quarterback job , but both suffered knee injuries in the first two preseason games . Left with only two healthy quarterbacks , one a second - year pro ( Parnell Dickinson ) coming off an injury and the other a rookie ( Randy Hedberg ) , the team eventually claimed Jeb Blount off waivers from the Oakland Raiders . Hedberg would win the starting job based on his strong performance in the final two preseason games , while Dickinson ' s trouble reading defenses and tendency to throw late , easily - intercepted passes over the middle would result in his being cut . In keeping with McKay ' s preference to lose with youth , rather than keep veterans who didn ' t fit into the team ' s future plans , the team traded veteran offensive tackle Mike Current to the Miami Dolphins for troubled former first - round draft pick Darryl Carlton . McKay called Carlton " amazing " , saying that " he just doesn ' t make mental mistakes " . Concerned with their experience at linebacker , the Buccaneers were able to arrange a trade to bring Jack ' Hacksaw ' Reynolds from the Los Angeles Rams . Reynolds , at the time a training camp holdout with the Rams , questioned the validity of his contract and refused to report to Tampa Bay , which his agent referred to as " Outer Mongolia " . The Buccaneers eventually negated the trade , and obtained Rik Bonness from the Raiders . Bonness , a second - year pro who had played center at Nebraska , added depth but not experience . The team purchased Bill Kollar , the Cincinnati Bengals ' 1974 first - round draft choice , who was let go by the Bengals due to injury concerns . Dan Medlin and Jeff Winans , a pair of guards obtained from the Raiders via trade , were touted as the first Buccaneer guards with the speed to lead running plays . Jeris White was obtained from the Dolphins to strengthen the frequently - picked - on left cornerback position . Regular season . The Buccaneers joined the NFL as members of the AFC West in 1976 . The following year , they were moved to the NFC Central , while the other 1976 expansion team , the Seattle Seahawks , switched conferences with Tampa Bay and joined the AFC West . This realignment was dictated by the league as part of the 1976 expansion plan , so that both teams could play each other twice and every other NFL franchise once during their first two seasons . 1977 saw the Buccaneers defense beginning to gel , allowing only one 100 - yard rusher ( Walter Payton ) in the 14 games . Unfortunately , the offense was hit by a wave of injuries , and the resulting personnel shuffling prevented the offense from achieving any consistency . The lack of offensive production was such that they were shut out an NFL - record six times over the season . They scored only 53 points in their first twelve games , 23 of which were scored against fellow expansion team Seattle . Quarterbacks Mike Boryla and Gary Huff having been injured in preseason , the team opened the season with Randy Hedberg , who had gone into training camp as the fourth - string quarterback . The tight end position was struck similarly , with Bob Moore ' s season - ending knee injury leaving injured rookie Dana Nafziger as the team ' s only player capable of taking the field at that position . " We couldn ' t score against a strong wind " , McKay said after one loss . After yet another shutout dropped the team to 0 – 26 , McKay exclaimed , " I may quarterback the team myself . " Top draft pick Ricky Bell ' s play was described as sluggish , even when healthy . He also displayed a tendency to fumble on crucial drives . Opponents , fearful of the humiliation of being the first team to lose to Tampa Bay , played the Buccaneers extra hard . Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach said , " . . . we didn ' t want to be the first . Psychologically , it could have wrecked our year " . Said New York Giants coach John McVay following a victory , " In 25 years of coaching I ' ve never had as much pressure on me as I did this week " . T - shirts depicting a sinking pirate ship with the inscription " Go for 0 " became popular in the Tampa area . The season ' s first victory , and the franchise ' s first overall , did not come until week 13 on the road against the New Orleans Saints . Said Saints head coach Hank Stram following the loss , " What a nightmare . It was the worst experience of my coaching career . We ' re all ashamed for our people , for our fans , for our organization " . He was fired the next week . The Buccaneers followed this the next week with their first home victory , 17 – 7 over the St . Louis Cardinals . Cardinals coach Don Coryell was also fired following the loss . The two - game winning streak ended the Buccaneers ' losing streak at 0 – 26 . Howard Cosell honored the Buccaneers ' first victory by choosing it as the lead game for the halftime highlights of ABC TV ' s Monday Night Football broadcast , and interviewed McKay by telephone during the game . Bill Cosby , filling in for Johnny Carson , who had long ridiculed the winless Buccaneers as host of " The Tonight Show " , devoted a five - minute routine to the win . No Buccaneers were selected to the Pro Bowl following the season , although it was believed that Lee Roy Selmon , Dave Lewis , and Dave Pear would all have been selected had they played on a playoff contender . Game summaries . Week 1 : at Philadelphia Eagles . " September 18 , 1977 at Veterans Stadium , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania " Philadelphia Eagles tight end Keith Krepfle , playing in a cast with pins in his hand , caught a 17 - yard touchdown pass from Ron Jaworski and a 28 - yard pass to set up another . Ricky Bell carried the ball 15 times for 53 yards for the Buccaneers , but killed a scoring drive by fumbling on the Eagles ' 9 - yard line . With Randy Hedberg unable to pick up the Eagles ' blitzes , the Buccaneers were ineffective on offense , having only a field goal to show for four possessions inside the Eagles ' 43 - yard line . Week 2 : vs Minnesota Vikings . " September 24 , 1977 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " A 31 - yard touchdown pass from Fran Tarkenton to Chuck Foreman allowed the Minnesota Vikings to come from behind for the win . The Vikings took a second - quarter lead on Carl Eller ' s end - zone sack of Randy Hedberg . The Buccaneers answered with an 18 - yard Allan Leavitt field goal . Hedberg completed 4 of 14 passes for 51 yards , and was replaced by Gary Huff late in the game . Newly - acquired ex - Steelers linebacker Paul Harris played well in relief of Dave Lewis , who injured his knee early in the game . Tarkenton completed 25 of 38 passes for 223 yards , but most of his completions were dump - offs to his running backs . He was also intercepted by Dewey Selmon . John McKay , who thought the Buccaneers should have been given more credit for nearly upsetting a perennial Super Bowl contender , chafed over Viking comments that the Buccaneer offense was predictable and conservative . The Vikings refused to give any credit to the Buccaneer defense , instead blaming their poor offensive performance on the wet field . The crowd of 66 , 272 was the second - largest crowd yet in Tampa Stadium . Ricky Bell ' s 21 carries were the most yet by a Buccaneer running back , and the Vikings ' 9 points were the least yet allowed by the Buccaneers . Week 3 : at Dallas Cowboys . " October 2 , 1977 at Texas Stadium , Irving , Texas " Gary Huff returned from injury to make his first start against the Dallas Cowboys . Anthony Davis , who had been bothered by nagging injuries , was also inserted into the lineup . This allowed the Buccaneers to move Ricky Bell to fullback , as originally intended . While the Buccaneers were not displeased with Randy Hedberg ' s performance at quarterback over the first two games , they welcomed Huff ' s experience and ability to read defenses . The Buccaneers ' offense was again held scoreless , with the Buccaneers ' first touchdown of the year coming on Richard Wood ' s 37 - yard return of a Tony Dorsett fumble . Wood followed the play by spiking the ball over the goalposts , in apparent imitation of Cowboy Thomas " Hollywood " Henderson ' s similar move following a first - quarter interception , his first of two . Wood also had a 29 - yard interception return . Several Cowboys complained of excessive trash - talking from the Buccaneers , with Cecil Johnson , Dorsett ' s college roommate , singled out particularly . Johnson , who claimed close friendship with Dorsett , nevertheless ripped Dorsett ' s helmet off and punched him in the nose on consecutive plays . Numerous injuries were sustained : starting tight end Bob Moore suffered a season - ending knee injury , and Dana Nafziger , the only remaining tight end , suffered a knee and a wrist injury . Ricky Bell and Jimmy DuBose both went out early . Gary Huff played the game in a knee brace , while starters Jeff Winans , Dave Lewis , and Jack Novak did not play . Week 4 : vs Washington Redskins . " October 9 , 1977 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " Ricky Bell sat out the game with a shoulder injury , and Darryl Carlton left the game early . Tampa Bay quarterbacks were sacked 10 times ( still a team record as of 2009 ) , and threw three interceptions . Eddie Brown ' s 11 punt returns set an NFL single - game record , also still standing . John McKay reacted angrily to Washington tackle Bill Brundige ' s postgame comments that McKay ' s USC offense wouldn ' t work in the NFL . He called Brundige an " idiot " and a " dumb tackle " , and pointed out that the Redskins scored their first touchdown from the same formation . He went on to tell reporters , " none of you know anything about football " , chiding them for asking why the Buccaneers were having trouble moving the ball , despite their knowledge that several starters were out with injuries . The 18th consecutive loss tied the Buccaneers with the 1972 - 1973 Houston Oilers for the third longest NFL losing streak . Washington players afterward praised the Buccaneer defense as among the best in the league . Week 5 : at Seattle Seahawks . " October 16 , 1977 at the Kingdome , Seattle , Washington " Before the game , McKay expressed concern about his team ' s pass defense , words which proved prophetic as Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Steve Myer passed for four touchdowns . Filling in for an injured Jim Zorn , Myer threw two touchdowns to Steve Largent , one to Duke Fergerson , and one to Sherman Smith . They still needed two late interceptions to put the game away , as the Buccaneers ' offense achieved their highest point total to date . Gary Huff completed 18 of 32 pass attempts for 217 yards , but was intercepted four times . His audible to beat a Seattle blitz resulted in a 67 - yard touchdown pass to Morris Owens , and Anthony Davis had a 1 - yard touchdown run . Owens ' 166 yards stood for four years as the Buccaneers ' single - game record . Allan Leavitt contributed three field goals . McKay blamed the letdown to his defense ' s tendency to stop playing pass coverage when the quarterback would roll out , and said they tackled " like a bunch of guys from a junior high school team " . Week 6 : vs Green Bay Packers . " October 23 , 1977 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " The Green Bay Packers recovered reserve linebacker Jim Gueno ' s block of a Dave Green punt at the Buccaneers ' 24 - yard line , setting up the only touchdown of the day and a Packers victory . It was the first time since November 24 , 1974 , that the Packers had held a team to a shutout . The Buccaneers saw drives end due to penalties and turnovers , with one scoring opportunity lost when Ricky Bell fumbled at the Packers ' 2 - yard line . Chester Marcol kicked two field goals , and Eric Torkelson rushed 22 times for 73 yards and the game ' s only touchdown . Gary Huff completed 12 of 22 passes before being pulled in the fourth quarter . Fans cheered after a sack left Huff lying on the turf with a cracked rib . Offensive line play continued to be criticized , as both Buccaneer quarterbacks suffered injuries . Huff ' s replacement , Randy Hedberg , played the final series with a concussion , and had to be led off of the field to be hospitalized after the game . Both injuries were due to hits by Mike Butler . Packers quarterback Lynn Dickey was sacked three times , and knocked out of the game . The Packers and Buccaneers entered the game with the league ' s 26th - and 28th - ranked offenses , respectively . Week 7 : at San Francisco 49ers . " October 30 , 1977 at Candlestick Park , San Francisco , California " Wilbur Jackson and Delvin Williams each ran for a touchdown , and Ray Wersching kicked a pair of field goals to give the San Francisco 49ers a lead that the Buccaneers would not overcome . The Buccaneers rallied in the fourth quarter . Starting quarterback Jeb Blount led a drive that ended with a 5 - yard Louis Carter touchdown run , followed by an onside kick which the Buccaneers recovered . Dave Green ' s pass on a fake punt resulted in a 45 - yard reception by Danny Reece , but the offense stalled at the 1 - yard line . Week 8 : at Los Angeles Rams . " November 6 , 1977 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum , Los Angeles , California " Rams quarterback Pat Haden was 10 of 21 for 123 yards passing , and two touchdowns . Jeb Blount was 8 of 21 for 83 yards for the Buccaneers , with two interceptions . On one play the Rams jumped offside , but the penalty was called against the Buccaneers . The officials corrected their mistake , but angered McKay by laughing about it . The Rams lost Dennis Harrah for the season with a knee injury , and suffered injuries to Dave Elmendorf and Kevin McLain . Week 9 : vs New York Giants . " November 13 , 1977 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " Despite nine possessions inside the New York Giants ' 35 - yard line and six inside the 12 , the Buccaneers were held scoreless for the fourth time of the season . It was the Giants ' first shutout since 1970 . Dan Ryczek ' s high snap to punter Dave Green resulted in the Giants taking possession at the Buccaneers ' 1 - yard line , leading to a Bob Hammond run for the Giants ' only touchdown . The Buccaneers were stopped twice when choosing to run on fourth down instead of attempting field goals . Isaac Hagins narrowly missed returning the kickoff for a touchdown following the Giants ' touchdown , but was tackled by the kicker . Danny Reece also was tackled by the last Giant during a punt return that nearly went for a touchdown . Starting quarterback Jeb Blount passed for 234 yards , and threw a touchdown pass to Louis Carter that was called back . Week 10 : at Detroit Lions . " November 20 , 1977 at the Pontiac Silverdome , Pontiac , Michigan " Detroit Lions quarterback Joe Reed prevented two Buccaneer touchdowns by tackling Dave Pear on a fumble return and Mike Washington on an interception return . Dan Ryczek ' s high snap ruined what was potentially a game - winning field goal attempt . Detroit fans booed the home team throughout the first half , and cheered when Ricky Bell scored on a 4 - yard touchdown run following Washington ' s interception . This was the first time all year that the Buccaneers were the team to score first in a game . Fan support turned when Gary Danielson replaced Reed in the second half . After Dick Jauron intercepted a Jeb Blount pass , Danielson led a 55 - yard drive that ended in a 1 - yard touchdown run by Rick Kane . A potential touchdown pass bounced off of Isaac Hagins ' helmet at the Detroit 10 - yard line , and another was fumbled by Hagins and recovered in the end zone by James Hunter . Reggie Pinkney ' s late touchdown return of a Randy Hedberg interception sealed the victory for the Lions . Week 11 : vs Atlanta Falcons . " November 27 , 1977 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " The Atlanta Falcons allowed a franchise - low 78 yards of offense while holding the Buccaneers to their fifth shutout of the season . Coach McKay called the Buccaneers ' play " our worst effort in two years " . Gary Huff started at quarterback , throwing three interceptions in his second return from injury of the season . This marked the Buccaneers ' 12th change in starting quarterbacks in less than two seasons . Neither the 62 yards rushing or 16 yards passing were team lows , but the combined effort was the Buccaneers ' worst to date . The injured Ricky Bell was held to 11 yards on 6 carries . Fans threw soft drinks at McKay and son Richie , while Bell and Anthony Davis had to be restrained from going into the stands after a heckler . The Falcons intercepted the Buccaneers four times and recovered one fumble , and continued to pursue the league record for least points allowed in a season . They finished the game having held opponents to only 83 points , keeping them on pace to break the 1969 Minnesota Vikings record of 133 . Week 12 : vs Chicago Bears . " December 4 , 1977 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton entered the game with hopes of surpassing O . J . Simpson ' s 2 , 003 - yard season , but was held to 101 yards on 33 carries . Ricky Bell set new franchise rushing records with 94 yards on 24 carries . Payton scored the game ' s only touchdown , a three - yard run that was set up by a 32 - yard pass to Steve Schubert from punter Bob Parsons . Lee Roy Selmon sacked quarterback Bob Avellini twice , blocked one of his passes , and hurried him several times . The Buccaneers ' only serious offensive threat ended with a missed field goal in the first quarter . Week 13 : at New Orleans Saints . " December 11 , 1977 at Louisiana Superdome , New Orleans , Louisiana " The New Orleans Saints did not get a first down until midway through the second quarter , and did not get past midfield until nearly the end of the half . The Buccaneers began their first five drives in Saints territory , scoring on two Dave Green field goals , and a five - yard pass from Gary Huff to Morris Owens that capped off a 71 - yard drive . Mike Washington made it 20 – 0 early in the second half , returning an interception 45 yards for a touchdown . The Buccaneers also recovered a fumble , and had six interceptions in all . Richard Wood and Greg Johnson also returned interceptions for touchdowns . Before the game , John McKay had read the team an article in which Saints quarterback Archie Manning stated that it would be disgraceful to lose to Tampa Bay . Inspired by the statements , the Buccaneer defense yelled , " It ' s disgraceful ! It ' s disgraceful ! " at him as the clock wound down . Week 14 : vs St . Louis Cardinals . " December 18 , 1977 at Tampa Stadium , Tampa , Florida " The Buccaneers defeated the St . Louis Cardinals , only recently eliminated from playoff contention , for their first home victory . Gary Huff completed 7 of 12 passes , including 61 - and 62 - yarders to Morris Owens , the first of which went for a touchdown . The improved offensive line allowed no sacks . Huff ' s average of 14 . 3 yards per pass attempt is the third - best in Buccaneer history , and stood as the record until broken by Vinny Testaverde in 1992 . Said Coach McKay following the victory : " I ' m going to go home , take a shower , and tell myself what a great coach I am " . Fans tore down the goalposts after the game , and a vendor outside the stadium began stamping the word " Don ' t " at the top of the " Throw McKay in Tampa Bay " t - shirts he had been selling .