Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ( often shortened as the Bucs ) are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa , Florida , U . S . They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference ( NFC ) in the National Football League ( NFL ) . The team , along with the Seattle Seahawks , joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team . They played their first season in the AFC West as part of the 1976 expansion plan . After the season , they switched conferences with the Seattle Seahawks and became part of the NFC . The club is currently owned by Malcolm Glazer and coached by head coach Raheem Morris . They play their home games at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa . When the franchise entered the league in 1976 , the Buccaneers lost their first 26 games . After a brief winning era in the late 1970s and early 1980s , the team suffered through 14 consecutive losing seasons . For a 10 - year period they were consistent playoff contenders , and won Super Bowl XXXVII at the end of the 2002 season . " Tampa Bay " . The name " Tampa Bay " is often used to describe a geographic metropolitan area which encompasses the cities around the body of water known as Tampa Bay , including Tampa , St . Petersburg , Clearwater , and Bradenton . Unlike in the case of Green Bay , Wisconsin , there is no municipality known as " Tampa Bay " . The " Tampa Bay " in the names of local professional sports franchises ( Bucs , Rowdies , Rays , Lightning , etc . ) denotes that they represent the entire region , not just Tampa or St . Petersburg . Franchise history . 1976 – 1978 . 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 . Instead of a traditional division schedule of playing each division opponent twice , the Buccaneers played every conference team once , plus the Seahawks . The Tampa Bay expansion franchise was originally awarded to Tom McCloskey , a construction company owner from Philadelphia . McCloskey soon entered a financial dispute with the NFL , so the league found a replacement in Hugh Culverhouse , a wealthy tax attorney from Jacksonville . Culverhouse ' s handshake deal to purchase the Los Angeles Rams from the estate of Dan Reeves was thwarted by Robert Irsay ' s purchase of the team , which he then traded to Carroll Rosenbloom in exchange for the Baltimore Colts , a complete trade of teams between two owners . Culverhouse had long been alleged to be in line for an expansion franchise through a settlement of his antitrust lawsuits in which he accused the owners of conspiracy to prevent his purchase of the Rams . A name - the - team contest resulted in the nickname " Buccaneers " , a reference to the pirate legends of Southwest Florida . The team name was opposed by St . Petersburg businessmen on the grounds that it emphasized Tampa at the expense of other Bay Area cities , until NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle himself met with them to encourage their support . Their uniforms and " Bucco Bruce " winking pirate logo were designed by Tampa Tribune artist Lamar Sparkman , with colors drawn from the state ' s four major college teams : orange from the universities of Miami and Florida , and red from FSU and the University of Tampa . They were one of the few teams to wear white home uniforms , forcing opponents to wear their dark uniforms in Tampa ' s 90 - degree fall heat . The team ' s first home was Tampa Stadium , which had recently been expanded to seat just over 72 , 500 fans . Steve Spurrier was the quarterback for Tampa Bay during their expansion season . Tampa Bay did not win their first game until the 13th week of their second season , starting with a record of 0 – 26 ( though the Bucs had beaten the Atlanta Falcons 17 – 3 in a 1976 pre - season game before their first regular season ) . Until the Detroit Lions in 2008 , the 1976 Bucs held the dubious title as the least - winningest team in NFL history . Their losing streak caused them to become the butt of late - night television comedians ' jokes . Their first win came in 1977 on the road against the New Orleans Saints . Saints Head Coach Hank Stram was fired after losing to the Buccaneers . Tampa Bay only needed one more week to get their second win , a home win over the St . Louis Cardinals in the 1977 season finale . The Cardinals also fired their coach , Don Coryell , shortly afterward . The team continued to improve in 1978 , although injuries to several key players kept the team from achieving the winning record promised by McKay . 1979 – 1982 . The Bucs ' situation improved rapidly in 1979 . With the maturation of quarterback Doug Williams and future 4 - time Pro Bowl tight end Jimmie Giles , the first 1000 - yard rushing season from running back Ricky Bell , and a smothering , league - leading defense led by future NFL Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon , the Bucs kicked off the season with five consecutive victories , a stunning performance that landed them on the cover of " Sports Illustrated . " With four games left in the season , the Bucs needed to win only one of them to make the playoffs . In the first , STP was put all over the goal posts in Tampa to prevent the goalposts from being ripped down in the event of a celebration . Four blocked kicks later , the Bucs wasted the oily substance , falling to the Minnesota Vikings 23 – 22 . STP was wasted again the following week as the Bucs were shut out 14 – 0 by the Chicago Bears , and in O . J . Simpson ' s final home game in San Francisco , Tampa Bay lost its third straight attempt to clinch a division title against a 49ers team which came in with a 1 – 13 record . Clinch they did , however , in their final contest at home against the Kansas City Chiefs , which was played in the worst downpour in Bucs history . Finishing with a 10 – 6 record , the Bucs had their first winning season in franchise history , and also won the Central Division in a tiebreaker over the Chicago Bears . In an upset , the Bucs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24 – 17 in the divisional round of the playoffs . Because the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the other NFC playoff game , the Bucs hosted the NFC Championship Game the following week in Tampa . The Bucs lost to the Rams 9 – 0 , thanks to great defense by the Rams . In their fourth season , the Bucs seemed on the verge of fulfilling McKay ' s five - year plan . The Bucs made the playoffs again by winning their division in the 1981 season . The 1981 season came down to a thrilling final game at Detroit . The winner would take the Central Division crown and the loser would miss the playoffs . The Lions had not lost at home all season . Although the Bucs trailed early , an 84 - yard touchdown bomb from QB Williams to WR Kevin House and a fumble recovery for a touchdown by DT David Logan sealed the shocking win for the Bucs . The Dallas Cowboys rewarded the Bucs ' efforts with a 38 – 0 blowout in the divisional round of the playoffs . The 1982 season started just as poorly for the Bucs , as they went 0 – 3 before a player ' s strike shut down the NFL for seven weeks . When the league resumed play , the Bucs were nicknamed the " Cardiac Kids " for winning five of their next six games all in the final moments to go 5 – 4 and qualify for the expanded playoff slate . In the first round , the Bucs once again faced the Cowboys at home in Dallas , but the Bucs put up a much better fight , leading the game at the half . Tampa Bay lost 30 – 17 . As it turned out , this would be the last winning regular season under Culverhouse ' s ownership . 1983 – 1995 . Before the 1983 season , Williams bolted to the United States Football League in a salary dispute . Without Williams , the Bucs were a rudderless team . They promptly bottomed out at 2 – 14 , the first of 13 consecutive 10 - loss seasons - - an NFL record for futility . Included in their misery was the drafting of Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson with the first pick in the 1986 draft . Jackson had let it be known he ' d never play a down for Tampa . Making good on his threat , he opted instead to play baseball for the Kansas City Royals . Jackson would later return for parts of football seasons with the Los Angeles Raiders . The Bucs ' struggles were due in large part to how Culverhouse ran the team . Under Culverhouse , the Bucs were one of the NFL ' s more profitable teams during the 1980s . However , this was largely because he kept the payroll among the lowest in the league , hampering their ability to sign quality players . Attendance also sagged ; at one point the Buccaneers went parts of three whole seasons without having a home game televised locally . 1996 – 2001 . Despite the profitability of the Buccaneers in the 1980s , Culverhouse ' s death revealed a team close to bankruptcy , which surprised many observers . His son , Miami attorney Hugh Culverhouse , Jr . , practically forced the trustees of his father ' s estate to sell the team , which cast doubt on the future of the franchise in Tampa . Interested parties included New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos , the latter of whom publicly declared he would move the team to Baltimore , as the city did not have an NFL franchise at that time . However , in a last - minute surprise , Malcolm Glazer outbid both of them for $ 192 million , the highest sale price for a professional sports franchise up to that point . Glazer immediately placed his sons Bryan , Edward , and Joel in charge of the team ' s financial affairs , and the family ' s deep pockets and serious commitment to fielding a winning team — in Tampa — allowed the Bucs to finally become competitive . The team ' s performance dramatically improved when the Glazers hired Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Tony Dungy as head coach , jettisoned the old uniform designs ( see below ) , and convinced Hillsborough County voters to raise sales taxes to fund the construction of Raymond James Stadium . During Dungy ' s first season in 1996 , the team continued to struggle , starting the season 1 – 8 . But in the second half of the season they finished 5 – 2 , primarily due to the performance of a defense ranked seventh in the NFL led by Hardy Nickerson and the maturing of Wyche ' s draftees Brooks , Lynch , and Sapp . Dungy , a devout Christian with an even - tempered personality , quickly brought balance and morale to the team , and his Cover 2 defensive scheme , sharpened to perfection by defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and linebackers coach Lovie Smith , became the foundation for Tampa Bay ' s future success . Their version of Cover 2 was so successful that it became known as the Tampa 2 . It has been brought to the Chicago Bears by Smith , Detroit Lions by Rod Marinelli , Kansas City Chiefs by Herman Edwards and to the Indianapolis Colts by Dungy himself , and copied by several other teams . The team started the season 5 – 0 , picking up where they left off the previous year , and this quick start once again landed them on the cover of " Sports Illustrated " - - not once , but twice . The Bucs went 10 – 6 for their first winning season and playoff appearance since 1982 , as a wild - card team . In the Bucs ' final home game at Houlihan ' s Stadium ( formerly Tampa Stadium ) , the team defeated the Detroit Lions 20 – 10 . They lost at Lambeau Field to the eventual NFC champion Green Bay Packers 21 – 7 . Still , there was reason for optimism , and the expectations were high for the following season . The 1998 season , the first to be played in the newly constructed Raymond James Stadium , saw the Bucs lose several close games en route to a disappointing 8 – 8 record . The Bucs had to play the first 6 football games of the year ( including preseason ) on the road as the new stadium was not quite finished . The 1999 season brought much better fortune . On the strength of the NFL ' s number 3 overall defense and a surprising performance by rookie QB Shaun King , the Bucs finished the season with an 11 – 5 record and won their third NFC Central Division Championship . They beat the Washington Redskins 14 – 13 in the Divisional round , before losing to the eventual Super Bowl Champion St . Louis Rams in an unusually low - scoring NFC Championship Game , 11 – 6 . The Bucs ' loss was controversial , highlighted by the unusual reversal of a pass from King to WR Bert Emanuel , which ended the Bucs ' chances at continuing their last - minute drive for a possible win . In league meetings later that year , NFL later changed the rules regarding what constituted an incomplete pass , which was considered a backhanded admission that the reversal was incorrect . 2002 – Super Bowl champions / " The Pirate Bowl " . Dungy was released by the Buccaneers following a disappointing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles 31 – 9 in the Wildcard Round of 2001 and soon thereafter hired as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts , while the Bucs mounted a prolonged and much - maligned search for his replacement . Several potential candidates were offered the job , including University of Florida head coach Steve Spurrier , former New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells , and Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis . Spurrier jumped to the Redskins when he was offered the most lucrative salary package ever offered to an NFL head coach , and Parcells eventually passed on the Bucs ' offer — the second time he had done so in the history of the franchise . Bucs general manager Rich McKay threw his support behind Lewis . The Glazer brothers were so displeased with the selection of yet another defensive - minded coach that they overruled McKay and took control of the candidate search themselves . They made it clear that their top choice was Jon Gruden . The problem was that he was still under contract to the Oakland Raiders . While talks with the Raiders were secretly under way , the Glazers publicly pursued another respected offensive mind , San Francisco 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci . Just when initial reports indicated that Mariucci had agreed to become both the Bucs ' head coach and their general manager , Raiders owner Al Davis agreed to release Jon Gruden to Tampa Bay . The Glazers ' shrewd move eventually paid off in acquiring Gruden , but it cost the team dearly . The team hired Gruden away from the Raiders on February 20 , 2002 , but the price was four draft picks , including the Bucs ' first and second round picks in 2002 , their first round pick in 2003 , and their second round selection in 2004 , along with $ 8 million in cash ; the league as a result prohibited any further trading of draft picks for coaches . Gruden was frustrated by the limitation of his coaching authority by Davis and was more than pleased to return to Tampa Bay . His parents lived in Carrollwood , and he had spent part of his childhood in Tampa in the early 1980s when his father was a running backs coach and later a scout for the Bucs . Upon his arrival in Tampa , Gruden immediately went to work , retooling a sluggish offense . The league ' s sweeping realignment sent the Bucs to the new NFC South Division , along with the Atlanta Falcons , Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints . Led by the league ' s top defense , the 2002 campaign was the Buccaneers ' most successful season to date . They won the NFC South title with the team ' s best ever record , 12 - 4 , and went on to rout Gruden ' s former team , the Oakland Raiders who had the league ' s number 1 offense , by a score of 48 - 21 in Super Bowl XXXVII . 2003 – 2008 Period of struggle . Soon after the Super Bowl victory , a growing number of press reports indicated Gruden ' s lack of patience with general manager McKay . McKay was a major architect of the Bucs ' rebuilding effort over the previous ten years , and he , like Gruden , had long - established ties to the Tampa Bay area . However , during the 2003 season , the Gruden - McKay relationship deteriorated as the Bucs struggled on the field . In November , Keyshawn Johnson was deactivated by the team ten games into the season for his conduct , which included sideline arguments with Bucs coaches and players . Johnson was eventually traded to the Dallas Cowboys for wide receiver Joey Galloway . In December , the Glazers allowed McKay to leave the Bucs before the end of the regular season , and he promptly joined the Falcons as president and general manager . Thus , McKay watched his first game as a Falcons executive sitting next to owner Arthur Blank in a Raymond James Stadium skybox . The Falcons defeated the Bucs 30 - 28 . The Bucs suffered a sluggish start and finished the season 7 – 9 . With the Raiders ' dismal 4 – 12 performance , neither Super Bowl team reached the playoffs that year . For 2004 , Bruce Allen was hired as general manager . After Allen ' s arrival , both John Lynch and Warren Sapp were released , stunning many Buccaneer fans . The distracted Buccaneers began the 2004 season with a 1 – 5 record , their worst start under Gruden . The fading accuracy of kicker Martin Gramatica did not help matters , as the team lost many close games en route to a 5 – 11 record . In the 2005 season , the Buccaneers celebrated their 30th season in the league , and returned to their winning ways . The Bucs selected Cadillac Williams in the first round of the 2005 draft , and the rookie would provide a running game the Buccaneers had not possessed since the days of James Wilder in the 1980s . After starting 5 – 1 , the team entered a midseason slump hampered by a season - ending injury to starting QB Brian Griese . Replacement starter Chris Simms struggled early , but came into his own leading to the team to a last - minute win over the Redskins . The Bucs won the NFC South Division finishing 11 – 5 . The season ended abruptly , however , with a 17 – 10 loss in the Wild Card round , in a rematch with the Redskins . After winning the division in 2005 , the Bucs suffered through an abysmal 2006 season . The season was plagued by injuries , with starters such as guard Dan Buenning , wide receiver Michael Clayton , running back Carnell " Cadillac " Williams , defensive end Simeon Rice , cornerback Brian Kelly , and quarterback Chris Simms all being placed on injured reserve at some point in the season . The season also saw a lot of rookies starting for the Bucs , such as quarterback Bruce Gradkowski , tackle Jeremy Trueblood , and guard Davin Joseph . The Bucs started off the season 0 – 3 , with QB Chris Simms throwing only 1 touchdown to 7 interceptions . In the third game of the season , a last - minute loss to the Panthers , Simms ' s spleen was ruptured , and he was placed on injured reserve for the balance of the season . After their bye week , the Bucs elected to start rookie quarterback Bruce Gradkowski , a 6th - round pick from Toledo . After nearly beating the Saints , Gradkowski led the team to last - minute wins over the Bengals and Eagles . The success was short - lived , however , and the Bucs lost five of the next six games . Tim Rattay replaced Gradkowski as quarterback late in the season , and the team finished 4 – 12 . The aged defense , with 5 starters who had played there for a decade or more , was ranked 17th overall , the first time a Tampa defense was not ranked in the top ten since 1996 . After a disappointing 4 – 12 effort in 2006 , the Buccaneers for the first time in several seasons had money to spend in free agency . They brought in quarterback Jeff Garcia , offensive tackle Luke Petitgout , defensive end Kevin Carter , and linebacker Cato June . On April 28 , the Buccaneers drafted Clemson defensive end Gaines Adams with the 4th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft . After the draft the Buccaneers picked up tight end Jerramy Stevens and defensive tackle Ryan Sims . The offseason changes resulted in the Buccaneers winning the NFC South title in the 2007 season , finishing with a 9 – 7 record , and the 4th seed in the NFC . The division crown was the second one in three seasons under Gruden . In the Wild Card round of the playoffs held on January 6 , 2008 , the Buccaneers lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants by a final score of 24 – 14 . During the 2008 offseason , the Bucs re - signed head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen through the 2011 season . They also acquired former players Warrick Dunn , who had spent the last 6 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons , and Brian Griese who was the starting quarterback for the team in 2005 until a knee injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year . Chris Simms was finally released , having not played in a game since his injury in 2006 . The Bucs got off to a great start in , with a 9 – 3 record going into the final month of the season , tied for first place in the division , with a chance at the top seed in the conference . On December 2 , it was announced that defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin would be leaving the team after the season ' s end , for the same job at the University of Tennessee , serving under his son Lane Kiffin , who had just been named the new head coach at the school . After the announcement , the Buccaneers would lose the final four games of the season to finish 9 – 7 for the second consecutive season . Unlike 2007 , it was not enough to secure the division championship , nor a playoff appearance . 2009 . In January 2009 the Buccaneers fired Jon Gruden and made Raheem Morris the head coach after having just named Morris the replacement of Monte Kiffin as defensive coordinator . Bruce Allen was also let go , with Mark Dominik his successor as general manager . On February 25 , the Bucs released veterans Derrick Brooks , Warrick Dunn , Joey Galloway , Ike Hilliard , Jeff Garcia , and Cato June . They traded for tight end Kellen Winslow Jr . on February 27 for a 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft , and a 5th round draft pick in 2010 . They signed running back Derrick Ward , from the New York Giants , to a four - year , $ 17 million contract . They signed quarterback Byron Leftwich to a two - year deal . They drafted Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman 17th overall in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft . 2009 was one of the Bucs ' worst years in recent memory . They started the season 0 – 7 , behind veteran quarterback Byron Leftwich for the first three games , and Josh Johnson , who had never made an appearance in an NFL game prior to the season , for the next four . Following their bye week , Tampa Bay made another quarterback switch , this time to Josh Freeman . Freeman ' s first career start resulted in the team ' s first win of the season , a comeback win in which Freeman threw for two touchdown passes in the final quarter . Freeman remained the starting quarterback for the rest of the season , but the team won only two more games . Finishing 3 – 13 , it was their worst record since 1991 . 2010 . In 2010 , the Buccaneers surprised everyone by producing the greatest single - season turnaround in franchise history , going 10 - 6 . This was largely made possible by the breakout performances of second - year quarterback Josh Freeman , rookie receiver Mike Williams , and undrafted rookie running back LeGarrette Blount . Freeman started all 16 games , throwing for 3 , 451 yards while completing 61 . 4 % of his throws . He also had the ninth best TD / INT ratio in NFL history , throwing 25 touchdowns to only 6 interceptions . Williams , who was drafted by the Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2010 draft , caught 65 receptions for 964 yards and 11 touchdowns . His 11 touchdowns were also a Buccaneers franchise record for all receivers . LeGarrette Blount rushed for 1 , 007 yards and 6 touchdowns , becoming only the second undrafted rookie in NFL history to break the 1 , 000 yard mark . He accomplished this despite not seeing significant playing time until Week 7 . Team facilities . Since 1998 the Buccaneers have played their home games at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa . Prior to that they played in Tampa Stadium since their establishment . In 1975 , the Buccaneers built a small practice complex with offices near Tampa International Airport called One Buccaneer Place . As other NFL teams upgraded their facilities , Bucs players and coaches stepped up their complaints about the aircraft noise , cramped offices , small locker rooms and run - down condition of One Buc Place . Even then - head coach Jon Gruden has sarcastically referred to the facility as " The Woodshed . " For much of the team ' s existence , the Bucs held training camp on the University of Tampa campus , then at the expansive and better - equipped Disney ' s Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando ( 2002 — 2008 ) . In August 2006 , the Bucs unveiled their new training facility . Conveniently located across the street from Raymond James Stadium ( on the former site of Tampa Bay Center ) , this state - of - the - art complex ( 145000 sqft facility on 33 acres ) is the largest in the NFL . Its features include offices and meeting rooms , two natural grass practice fields , a theatre for meetings and press conferences , an expanded weight room , a fully - equipped kitchen and dining room , a rehabilitation center with three separate pools and a locker room twice the size of the former location . The building is capped off with a giant five - story glass and steel football as a key design element . A third practice field , featuring artificial turf , was also planned . In 2009 , the team began holding training camp at the new upgraded facilities in Tampa . In the second week of September 2007 , statues of important figures from the Bucs 2002 Championship season were moved into the lobby area in an exhibit called " " Moment of Victory " " . The life - size statues included players Mike Alstott , Ronde Barber , Derrick Brooks , Brad Johnson , John Lynch , Shelton Quarles , Simeon Rice , Warren Sapp , and head coach Jon Gruden . The statues are modeled after images from the sideline towards the end of Super Bowl XXXVII . Practices at the currently - unnamed facility will remain closed to the public , although the existing mall parking on the west side of the property is still available for use on game days . The facility is still referred to as " One Buc Place " , or sometimes by local media as " One Buc Palace " . Logos and uniforms . 1976 – 1996 . When the team began play in 1976 , Culverhouse initially picked team colors of red , green , orange and white . However , the shade of green was too close to that used by the Miami Dolphins . A medium shade of " Florida Orange " was substituted for green . Home uniforms included orange jerseys with white numerals outlined in red — the now - infamous " Creamsicle " uniforms . Road white jerseys originally had orange numerals outlined in red , but these colors were reversed for year two and beyond . The color swap provided better visibility , especially for television coverage purposes . Long - time " Tampa Tribune " cartoonist and Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla member Lamar Sparkman designed the first team logo . Faced with the difficulty of designing a logo that did not closely resemble that of the other " pirates " in the league , the Oakland Raiders , Sparkman came up with a pirate in a plumed hat and a dagger in his mouth . The pirate appeared to be winking . He came to be known as " Bruce the Buccaneer " or " Buccaneer Bruce . " Sports writer and commentator Nick Bakay once said , that Buccaneer Bruce was a pirate who " struck fear in the hearts of no one . " However , there was controversy over where the cartoonist received inspiration for his Buccaneer . Beloit College , located in Beloit , Wisconsin , received a notice from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the college ' s illegitimate use of their mascot . Beloit College ' s buccaneer is the mirror image of the Tampa Bay buccaneer , with the creamsicle colors replaced with Beloit ' s school colors . After further investigation , it was determined Beloit College had been using their buccaneer logo long before 1976 , the year the Tampa Bay Buccaneers expanded . As a result , the Buccaneer ' s withdrew their claim against Beloit College and started designing a new logo . In 1992 , the Buccaneers introduced orange pants to be worn with the white jerseys . Prior to the team ' s season finale in 1995 against the Lions , lame - duck coach Sam Wyche suggested that the Buccaneers wear the orange pants with their orange jerseys . The idea was vetoed by , among others , Pro Bowl linebacker Hardy Nickerson . For the 1993 season , the Buccaneers added a commemorative patch to the right sleeve of their orange , away uniforms , which read , " Mr C " in cursive script . 1997 – present . For the 1997 season , the Glazers worked with the NFL to develop a more marketable and intimidating look in order to improve the team ' s image . The Buccaneers changed their team colors to red , pewter , black and orange . " Bucco Bruce " was replaced by a red flag displaying a white pirate skull and crossed sabre s which is a modified Jolly Roger . The flag was mounted on another sabre . The " Buccaneers " team name was written in a new font , " Totally Gothic " , and was either red with shadows of pewter or red and white . Orange pinstriping , and an orange football , was used to maintain a visual link to the former colors . Chris Berman nicknamed them " the pirates in pewter pants , " a play on the Gilbert and Sullivan opera " The Pirates of Penzance " . The Buccaneers planned to stage a ceremony in which Bruce was to walk the plank of a pirate ship in Tampa Bay , but he was pardoned at the last minute by Governor Lawton Chiles . The new uniforms were adopted while Raymond James Stadium was still under construction , and the new colors would be prominent at the new facility . This new color scheme closely resembled that of the Tampa Bay Bandits , the USFL team that played in the region from 1983 to 1985 and had a color scheme of red , silver , black and white . The new uniforms provided a combination of either red or white jerseys with either pewter or white pants . The red - on - white combination has been used sparingly , but was brought back for a " SNF " home game against the Seattle Seahawks in 2008 ; and it was worn again for a home game against the New Orleans Saints in 2009 . In 2010 , the Buccaneers have been wearing the white pants primarily with both the red and white jerseys . In 2003 , the Buccaneers introduced a practice jersey that featured orange piping . In 2004 , a pewter practice jersey was used , with numerals in the " Totally Gothic " font . Like many other NFL teams located in subtropical climate s , the Buccaneers traditionally wear their white jerseys at home during the first half of the season — forcing opponents to suffer in the darker colors during the hot summers and autumns in Tampa . Additionally , the visitors ' bench of Raymond James Stadium is located on the east side of the stadium , which is in direct sunlight for 1 p . m . eastern games . The west sideline is in the shade . In the 1980s and in 1996 , the last year of the original uniforms , the Bucs generally wore white at home for the entire season including preseason . Since the new uniforms were adopted , the Bucs wear the red jerseys for the final four home games , and for nearly all night home games . In the preseason , the Bucs typically wear white for one of their two home games . The Bucs have worn their red jerseys for all home postseason games except for a January 6 , 2008 playoff match against the New York Giants , where the Bucs wore white , as the temperature that day was unseasonably high . The Buccaneers ' 1997 uniform change prompted a 2003 lawsuit by the Raiders , who claimed that the NFL and the Buccaneers had infringed upon key trademark elements of the Raiders ' brand , including the Raiders ' pirate logo . In the same suit , the Raiders challenged the Carolina Panthers ' color scheme , which included silver and black . The Raiders wanted the courts to bar the Buccaneers and Panthers from wearing their uniforms while playing in California . However , since the lawsuit was filed in a state California court , the lawsuit was tossed out because only federal courts have jurisdiction on intellectual property issues . Throwback . Following the change in 1997 , the Buccaneers did not wear the old uniform , even during popular league - sponsored " throwback " weekends . Team merchandise in the old color scheme was also eliminated for several years . In 2008 , the team revealed that they would be wearing the orange throwback uniforms for at least one game in the 2009 season . Their use were in conjunction with the creation of a Buccaneers Ring of Honor , celebrating the 30th anniversary of the 1979 division championship team . Throwback merchandise went on sale in the summer of 2009 , and referred to the orange color , not as " Florida Orange , " but as " Orange Glaze . " The orange , red and white uniforms with the dagger - biting pirate were worn against the Green Bay Packers on November 8 , 2009 , with the Bucs netting their first win of the season behind rookie quarterback Josh Freeman . The throwback uniforms returned a season later against the Atlanta Falcons on December 5 , 2010 . Facts and records . Losing streaks . The expansion Buccaneers lost all 14 games during the 1976 regular season , and the first 12 games of the 1977 season , for 26 straight losses . Even after the season expanded to 16 games in 1978 , they remained the only NFL team in the modern era to experience a winless regular season until the Detroit Lions went 0 - 16 in 2008 . A twenty - game road losing streak against AFC teams finally ended with a 17 - 10 victory over the Denver Broncos on December 26 , 1993 . In 1980 , against the Bengals at Riverfront Stadium , the Buccaneers began a 27 - game losing streak of games played outdoors on AstroTurf . The streak was broken in 1995 , with a victory over the Eagles at Veterans Stadium . From their inception , they lost 20 consecutive games in which the temperature at kickoff was below 40 °F ( 4 °C ) . The streak ended in the final week of the 2002 regular season , when they beat the Bears at Champaign ( Soldier Field was under renovation at the time ) . Players of note . Ring of Honor . On November 8 , 2009 , the team unveiled a new Ring of Honor at Raymond James Stadium . Pro Bowlers . Many former and current Tampa Bay Buccaneer players have represented the franchise in the Pro Bowl : Cheerleaders . The Bucs created an official cheerleading squad in their first season , called the " Swash - Buc - Lers . " In 1999 , they were renamed as the " Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders . " Radio and television . The Buccaneers ' current flagship radio stations are WFUS 103 . 5 FM and WDAE 620 AM . The play - by - play announcer since 1989 has been Gene Deckerhoff . Former Bucs tight end Dave Moore joined Deckerhoff as analyst for the 2007 season . T . J . Rives works as the sideline reporter . Broadcast legend and former Green Bay Packers ' announcer Ray Scott was the play - by - play man for the Bucs ' inaugural season of 1976 , and from 1977 to 1988 Mark Champion , who is now the voice of the Detroit Lions , held that position with the Bucs . Former Buccaneer Hardy Nickerson served as color commentator for one season in 2006 , until he signed with the Bears as a linebackers coach on February 23 , 2007 . Nickerson had replaced Scot Brantley , who was the commentator from 1999 through 2005 . Jesse Ventura , the famous professional wrestler , actor , and former governor of Minnesota , was Deckerhoff ' s partner on the Bucs radio broadcasts for one year , 1990 , and former Buc David Logan held that position after Ventura until his death after the 1998 season . Dave Kocerek and Fran Curci were also color commentors for the Buccaneers during their earlier years . Ronnie Lane previously worked as a sideline reporter . The Bucs have broadcast on FM radio since signing with Top 40 station WRBQ in 1992 . The team moved to WQYK - FM , in 1994 , then to WFUS in 2004 . While regular season and post - season games in the NFL are all broadcast by national television contracts on CBS , Fox , NBC , ESPN and NFL Network , the television broadcasts are for the most part handled by the individual teams . Preseason games not picked up for national broadcast are seen on WFLA Channel 8 , where they have been televised since 2003 . WFTV Channel 9 simulcasts the broadcast in the Orlando area . Chris Myers is the play - by - play announcer with John Lynch as color commentator . Both Myers and Lynch work nationally with Fox Sports . Ron Jaworski previously served as color commentator , until he signed with " MNF " for 2007 . Charles Davis also served as color commentator from 2007 to 2008 . CBS , Fox and NBC games are shown respectively in Tampa Bay on WTSP , WTVT and WFLA , while they are shown respectively in Orlando on WKMG , WOFL and WESH . " Monday Night Football " games are simulcast locally on WFTS , and NFL Network games can be seen locally on WFLA - TV . WTOG - TV Channel 44 was the previous home to Buccaneer preseason games for many years , ending in 2002 . Former CBS play - by - play and ESPN golf broadcaster Jim Kelly was the play - by - play announcer for many of those games in the 1980s , and Joe Namath was a commentator . In the early years of the franchise , WTVT - 13 , then a CBS affiliate , broadcast some Buccaneer preseason games . Sports anchor Andy Hardy handled the play - by - play , and for one game in 1978 , his broadcast partner was his friend , Florida State alumni and movie actor Burt Reynolds .