The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (often shortened as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The team, along with the Seattle Seahawks, joined the NFL as 1976 expansion teams. The club is currently owned by Malcolm Glazer and coached by head coach Jon Gruden. 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 fourteen consecutive losing seasons. The Tampa Bay expansion franchise was originally awarded to Ted McCloskey, a construction company owner from Philadelphia. The team's first home was Tampa Stadium, which had recently been expanded to seat just over 72,000 fans.

Saints Head Coach Hank Stram was fired after losing to the Buccaneers, but Tampa Bay went out the next week and won their first home game over the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1977 season finale.

With four games left in the season, the Bucs needed to win only one of them to make the playoffs. 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. 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 only 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 and entering the first round during the strike-shortened 1982 season. The 1981 season came down to a thrilling final game at Detroit. The Lions had not lost at home all season. Tampa Bay lost 30-17.

1982 would be the last winning regular season under Culverhouse's ownership. Prior to the 1983 season, The Bucs lost Doug Williams to the United States Football League (USFL) and immediately bottomed out at 2-14, starting a string of 14 consecutive losing seasons (the first 13 of which they suffered at least 10 losses).

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. During Dungy's first season in 1996, the team continued to struggle, starting the season 1-8.

The 1997 season: Back to the playoffs

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. 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 1999 season brought much better fortune. On the strength of the NFL's number one 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.

Despite the ongoing criticism, Dungy remained staunchly loyal to his coaching staff, but at the conclusion of the 1999 season, general manager Rich McKay forced Dungy to fire offensive coordinator Mike Shula. Dungy went on to coach the Colts to the Super Bowl XLI championship against the Chicago Bears, in the process becoming the first African-American head coach to win the Super Bowl.
Jon Gruden, the Super Bowl, and beyond (2002-present)

Bucs general manager Rich McKay threw his support behind Lewis.
2002: Super Bowl champions

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. The Falcons defeated the Bucs 30-28. Despite opening the season with a Monday night win over the Eagles in Philadelphia's new stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, the Bucs finished the season 7-9. Combined with the Raiders' dismal 4-12 performance, neither Super Bowl team reached the playoffs that year.

The distracted Bucs began the 2004 season with a 1-5 record, their worst start since under Gruden. In the 2005 season, the Buccaneers celebrated their 30th season in the league, and returned to their winning ways. After starting 5-1, the team entered a mid-season midseason slump hampered by a season-ending injury to starting QB Brian Griese. The Bucs won the NFC South Division finishing 11-5. After winning the division in 2005, the Bucs suffered through an abysmal 2006 season. The Bucs started off the season 0-3, with QB Chris Simms throwing only 1 touchdown to 7 interceptions. Tim Rattay replaced Gradkowski as quarterback late in the season, and the team finished 4-12. On April 28, the Buccaneers drafted Clemson defensive end Gaines Adams with the 4th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.

FL/NFL in Houston: 1960 - 1996

The Oilers became the first professional football team to play in a domed stadium, when they moved into Houston's Astrodome for the 1968 season. [edit] Cleveland had lost the Browns in 1995 and had been promised by Tagliabue that the next expansion team would play there, bringing the league total to 31 teams. The mention of Los Angeles worried plenty of Houston officials. In late October 1998, Tagliabue announced that the NFL owners would have a decision by April 1999 as to which city would be awarded the NFL expansion franchise. Later that week, McNair's Houston NFL Holdings proposed a bid of $700 million to the owners.

On the morning of October 6, 1999, in Atlanta, the NFL owners voted 29-0 to award the 32nd franchise and the 2004 Super Bowl to Houston.

That spring, Houston NFL 2002 celebrated the official groundbreaking of Reliant Stadium. On January 21, 2001 the Texans turned to the coaching staff and introduced Dom Capers as the club's first head coach. After five long seasons, Houston was at last ready to rejoin the league.

Inaugural season and the Dom Capers era: 2002-2005

The Texans would lose their next five games before winning for the first time on the road against the Jaguars, a team they would find success against in the seasons to come.

The next two seasons would see the Texans making steady progress. No other expansion team had ever won their first two opening games before. No other expansion team had taken so long to win back-to-back games and expectations in the third season were growing. Reliant Stadium, 2005

The Texans and 49ers came into the game with the two worst records in the NFL and the loser would "win" the right to choose USC running back Reggie Bush in the 2006 NFL Draft. The Texans lost 20-17 and finished 2-14, the worst in the league.

With four games left in the season, the Bucs needed to win only one of them to make the playoffs. 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. The Bucs made the playoffs again by winning their division in the 1981 season and entering the first round during the strike-shortened 1982 season. The Lions had not lost at home all season. Tampa Bay lost 30-17.

1982 would be the last winning regular season under Culverhouse's ownership. Jackson would later return for parts of football seasons with the Los Angeles Raiders.

During Dungy's first season in 1996, the team continued to struggle, starting the season 1-8.
The 1997 season: Back to the playoffs

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. The 1999 season brought much better fortune.