the TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS part one

I was recently asked: "johnny, you write about USF basketball all the time. why do you never write about the BUCS? You're a long time season ticket holder. You sang the National Anthem at a BUCS game. You even went to Super Bowl XXXVII in Sandy Eggo. Why no BUC LOVE on this here JGLB blog?"

To understand my feelings about THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, we must put things in perspective by going back to the beginning.

The Bucs began playing in 1976. The quarterback was Steve Spurrier. As a 21 year old struggling musician, I had other priorities. I remember being very happy when the BUCS beat Hank Stram's New Orleans Saints for their first victory, after 26 losses, in 1977. But I really didn't pay much attention, even when the BUCS made the playoffs after the 1979 season, although I remember the euphoria after we beat the Eagles to win the first playoff game we ever played.

In the summer of 1980, I had the blues. I needed something new to get interested in. Somehow, I fell in love with the BUCS. They struggled that year, and so did I. But I was in love (with the BUCS that is), and it would be long time before i cared about anything else more than i cared about the BUCS.

Next year, 1981, I moved to Los Angeles. I kept up with the BUCS as best I could. I bought my first TV that year, to watch the BUCS beat Detroit, in a victory that propelled them to a playoff berth. I had my friend, the late great James Sabo (i must do a post about him someday), send me a "1981 NFC Central Division Champions" t-shirt, which I proudly wore around L.A. (One day, while wearing it, I met another Tampa native living in LA. Check him out! I MUST do a post about him soon! check out his gallery!)

The Bucs had a winning team, and went to the playoffs, in the strike shortened 1982 season as well. Then, in 1983, it all came to a crashing halt. Doug Williams left the team, and the Bucs went 2-14.

By spring of 1984, I had been in LA for two and a half years. I had a lot of nice things happen, I did a lot of interesting things, played some great gigs with some great people. I went to parties in Beverly Hills. I worked on movie soundtracks, jammed with and auditioned for bands that readers of this blog, and people worldwide, are familiar with. I should someday do an in-depth post about my L.A. years.

Of course, a lot of things didn't go as well as i would have liked. And... I really missed Tampa, and I really missed the BUCS. So, in the April 1984, I loaded up the truck and moved back to Tampa, where some really unexpected things happened in the next few years. Of course, I attended my first BUCS game in years. Steve DeBerg came off the bench to lead the BUCS to a big win over Detroit in week 3 of the 1984 season. They won 3 out of 4 games. DeBerg looked good, they had Wilder, Selmon, Hugh Green, Giles, House... it seemed like happy days were back for the BUCS.

I was disappointed that my LA experience did not lead to me being a rock star, but proud of my BUCS (3-3). Little did I know that both the BUCS fortunes... and my own... were about to be reversed... the Bucs suddenly, my own only slightly more gradually.

COMING SOON: PART TWO!