This Day in Sports History: NFL Awards Tampa Bay Buccaneers Franchise

Tampa, Fla. was the first city to be awarded a franchise as part of the NFL's post-merger expansion efforts on April 24, 1974.

Tampa, Fla. was welcomed to the NFL when the area was awarded a franchise 46 years ago today. 

On April 24, 1974, Tampa became the first city to be involved in the NFL's post-merger expansion efforts to reach 28 teams. The Tampa Bay franchise later became known as the Buccaneers following a name-the-team contest. 

Prior to being awarded an NFL franchise, Tampa attempted to court the Buffalo Bills and Boston Patriots to the area due to the teams' inadequate stadiums. After those teams stayed put due to new venues being built, the NFL then focused on expansion. 

Jacksonville tax attorney Hugh Culverhouse was awarded the Tampa franchise after Tom McCloskey, a construction company owner from Philadelphia, backed out of the deal. The team came at a cost of $16 million; as of 2019, the franchise is worth $2.2 billion, according to Forbes. 

"Buccaneers," often shortened to "Bucs," was inspired by the pirates who visited Florida's Gulf coast during the 1600s. The team's uniforms and first logo was a winking pirate. It was created by Tampa Tribune artist Lamar Sparkman, who incorporated orange and red from Florida's major college teams. "Tampa Bay" represents not just the city of Tampa, but the region of the metropolitan area. The phrase is also used by the Lightning, Rays and Rowdies franchises. 

Tampa Stadium was the Buccaneers' home until Raymond James Stadium was opened in 1998. The venue was built in 1967 to attract the NFL to award the area a franchise. It was later expanded before the team's first season to hold over 72,500 fans. 

The 1976 season was the Buccaneers' first, starting in the AFC West under coach John McKay. The team was winless in its first year and went on to go 0-26 until the 13th week of the 1977 season, when it recorded victories in consecutive weeks. 

The 1979 season saw many of Tampa Bay's early feats. The team reached its first postseason behind quarterback Doug Williams and a league-leading defense. After the team defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs, the Buccaneers became the first post-merger expansion team to win a division championship, a playoff game as well host and play in a conference championship game. 

After extending that success into the early 1980s, the Buccaneers hit a lull. The team recorded 14 straight losing seasons from 1983-96. A low payroll and issues attracting stars plagued the team. 

In 1996, new ownership helped turn around the franchise. Malcolm Glazer outbid suitors and purchased the team for $192 million. The price was a record for the most paid for a professional sports franchise at that time. Glazer's sons were put in charge of the team as it increased payroll. The team hired defensive-minded Tony Dungy as head coach and got rid of the team's "creamsicle" uniforms. 

Dungy brought the team back to the playoffs in his second season in charge, but the team's offensive woes ultimately led to his exit. The coach was fired following a Wild Card loss in the 2001 season. Jon Gruden was hired from the Oakland Raiders in exchange for four draft picks and $8 million—the last deal of its kind for a coach in league history. 

Under a realignment to the NFC South, the Buccaneers won their first Super Bowl during the 2002 season against the Raiders. The team was led by its league-best defense and offensive reworking under Gruden. The victory remains the franchise's lone Super Bowl victory and Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. 

The Buccaneers have not reached the playoffs since the team lost in the Wild Card round to the New York Giants during the 2007 season. The team will get a chance to end that streak during the 2020 season under coach Bruce Arians and newly-acquired quarterback Tom Brady.