Glazer Glory: Are Buccaneers Owners Top 5 in NFL?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren’t considered a powerhouse organization in the NFL, but it turns out the Glazer family may be one of the most impactful owner families we’ve ever seen.

Five times Malcolm Glazer attempted to buy a pro sports franchise, and five times he was unsuccessful in doing so before winning the bid to purchase the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1995.

A native of Rochester, New York, Glazer not only beat out New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for the right to buy the Buccaneers, but vowed to keep the team in Tampa.

From there, he set his sights on making the Bucs as successful as they’ve ever been, culminating in a Super Bowl XXXVII win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Unfortunately, Malcolm passed away in 2014 before he could see his Tampa Bay franchise win another championship.

But his legacy lives on in form of his family’s continued ownership and achievement in experiencing the fifth-best winning increase in NFL history according to The Sports Geek.

According to the site’s research the Buccaneers experienced a 16.7 percent increase in wins since team was sold to the Glazer family, only bested by the current groups that own the Las Vegas Raiders (33.3%), Dallas Cowboys (28.4%), Los Angeles Rams (20.8%), and Atlanta Falcons (16.7%).

Of course, only three of those franchises - the Cowboys, Rams, and Bucs - have Lombardi trophies to display under their current ownership structures.

In contrast, the Carolina Panthers are currently ranked as having the worst sports team takeover in history as the team has experienced a nearly 40 percent drop in winning since owner David Tepper bought the franchise in 2018.

While Tampa Bay hasn’t been able to grow into an annual powerhouse in the league like some other franchises have, the data points to a clear conclusion that the franchise is in much better standing these days than before.

With a young nucleus of talent led by veterans like receiver Mike Evans and linebacker Lavonte David, there may be some trepidation about the path that lies ahead, but there’s also an accompanying excitement for what this version of the Buccaneers could become.

Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82

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