When fans think of the Buccaneers, most, if not all, remember the 2002 and 2020 Super Bowl winning teams. Prior to that, the Bucks are generally regarded as his football dark ages, filled with many losing seasons. Even with those caveats, many players shined through impressive years and stints. Players who are largely forgotten in the hearts of fans except for the most dedicated and dedicated supporters.
For this series, we wanted to highlight players who are underrepresented or not often mentioned when talking about team history. The number of players listed for each entry varies by position.
The only rule is they were the Bucks from 1976 to 1996. This fits the prerequisite of wearing the original ‘Bukko Blues’ uniform and is worth remembering.
quarterback
overview:
The 1980s and 1990s saw many of the greatest running backs in NFL history. Walter Payton. Barry Sanders. Emmitt Smith. Each led football and the team to great success and became synonymous with the team’s identity.
The Bucks had a chance to run their own elite player in 1986, selecting Auburn’s Bo Jackson with the No. 1 overall pick. However, he never played for the team after telling owner Hugh Culverhouse not to be drafted. In one of the biggest “what ifs” in NFL history, his name might have been on the list alongside the greatest Bucks of all time had he chosen to play in Tampa Bay and not suffer a career-ending hip injury with the Raiders.
Regardless, a few running backs managed to put together a stint worth looking back at with the Bucks.
RB’s Forgotten Bucks
1. Ricky Bell
The 1979 season was the Buccaneers’ closest approach to the Super Bowl until 1999, when they lost to the “Greatest Show on Turf” against the St. Louis Rams. Early in the franchise’s inception, a few players were key to its newfound success. That list included Hall of Fame defensive end Lee Roy Selmon, quarterback Doug Williams, tight end Jimmy Giles, cornerback Cedric Brown, defensive tackle Dave Lewis and defensive back Mike Washington.
But the late Ricky Bell, who has been the team’s starting running player since that season, played an equally important role in leading the team to the playoffs. He had 1,263 yards (4.5 yards per attempt) on 283 carries in 1979 and scored 7 rushing touchdowns, and his career year came at the right time.
Former Bucks RB Ricky Bell – Photo Credit: Buccaneers
It was almost destiny for Bell to become a Buccaneer. Head coach John McKay coached Bell at USC in the early 1970s, where Bell emerged as one of the college’s best players. Twice (3rd in 1975 and 2nd in 1976), he finished in the top three in the Heisman polls, with impressive numbers.
In 1975, Bell had 1,957 rushing yards in 12 games for the Trojans, but the following season he gained 1,433 yards on 105 fewer carries. After leaving USC, it’s no surprise that McKay regained his former star with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1977 NFL Draft.
A full-back for the team, Bell made slow progress in his first two seasons before taking on a starring role in 1979. In his first game of the playoffs, he ran 38 times for the Eagles for 142 yards and two touchdowns in a 24–17 win. His productivity tapered off over the next playoff game and the two seasons that followed.
Bell was traded to the Chargers in 1982, but sadly his decline was health-related, as he began suffering from extreme weight loss associated with a rare skin condition. Just two years after his death in 1984, he died of heart failure at the age of just 29.
It’s worth remembering his time on the field as a buccaneer and recognizing what he accomplished.as John McKay put it down at the time of his death, “Ricky Bell was one of the greatest footballers I have ever had the pleasure of coaching.”
2. James Wilder
Ricky Bell and James Wilder overlapped for one season, with Wilder helping to bring the production torch in the 1980s. Many fans know about Wilder and his influence on his mid-1980s Buccaneers. So you may be wondering why he’s on the list of forgotten people.
![Former Bucks RB James Wilder - Photo Credit: Buccaneers](https://www.pewterreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Wilder-James-Bucs-Packers-orange-300x200.jpg)
Former Bucks RB James Wilder – Photo Credit: Buccaneers
Well, despite being the greatest running back in team history, his achievements aren’t getting enough recognition. During his career, Tampa Bay had little on-field success with him as a starter. And despite having numerous team rushing records, he’s yet to be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor Hall of Fame.he has a chance next inductee, But it will be too late.
A second-round pick in 1981, James Wilder spent a total of nine years in Tampa Bay. The 1984 and 1985 seasons were his biggest in terms of production as the center of attack. During this 2 of his seasons, he racked up his 772 carries and caught 138 passes. Not only was he the number one back, he was also the number one receiver.
He set the franchise record for most rushing yards in a season in 1984 with 1,544 yards and 685 receiving yards. Even in modern times, few players can amass the 2,229 scrimmage yards he gained that year.
James Wilder, at 6-foot-3 and weighing 225 pounds, was one of the toughest guys to beat. Please don’t just take my word for it. Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells and linebacker Lawrence Taylor said he was one of the toughest players to play against.
‘The best opponent I’ve ever played against,’ said Taylor Dating back to 2013. “To hit that boy four-quarters, oh my god! He couldn’t run that fast – he was running about a 4.6 – but by the time he got to the line, he was running a 4.6.
Although he hasn’t played a full season since 1985, he still finished his career with 5,957 rushing yards, still topping the list more than 30 years later.
Worth a visit down memory lane this highlight reel The figure of him who found the end zone by shaking off the tackler aspirant.
3. Eric Lett
After James Wilder “played” in the backfield and several seasons away from the late Reggie Cobb, Ericht Lett joined the team in 1994 with the same second-round pick as quarterback Trent Dilfer.
After following in Emmitt Smith’s footsteps, he spent five seasons with the Florida Gators and had a successful college career, perhaps destined for him to become a legend in Florida football. He finished as the Gators’ all-time leading rusher with 4,163 rushing yards.
![Former Bucks RB Eric Lett](https://www.pewterreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bucspack-300x194.jpg)
Former Bucks RB Eric Lett – Photo Credit: Cliff Welch/PR
In the first two seasons, Rhett was well on his way to a fruitful NFL career as well. He finished his first season with 1,011 yards and seven touchdowns, finishing second to Marshall Faulk in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. Rhett’s biggest game that year was against the Redskins in Week 13, where he had 40 carries for 192 yards and one touchdown.
The 1995 season was even better, posting career highs of 332 carries, 1,211 running yards and 11 touchdowns.
So why did he play just two more years with the Bucks and retire at 30? His contract suspension in 1996 played a big role.
After holding out the first six games of 1996, Lett returned to the team, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry. The next year, he dropped to the depth chart behind young Bucks Warwick Dunn and Mike Alstott with just 11 carries.
He was then traded to the Ravens in 1998 and played three more seasons before being waived to the Browns before the 2001 season. Gators fans may know his name better than Bucks fans, but there was a brief period when Eric Lett was a Tampa Bay staple.