Following a 6-10 season in 1996, Dungy led the Buccaneers to a 10-6 record and a divisional round appearance in his second season in 1997. From 1997 through 2001, he guided them to the playoffs in four of five seasons. With Dungy, the Buccaneers also advanced to the NFC Championship Game in 1999. They were defeated 11-6 by the St. Louis Rams. After making the playoffs each year, they failed to advance further than the first round during that period.
In 2002, the Bucs went 9-7 under Dungy but lost in the first round of the NFL Playoffs to Seattle Seahawks 24-14 on January 13, 2003 at Qwest Field. He was not retained after this season.
Dungy's aggressive defensive style attracted fans to American football for the first time since the 1970s. The team's average home attendance increased from 14,828 to 42,669 between 1996 and 2001. During this period, they played in three NFL Championships (1998, 2000, 2002).
After finishing with only 8 wins in 2003, Dungy was fired by new owner Stuart Sternberg. Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett replaced him.
The Bucs have not had a winning season or made the playoffs since then. In 2004, they finished 4-12 under Haslett. On January 15, 2005, it was announced that Haslett would not return as head coach next season. He was replaced by Jon Gruden who had just been fired by Oakland Raiders.
Buccaneers of Tampa Bay
| Year | Record | Finish (Regular / Post Season) |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 7-9-0 | 3rd — NFC South |
| 2018 | 5-11-0 | 4th — NFC South |
| 2017 | 5-11-0 | 4th — NFC South |
| 2016 | 9-7-0 | 2nd — NFC South |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Playoff History: 46 Seasons (1976 to 2021) record: 278-429-1; playoff record: 10-9. Won two Super Bowls (2 Appearances) Two championships have been won. Jameis Winston is the all-time passing leader with 1,563/2,548 yards and 121 touchdowns. James Wilder is the all-time rusher leader. 1,575 yards, 5,957 yards, 37 touchdowns.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were founded in 1976 by John McKay who also coached them for 11 years. After his death in 1987, Hugh Culverhouse Jr. took over as head coach until 2001 when Tony Dungy was hired away from the Indianapolis Colts to be the new head coach. Dungy went on to win two more Super Bowls with the Bucs before being fired after the 2010 season. He was replaced by Jon Gruden who had just finished his first season coaching Oakland to a 13-3 record and its first ever playoff victory. After one more losing season, Gruden was let go too and former New York Jets quarterback Mike Smith was brought in as his replacement. In 2015, Lovie Smith was hired away from the Chicago Bears to be the new head coach.
During their early years, the Buccaneers played their home games at Tampa Stadium which was built for the 1996 Olympics. The stadium was sold after only three seasons and the team moved across town to the now-defunct Huizenga Stadium where they played for five more years. In 2001, the team finally got a new stadium when St. Petersburg's Raymond James Stadium opened its doors.
Tampa Bay earned their first championship in 2002-03, defeating the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. The Bucs' prior playoff defeats made it appear as if they were cursed by the postseason. In the 1999 NFC championship game, they were defeated by the eventual champion Rams by a score of five points. Two years later, they were again matched up against the Rams in the 2000 NFC divisional round, this time at Tampa Stadium. Again, the Bucs came away with a loss, this time by a score of 28-27.
The Bucs have been to the playoffs every year since their inaugural season in 1978, except for 1981 when they went 0-11. This includes winning the 2002 Super Bowl after going 11-5 that season.
Tampa Bay has had three head coaches during its history - John McKay, George Edwards, and Tony Dungy. Edwards was the only coach not named Don Shula or Landry Skouson to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory. He did so in 2002. After losing the first two games under McKay, he resigned before the start of the 1979 season. Dungy took over as head coach the next season and led the team to another Super Bowl appearance in 1995. After losing that game, he resigned. Brian Billick replaced him but was fired after one season. Mike Sullivan is the current head coach of the Buccaneers.
In 1992, he took over as defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings from Dennis Green. Dungy's defense was ranked top in the NFL while he coached at Minnesota. On January 22, 1996, Dungy was recruited by Rich McKay to remodel the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a club notorious for its lack of success at the time. The Bucs had not made the playoffs since 1977 and hadn't won more than 7 games since 1971. Under McKay's leadership, Dungy helped turn around the franchise's image and win two Super Bowls. He left the Vikings after three seasons to take over as head coach of his original team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tony Dungy is one of only four coaches to lead their teams to the Super Bowl twice (the others are Joe Gibbs, Bill Belichick, and Jon Gruden). He is also one of only three coaches to win Super Bowls with two different teams (Belichick and Gruden are the other ones). In 2004, Dungy became the first coach to win the Coach of the Year award two years in a row when he was selected by his peers in the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. He is currently an analyst for ESPN and has been quoted as saying that if he were still coaching today, he would have stayed away from the spotlight and let his work speak for itself.
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