Buccaneers: Four best coaches in team history
3. John McKay
There are a lot of firsts in our lives that we remember. A first date, a first kiss, our first car, first house, and I could go on and on. For the Bucs, and Bucs fans, it’s the first coach in team history, the late John McKay. He ended up getting the job done on the field, and was quite the character off of it. Kids, ask your parents about this guy.
McKay’s overall record with the team was 44-88-1. The Bucs didn’t win a game until the final two of the 1977 season. Remember, of course, that they started in 1976. They went winless in 1976 and won the final two games in 1977 for their first two wins in franchise history. However, McKay does make the list because he led the Bucs to three playoff appearances. In 1979, the Bucs came within one game of the Super Bowl, falling in the NFC title game to the Rams by a 9-0 score.
McKay also makes this list because of the type of character he was. He was noted for his sarcasm. Here are some of his best quotes from back in the day (via Bleacher Report):
"“It bothers me that they (the national media) have picked us to be the worst team in football. Because what they are doing now is challenging your physical and your mental capacity and my ability to coach you. Now, this hurts me. Second-worst team, I could stand it. But not the worst team.” “We’ve broken down the expansion teams and they’ve averaged winning 2.7 games their first year, which to me is rather difficult. I figured out the 2, but the .7 has got me wondering what the hell is going on.” “We didn’t tackle well today but we made up for it by not blocking.” On Tampa Bay ending its 26-game losing streak: “Three or four plane crashes and we’re in the playoffs.”"
There were countless others. He was honest, and it was refreshing. Add that to the fact that he actually had some success on the field, and John McKay deserves a spot on this list.