Who are the four best coaches in Buccaneers history?
“Through the years, you never let me down. You turned my life around”. These lyrics are from the Kenny Rogers hit, Through the Years. Well, the Buccaneers have been let down by many coaches through the years. Just look at the record. I don’t have to tell you all about the futility. The Bucs have lost a lot, to put it mildly. We have seen many bad coaches come and go through Tampa.
But could the tide be changing? Dirk Koetter has had a good start. In one year he brought the Bucs over .500 to a record of 9-7 and within a sniff of the playoffs. The offense is headed to heights we have ever seen and the defense is back on the rise. It’s been a long time since this team has looked like this. Could Dirk be on this list?
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The answer to that question is not yet. After one season, it’s too early to put Koetter on the best coaches in franchise history list. It’s simply too soon. Koetter may get there eventually, but not yet.
So who belongs on this list?
You could imagine, it was not the easiest list to put together. There were a lot of losing seasons to sort through, and a lot of terrible coaches to take off of the list.
But there were four guys that stood out above the rest and definitely belong at the top of franchise history.
Let’s get to the countdown:
4. Sam Wyche
After the 1991 season, the Bucs were looking for a coach with a track record. Richard Williamson had led the team for just over two years, and his record was a whopping 4-15. He was summarily dismissed and the Bucs turned to Wyche. He was off of the Bill Walsh coaching tree and was known as a quarterback guru. After all, Wyche was the guy that helped Joe Montana through his formative years in the NFL.
Wyche also had a Super Bowl appearance on his resume. He actually had two, one as a coach with Walsh in San Francisco, and one with the Bengals as the head coach. Granted, he lost the one as the head coach after a vintage drive by Montana, but he had the big game experience. The Bucs felt that he was the guy that would bring them to prominence.
Unfortunately it never materialized for Wyche or for Tampa Bay. He never finished better than 7-9 and his overall record as 23-41. He was fired after four seasons. So why does he make this list? Because during his tenure, the Bucs brought in Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, and John Lynch via the draft. Wyche always had an eye for talent, and with these selections, he set the Bucs up for success as they moved into the future.
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.
2. Tony Dungy
I think you all will recognize the last two choices for this list.
Dungy earned his first head coaching job here in Tampa. Prior to that he had been an assistant, most recently the defensive coordinator for the Vikings for the previous four seasons. After leading a Minnesota defense that was first in the league, the Bucs felt they had their man to replace Sam Wyche as head coach.
They were right and then some. After a 6-10 first year in 1996, Dungy’s team never finished worse than 8-8 and made four playoff appearances over the next five seasons. His tenure with the Bucs ended after the 2001 season, when the Bucs lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card game. At the time of his firing, Dungy sported a record of 54-42. Team ownership felt that the offense was too conservative, so for the first time, the Bucs fired a coach with a winning record.
The following year, the Bucs won in their first and only Super Bowl appearance. Though he wasn’t the coach, Tony Dungy receives a great deal of credit for getting the team into the position to win that it was. With a few additions, the team that won the Lombardi trophy was the team that Dungy helped mold. He deserves a great deal of credit for the team being as good as it was. He is certainly worthy of a high rank on this list.
1. Jon Gruden
Was there really any other choice for number one?
Prior to coming to the Bay, Jon Gruden cut his teeth with the Oakland Raiders. In four years on the left coast, Gruden’s Raiders team has never finished worse than 8-8 over the following four seasons. After two seasons at .500, he won two divisional titles. Many believe he should have gone to the Super Bowl in 2001, but the now infamous “Tuck Rule” caused a change in plans.
Following that season, Gruden was traded to the Bucs. The Raiders wanted to make a change, but had Gruden under contract, so they sent Gruden to Tampa in return for compensation in the form of money and four draft picks. He immediately, as we all know, paid dividends. The Bucs went 12-4, won their only Super Bowl, and essentially knew what the Raiders were going to do before they did it. It’s almost as if they were in the huddle with Rich Gannon.
During his tenure in Tampa Bay, Gruden won three divisional titles. He went a surprising 11-5 in 2005, despite losing starting quarterback Brian Griese. His time in Tampa ended after two straight 9-7 seasons. In 2008, the Bucs lost four straight games in December to end the season, and the Glazers fired Gruden in January of 2009. He also finished over .500 as the Bucs coach with a record of 57-55.
Next: Five best running backs in team history
So what do you think of this list? Sound off in the comments.