Buccaneers: Who will be the next Ring of Honor inductee?
Michael Horan
There are quite a few suitable candidates to become the next Ring of Honor member for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Following Monday night’s halftime ceremonies, there are now eleven members of the prestigious club of pirates. Players like Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice, Shelton Quarles, and Warrick Dunn all have good cases to become the twelfth member, but I believe it will be a second straight coach.
With Jon Gruden now in the ring, it’s only right the Glazers add the man who helped establish the winning mentality Gruden took to the ultimate level.
Tony Dungy put the Bucs on the map in the 1990s, and helped form them into a perennial playoff threat coming very near to making the Super Bowl himself before an ill-fated NFC championship game against the Rams.
His defense became legendary under his and coordinator Monte Kiffin’s tutelage, and year after year he set new highs for expectations from an elite defense.
In six seasons with the Buccaneers, Dungy’s record was 54-42 and made playoff appearances in four seasons. As strange as it seems today, four years of playoffs weren’t good enough for the Buccaneers back then, and thus Dungy was fired in 2001 after going 9-7.
It was a high standard of winning which has long been forgotten in this area, and certainly one which warrants dedication in Raymond James next season.
Jon Gruden may not have won with Dungy’s team as many claim, but he did win with his foundation.