NFL Mocks names Tampa Bay Buccaneers biggest villain
By Ryan Doyle
The man who helped bring an NFL team to Tampa Bay was picked as their biggest villain.
Erik Lambert of NFLMocks.com broke down the biggest villains in the history of every NFL franchise.
The choice for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was former owner Hugh Culverhouse.
"Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans can credit Hugh Culverhouse for bringing the franchise into the NFL….and not much else. In truth, he may be in contention for worst owner in league history and that’s not an exaggeration. The man was disliked almost universally, not just by fans but by players, coaches, executives and fellow owners."
The Buccaneers played their first game in 1976. They would lose their next 26 games, a post-merger record. Although the expansion roster was subpar, it was a preview of how live with Culverhouse in charge would be like.
During Culverhouse’s time as the owner, the Bucs went an awful 81-194 and only made the postseason three times in 18 seasons.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Teams chalked up wins before they arrived at the stadium. Tampa Bay was a laughing stock. Culverhouse’s quickly garnered contempt from nearly everyone. The fans, players and fellow owners wanted nothing to do with the ineptitude of Tampa.
One of his biggest criticisms was his handling of Bo Jackson. There was no chance that Jackson was going to play for the Buccaneers. Instead of trading the pick, or selecting another player, Culhouse stubbornly selected Jackson in the 1986 NFL Draft.
This sent the team, which went 2-14 the year prior, into a tailspin. The franchise wouldn’t reach the playoffs until 1997. In between the organization’s two playoff appearances in 1982 and 1997, it had a losing record in 14 straight seasons.
Culverhouse didn’t even treat a potential franchise quarterback well. Culverhouse saw his first taste of success with Doug Williams under center. The former first-round pick helped bring the Buccaneers to the conference title game and he wanted a raise in pay for his efforts.
During negotiations, the Buccaneers owner refused to meet Williams’ demand and he left for the rival league, the USFL. This move turned the fan base against him, and was ultimately the start of a disastrous tenure as the owner of the Buccaneers.
It’s pretty clear that Culverhouse is the Bucs biggest villain. However, who is the biggest villain on the field for Tampa Bay? What player do you think has caused the fanbase the most pain?