Ranking the Top 5 Buccaneers running backs of all time

2. James Wilder

Sitting number one all-time in Bucs rushing yards is James Wilder, who ran for 5,957 yards and 37 touchdowns in nine seasons with the team. Wilder was a second-round pick out of Missouri back in the 1981 NFL Draft by the Bucs, and would go on to spend nearly his entire career there before splitting his final season between the Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins.

Over his nine years in Tampa, Wilder went over the 1,000-yard mark twice, with his best season coming in 1984. That year, he ran for 1,544 yards, 13 touchdowns and made his only Pro Bowl. The significance of that season came out of the fact that Wilder led the league with a whopping 407 rushing attempts, good for an average of 25 carries per game.

That same '84 season, Wilder also caught a career-high 85 passes for 685 yards, also another career-high, giving him over 2,200 yards from scrimmage. It was a remarkable year, really, where Wilder carried that offense.

So, why is he not number one on the all-time list? I think we know why.