Memo to the Buccaneers: Give Tampa Fans Back Their Bucs

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

"We waaant Joe. We waaant Joe."

My earliest Buccaneer memory: Sitting in the south end zone after Vinny Testaverde tossed his umpteenth interception to a Joey Browner/Carl Lee-led Minnesota secondary. The south end zone was hot. Fans were hotter.

Bucs backup Joe Ferguson remained parked with headset on sideline. Ray Perkins remained unamused.

"Give me three of your finest general admission tickets."

The ticket lady at Sombrero's parking lot ticket booth smiles. Still got general admission tickets, but the attempt at a free upgrade was appreciated by the gameday help.

The Sam Wyche-led Bucs squeaked past the Bungles in a half-full stadium, and 5-2 was celebrated by Wyche in the face of Tampa media geeks. Of course, it became 7-9 and Wyche was fired. Oh well, the ride was fun for the month it lasted.

You never got the idea the Bucs were ever really trying in those days. Daddy Orange Pants' (Hugh Culverhouse to everyone but me) days of caring for the fans had long since passed.

In 1995 ticket upgrade attempt above, the team was in Stephen Story-led trust limbo after Culverhouse's passing.

As a former team president once told me, Culverhouse thought little of Bucs fans' intelligence. Hugh called the prez to his office about raising the Bucs raising ticket prices after a Bucs three-win season.

"We can't announce that," the prez said. "We're not announcing anything," a menacing Hugh replied to the former army general, "YOU ARE."

Prez was less than thrilled at being chosen for the announcement. "Hugh, we won three games and we just raised prices last season," prez angrily said. "We're losing fans. How much do you want?"

"I want it all." Culverhouse replied.

That should have been the Bucs sales pitch that season.

But as the Glazers took over, soon followed by Tony Dungy, Monte Kiffin, and the ascension of Rich McKay, hope arrived in Tampa Bay. We all started to care...some for the first time.

The Warrick Dunn, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, Hardy Nickerson, Donnie Abraham and John Lynch gospel spread. Our homegrown boys made good. Hope was surpassed by playoff accomplishment. Days were good.

But somewhere after Dungy's shortcomings and Jon Gruden's Super Bowl championship, this team began to think they were doing the fans a favor by playing an NFL season.

Ticket prices escalated each year, regardless of on field results. Parking became $25 a game and nearby lots went private. Seat licensing became the norm.

Money was held from the 10-year seat license holders...money to be applied to your new license, the Bucs said. Of course when those licenses were originally sold, naive fans were told that money was to be given back to the purchaser.

A cattle call of losers, with everyone from David Boston, Darrell Russell, and Jerramy Stevens were given their chance to be part of the Tampa Bay community. Each year's lineup consisted of stopgap starters after draft picks failed.

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