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The Yucks: Two Years in Tampa with the Losingest Team in NFL History
Friday Night Lights meets The Bad News Bears in “a brisk, warmhearted reminder of how professional sports can occasionally reach stunning unprofessional depths” (Publishers Weekly): the first two seasons with the worst team in NFL history, the hapless, hilarious, and hopelessly winless 1976–1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Long before their first Super Bowl victory in 2003, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did something no NFL team had ever done before and that none will ever likely do They lost twenty-six games in a row. This was no ordinary streak. Along with their ridiculous mascot and uniforms, which were known as “the Creamsicles,” the Yucks were a national punch line and personnel purgatory. Owned by the miserly and bulbous-nosed Hugh Culverhouse, the team was the end of the line for Heisman Trophy winner and University of Florida hero Steve Spurrier, and a banishment for former Cowboy defensive end Pat Toomay after he wrote a tell-all book about his time on “America’s Team.” Many players on the Bucs had been out of football for years, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to have to introduce themselves in the huddle. They were coached by the ever-quotable college great John McKay. “We can’t win at home and we can’t win on the road,” he said. “What we need is a neutral site.” But the Bucs were a part of something bigger, too. They were a gambit by promoters, journalists, and civic boosters to create a shared identity for a region that didn’t exist—Tampa Bay. Before the Yucks, “the Bay” was a body of water, and even the worst team in memory transformed Florida’s Gulf communities into a single region with a common cause. The Yucks is “a funny, endearing look at how the Bucs lost their way to success, cementing a region through creamsicle unis and John McKay one-liners” (Sports Illustrated).
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2016
46 people are currently reading
321 people want to read
About the author
Jason Vuic
12 books10 followersSpecialist in the history of former Yugoslavia and in 1997-98 was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia.
He has published articles and op-eds in the South Slav Journal, Serbian Studies, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Indianapolis Star. His next project is a book-length history of the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics.
He has published articles and op-eds in the South Slav Journal, Serbian Studies, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Indianapolis Star. His next project is a book-length history of the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
July 23, 2018
"What to you think of your team's execution, coach?" - sports journalist
"I'm in favor of it." - Bucs coach John McKay
Concise and detailed re-telling of the NFL expansion team's origin and lackluster initial seasons in 1976-1977, when the Buccaneers lost a record-setting 26 games (!) in a row. Yes, they were bad enough that Johnny Carson regularly used them as a punch-line during his "The Tonight Show" era.
And yet this was not necessarily a bad team or coaching / administrative staff. There was a fair amount of talent and money involved on the field and in the office, though things often still fell apart and it is humorously documented here by author Vuic. Some of the decisions made (team colors, the 'Bucco Bruce' logo, salaries, draft picks) will have even the most fair-weather sports fans shaking their head. Vuic did an especially nice job with the biographical segments - such as on defensive line coach Abe GIbron or gentle giant Lee Roy Selmon - with the involved personalities.
"I'm in favor of it." - Bucs coach John McKay
Concise and detailed re-telling of the NFL expansion team's origin and lackluster initial seasons in 1976-1977, when the Buccaneers lost a record-setting 26 games (!) in a row. Yes, they were bad enough that Johnny Carson regularly used them as a punch-line during his "The Tonight Show" era.
And yet this was not necessarily a bad team or coaching / administrative staff. There was a fair amount of talent and money involved on the field and in the office, though things often still fell apart and it is humorously documented here by author Vuic. Some of the decisions made (team colors, the 'Bucco Bruce' logo, salaries, draft picks) will have even the most fair-weather sports fans shaking their head. Vuic did an especially nice job with the biographical segments - such as on defensive line coach Abe GIbron or gentle giant Lee Roy Selmon - with the involved personalities.
November 10, 2017
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
A very thorough, well researched history of the first two seasons of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when they lost a staggering 26 games in a row.
The book goes into the origins of the team, and how it wound up in Tampa, instead of an actual city. The owners, the players, the fans, and inevitably, the reporters.
Very interesting.
A very thorough, well researched history of the first two seasons of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when they lost a staggering 26 games in a row.
The book goes into the origins of the team, and how it wound up in Tampa, instead of an actual city. The owners, the players, the fans, and inevitably, the reporters.
Very interesting.
June 7, 2024
This book definitely feels out of the trend in the 2010s for fun 1970s sports story books written by people like Dan Epstein and Jason Turbow. Maybe more than anything it recalls the work of Jeff Pearlman who writes a complimentary blurb for the cover.
Which is fine, I love those weird sports stories and the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers asks for one. Along with the 1962 Mets, the Bucs were one of the historically worst teams ever. They were an expansion team and they definitely didn’t get much in terms of resources to compete with the established teams.
This one is fun. Like Pearlman, the main focus is on the weird uniqueness of the team, though Vuic does a nice job of summarizing the games too.
It gives a nice background of the area (there’s no real “Tampa Bay”) and the movement to get the team. There’s quite a few characters here. Coach John MacKay obviously. He had some great one liners but the my seemed to be from grim frustration than humor.
Most think of him as the man when asked “what do you think of the team’s execution” famously answered “I am in favor of it”. Vuic tries to track this down and perhaps it’s appcrypal as no one can pin a date to it (and it’s a joke that was old when the Marx Brothers used it) but somehow it’s befitting of the Yucks.
MacKay is funny yet humorless. An elitist coach living in past college football glory. Yet, it can be said McKay was interested in building a competitive team (even more than in winning in the moment) and the record shows he did do that.
The team is a cast of misfits right out of Hollywood football comedies like Necessary Roughness. Yet, let’s not totally pigeonhole a team that had a great defense for most of those terrible two years.
Lee Roy Selmon was a great player. I never really met him but was able to spend some time in his company and he truly was one of the nicest athletes around.
After a winless first season and terrible second season, the team makes the playoffs in their fourth year. A large credit can be given to Doug Williams, probably the first significant African American quarterback to go from college to the NFL. (Warren Moon was great too but he played in Canada first as he was likely going to be sitting on a bench otherwise).
This is where the Hollywood ending would be but Vuic needs that last chapter and epilogue to finish the story. Bucs owner Hugh Culverhouse is so notoriously obsessed with profit and low payrolls that he won’t pay Williams even the pay that a decent backup Quarterback would receive.
Williams leaves when the USFL forms and the Bucs return to the lovable losers without the lovable part even with McKay’s best efforts.
The results of the 80s and most of the 90s until Culverhouse dies seem laughable. This counts some awful trades but often times, it simply is there is no money or effort spent on player development.
Post Culverhouse, McKay’s son Rich is in charge of player development and the team acquired coach Jon Gruden. They win the 2002 Super Bowl with a lot of homegrown talent.
The team has had various peaks and valleys since that win, mostly valleys when this book was written. In the epilogue, Vuic discusses what made the 76 Bucs so special and how that the landscape has changed. For starters, they were national jokes on Johnny Carson’s show- a large national viewing unlike the fractured audiences of today. But most importantly, the sports leagues have realized adding an uncompetitive team to the league doesn’t benefit them and they have tried to level the playing field.
Vuic does a good job of writing that fun sports story that is specific to that certain time and place.
January 8, 2017
This is a very readable account of the origin of the Buccaneers franchise, however, for a book being sold on the subtitle of "Two years with the losingest team in NFL history" we get badly shortchanged with meager detail of those first two years and 26 games. By year two, the author is just phoning in the game reports. I think if you allude to covering this span of the team's history, there should be a detailed breakdown of each of the record-setting 26 losses.
Another issue with that subtitle is by stating "with," it suggests to my mind that the author played for the team or was on the staff in those years, and unless you read the inner back flap author profile, you might feel suckered into believing you were getting an insider's account.
Elsewhere, the book's blurb calls the book "this uproarious account." This borders on false advertising. The events may have been uproarious, the account is not. It's told matter of factly, and with a very sparse amount of somewhat amusing anecdotes from people connected with the team.
I think I really want to give this 2 1/2 stars, if that were an option. I'm just glad I didn't pay full price.
Another issue with that subtitle is by stating "with," it suggests to my mind that the author played for the team or was on the staff in those years, and unless you read the inner back flap author profile, you might feel suckered into believing you were getting an insider's account.
Elsewhere, the book's blurb calls the book "this uproarious account." This borders on false advertising. The events may have been uproarious, the account is not. It's told matter of factly, and with a very sparse amount of somewhat amusing anecdotes from people connected with the team.
I think I really want to give this 2 1/2 stars, if that were an option. I'm just glad I didn't pay full price.
October 6, 2016
Good, but not great. It's a workmanlike overview of Tampa.
The book is six chapter and an epilogue - but only one chapter is on the 1976 season & another on the 1977 season. Those two chapters the seasons when they were the Yucks make up under 40% of the book. (The other chapters? One on Tampa getting an NFL franchise, another on assembling the team, a third on the 1976 preseason, and the last one is on the Bucs in the 40 years after their 0-26 infamy. Upshot: that's way too little on what should be the book's main focus, the team's first 26 games. And way too much on what happened before their first game.
Vuic previously did a book on the Yugo I liked. I guess he's found his niche. He writes about historic duds. Sure, why not.
The book is six chapter and an epilogue - but only one chapter is on the 1976 season & another on the 1977 season. Those two chapters the seasons when they were the Yucks make up under 40% of the book. (The other chapters? One on Tampa getting an NFL franchise, another on assembling the team, a third on the 1976 preseason, and the last one is on the Bucs in the 40 years after their 0-26 infamy. Upshot: that's way too little on what should be the book's main focus, the team's first 26 games. And way too much on what happened before their first game.
Vuic previously did a book on the Yugo I liked. I guess he's found his niche. He writes about historic duds. Sure, why not.
December 15, 2021
Quick and fun story about the founding and blunders of one of the most endearing and abysmal teams in human memory, with the most fun creamsicle uniforms.
July 20, 2016
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the National Football League in 1976 and immediately became a nationally-known team. Not because of their excellent play, but because they put together an incredible losing streak by losing all 14 of their games in 1976 and the first 12 games of the season in 1977. When they finally ended the streak by defeating the New Orleans Saints, it was such an embarrassment that the Saints fired head coach Hank Stram. It was a road game, so when the Buccaneers returned home that evening, over 8000 fans were at the airport to greet the team. Their Bucs had been a national punch line for so long, they were just happy that it was finally over.
The adventures of this beleaguered team and the stories behind the losing are captured in this often hilarious, always entertaining book by Jason Vuic. His previous work was about the Yugo, probably the worst car ever sold in the United States, so it just seemed natural that he would follow up with a book on the worst football team in the history of the NFL. The 1976-77 Bucs were considered even worse than the 2009 Detroit Lions who also went through an entire season without a win.
The book chronicles the arduous route taken for the Tampa area to secure an NFL franchise and the expansion draft that left very few talented players for the Bucs to build their team. Much of the humor in the book comes from the caustic first coach in Bucs history, John McKay. McKay was a successful college coach, winning national championships at the University of Southern California, but even he couldn’t take this rag-tag collection of players and produce a win from them in that first season. There are many quotes from McKay that will leave the reader laughing hard, even if it is the one hundredth time he or she has heard that one. One of the more famous quotes (in which the book raises doubt to its origin to McKay) is when asked about his team’s execution, McKay replied “I’m all for it.”
There are also many stories about owner Hugh Culverhouse, who was notoriously cheap – he would make players put money in a vending machine for sodas and had the walls of the team’s training facility painted white in order to avoid buying a projector screen. It was one of the reasons given that the team was so bad, but no amount of money could have bought the publicity that the Buccaneers had when the losing streak lasted into 1977 and was often the subject of many jokes from late night television legend Johnny Carson.
It was at this time when the team became a beloved group of losers in much the same manner as the 1962 New York Mets. The country started paying attention and the tension mounted within the team to finally break the streak. Readers of the book will feel the same tension, even if they were already familiar with the history of the team and the streak. Even though I remember the game well, I was cheering with joy when they beat the Saints and ended the streak and the jokes.
This book is best for football fans or readers familiar with the lingo of the game as it is full of this type of text. However, the humor in the book will make any reader laugh loud and long and for that reason alone, this book is one that every football fan should add to his or her library.
I wish to thank Simon and Schuster for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...
The adventures of this beleaguered team and the stories behind the losing are captured in this often hilarious, always entertaining book by Jason Vuic. His previous work was about the Yugo, probably the worst car ever sold in the United States, so it just seemed natural that he would follow up with a book on the worst football team in the history of the NFL. The 1976-77 Bucs were considered even worse than the 2009 Detroit Lions who also went through an entire season without a win.
The book chronicles the arduous route taken for the Tampa area to secure an NFL franchise and the expansion draft that left very few talented players for the Bucs to build their team. Much of the humor in the book comes from the caustic first coach in Bucs history, John McKay. McKay was a successful college coach, winning national championships at the University of Southern California, but even he couldn’t take this rag-tag collection of players and produce a win from them in that first season. There are many quotes from McKay that will leave the reader laughing hard, even if it is the one hundredth time he or she has heard that one. One of the more famous quotes (in which the book raises doubt to its origin to McKay) is when asked about his team’s execution, McKay replied “I’m all for it.”
There are also many stories about owner Hugh Culverhouse, who was notoriously cheap – he would make players put money in a vending machine for sodas and had the walls of the team’s training facility painted white in order to avoid buying a projector screen. It was one of the reasons given that the team was so bad, but no amount of money could have bought the publicity that the Buccaneers had when the losing streak lasted into 1977 and was often the subject of many jokes from late night television legend Johnny Carson.
It was at this time when the team became a beloved group of losers in much the same manner as the 1962 New York Mets. The country started paying attention and the tension mounted within the team to finally break the streak. Readers of the book will feel the same tension, even if they were already familiar with the history of the team and the streak. Even though I remember the game well, I was cheering with joy when they beat the Saints and ended the streak and the jokes.
This book is best for football fans or readers familiar with the lingo of the game as it is full of this type of text. However, the humor in the book will make any reader laugh loud and long and for that reason alone, this book is one that every football fan should add to his or her library.
I wish to thank Simon and Schuster for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...
December 31, 2016
I'm not a football fan, much less a football aficionado, but I still found this book by historian Jason Vuic a lot of fun to read. Vuic, perhaps best known for his book on the worst car ever made, the Yugo, has penned a sort of love letter to the worst team to ever play football in the NFL, the 1976-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who went 0-26 in their first two seasons. Hence their nickname, "The Yucks."
The Bucs were so bad they became a national laughingstock, the target of many a joke in Johnny Carson's late-night routines. At one point, Vuic says, Carson playing the psychic "Carnac," is given the clue "The Titanic and the Buccaneers" and responds, "Name two disasters that were accompanied by band music."
Vuic -- a lifelong Bucs fan who grew up in Punta Gorda -- delves into the cultural phenomenon of being nationally known losers. They were so bad that some players acquired by the team refused to play for it. But he also focuses also on the reasons why the Bucs were so awful for so long, pointing out the cheapness and ignorance of owner Hugh Culverhouse, the foul temper and autocratic ways of head coach John McKay and the NFL expansion rules that crippled the Bucs' attempts to assemble a good team in order to protect the existing NFL franchises.
He also recounts the team's eventual redemption, not only winning a game but eventually acquiring a good quarterback, Doug Williams, and going on to the playoffs -- and then losing Williams because Culverhouse was too cheap to pay him a decent salary, leading to a return to Yucks-like level of awful seasons.
Where the book struggles a bit, I think, is in his recounting of too many game details, as he tries to provide a synopsis of almost every matchup and why the Bucs lost. Many times I found myself skimming those sections to get to the good parts, namely hilarious anecdotes like the one about the time the team lost a road game so badly that McKay told the players they had only 15 minutes to shower, dress and get themselves and their gear on the team bus or it would leave them behind. They all made it, but as the bus pulled out one man was running across the parking lot after it, throwing rocks and yelling for it to stop. It was Culverhouse. They'd left the owner behind!
The Bucs were so bad they became a national laughingstock, the target of many a joke in Johnny Carson's late-night routines. At one point, Vuic says, Carson playing the psychic "Carnac," is given the clue "The Titanic and the Buccaneers" and responds, "Name two disasters that were accompanied by band music."
Vuic -- a lifelong Bucs fan who grew up in Punta Gorda -- delves into the cultural phenomenon of being nationally known losers. They were so bad that some players acquired by the team refused to play for it. But he also focuses also on the reasons why the Bucs were so awful for so long, pointing out the cheapness and ignorance of owner Hugh Culverhouse, the foul temper and autocratic ways of head coach John McKay and the NFL expansion rules that crippled the Bucs' attempts to assemble a good team in order to protect the existing NFL franchises.
He also recounts the team's eventual redemption, not only winning a game but eventually acquiring a good quarterback, Doug Williams, and going on to the playoffs -- and then losing Williams because Culverhouse was too cheap to pay him a decent salary, leading to a return to Yucks-like level of awful seasons.
Where the book struggles a bit, I think, is in his recounting of too many game details, as he tries to provide a synopsis of almost every matchup and why the Bucs lost. Many times I found myself skimming those sections to get to the good parts, namely hilarious anecdotes like the one about the time the team lost a road game so badly that McKay told the players they had only 15 minutes to shower, dress and get themselves and their gear on the team bus or it would leave them behind. They all made it, but as the bus pulled out one man was running across the parking lot after it, throwing rocks and yelling for it to stop. It was Culverhouse. They'd left the owner behind!
October 1, 2018
For all the books about greatness on the playing field, why not one that revels in futility? The Yucks plumbs the deep, deep depths of one of the worst teams in sports history. The 1976 and 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost their first 26 games of franchise history and earned their place alongside the 1962 New York Mets in the Hall of Fame of losing teams.
Buccaneers coach John McKay is a Casey Stengel like figure and the central character of this book. McKay had a blind spot for players who attended the University of Southern California, where he had been a successful coach, and clung stubbornly to his I-formation offense, which was truly offensive due to its pitiful production. (In 1977, the Buccaneers scored seven offensive touchdowns, fewer than four NFL running backs and five wide receivers.) As Vuic chronicles McKay's partnership with miserly owner Hugh Culverhouse was a recipe for failure.
The Yucks is a fun, quick read. I'm not quite old enough to remember the 1976 and 1977 seasons, so it was interesting to learn facts such as in Tampa Bay's first year it was a member of the AFC and that the University of Tampa had a big-time football program in the early 1970s when it played one of the first football games in Tampa Stadium, which helped lure the NFL to the Tampa area. Vuic has done his research, interviewing many of those connected to the story.
The narrative jumped around a bit in recounting the 1976 and 1977 seasons, not moving in a strictly chronological order, which I found a little disconcerting. There was also a bit more about the latter-day Buccaneers that eventually won a Super Bowl in 2003 than I expected.
Vuic delves into the history behind the most famous quote attributed to John McKay (when asked what he thought of his team's execution, the coach reportedly said "I'm all for it."). If McKay said it, Vuic couldn't find it. However, he did find variations of this quote (even by Groucho Marx) floating around for decades before. There are still plenty of great McKay quotes in this book. After losing 42-0 to the Steelers, he compared his team's effort to that of General Custer at Little Bighorn before quipping "Custer had better weather!"
Buccaneers coach John McKay is a Casey Stengel like figure and the central character of this book. McKay had a blind spot for players who attended the University of Southern California, where he had been a successful coach, and clung stubbornly to his I-formation offense, which was truly offensive due to its pitiful production. (In 1977, the Buccaneers scored seven offensive touchdowns, fewer than four NFL running backs and five wide receivers.) As Vuic chronicles McKay's partnership with miserly owner Hugh Culverhouse was a recipe for failure.
The Yucks is a fun, quick read. I'm not quite old enough to remember the 1976 and 1977 seasons, so it was interesting to learn facts such as in Tampa Bay's first year it was a member of the AFC and that the University of Tampa had a big-time football program in the early 1970s when it played one of the first football games in Tampa Stadium, which helped lure the NFL to the Tampa area. Vuic has done his research, interviewing many of those connected to the story.
The narrative jumped around a bit in recounting the 1976 and 1977 seasons, not moving in a strictly chronological order, which I found a little disconcerting. There was also a bit more about the latter-day Buccaneers that eventually won a Super Bowl in 2003 than I expected.
Vuic delves into the history behind the most famous quote attributed to John McKay (when asked what he thought of his team's execution, the coach reportedly said "I'm all for it."). If McKay said it, Vuic couldn't find it. However, he did find variations of this quote (even by Groucho Marx) floating around for decades before. There are still plenty of great McKay quotes in this book. After losing 42-0 to the Steelers, he compared his team's effort to that of General Custer at Little Bighorn before quipping "Custer had better weather!"
March 1, 2021
Jason Vuic really did his job with this book. Because he made the reader feel sorry for the 1976 to 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers who went a combined 2-26 in those two seasons.
Both of those teams were super young and inexperienced and that's what you get when you have expansion teams. Expansion teams have to build themselves up from the ground up with homegrown talent (draft picks, undrafted college free agents, and street/unsigned free agents); that's one of the biggest reasons why it takes so long for expansion teams to become competitive.
Vuic is a passionate and well educated fan on the Bucs and you can see that in this book. Vuic's book was a nostalgic trip, as evidenced by it's plot and the old Buccaneers logo on the front cover of the book.
So the next time you get mad about why it takes time to build an expansion team, read football books like this. Even though the Bucs became competitive by 1979, three years is an eternity (i.e. for fans, local media, the players, the coaches and the front office) to wait for a team to get good in the what have you done for me lately NFL.
Both of those teams were super young and inexperienced and that's what you get when you have expansion teams. Expansion teams have to build themselves up from the ground up with homegrown talent (draft picks, undrafted college free agents, and street/unsigned free agents); that's one of the biggest reasons why it takes so long for expansion teams to become competitive.
Vuic is a passionate and well educated fan on the Bucs and you can see that in this book. Vuic's book was a nostalgic trip, as evidenced by it's plot and the old Buccaneers logo on the front cover of the book.
So the next time you get mad about why it takes time to build an expansion team, read football books like this. Even though the Bucs became competitive by 1979, three years is an eternity (i.e. for fans, local media, the players, the coaches and the front office) to wait for a team to get good in the what have you done for me lately NFL.
July 31, 2020
A fun, light read about a team, a city and the business that is the National Football League--and as far as I'm concerned, it's more of a business than a sport. In any case, this was a good book. The overworked term "lovable losers" could be applied here, but there were tensions and disagreements among the players and the coaches, and indifference on the part of the ownership the hurt the 1976 and 1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers as much as the lack of talent. There are humorous stories included in this saga, but also tales of men who hurt inside as well as outside by all the losing. All this turmoil did lay the groundwork for a remarkable rise to some brief fame for the team in 1979 and the early 80s. It was good to read the stories of so many players who did care and played hard, and put up with more frustration than they deserved to deal with. All in all, a very good look at the many sorrows, but also the joys of playing sports and of the hard work and perseverance it takes to succeed not just in sports, but in most anything in life.
October 17, 2025
I enjoyed learning about the process for how Tampa got a Superbowl team. I also loved all of Coach McKay's quips and one liners, they made me laugh out loud. I listened to the audio book and I definitely think I would recommend this as a print book more. I am not a football fan so I would have enjoyed the print book more after learning that there were pictures in it because I wasn't sure what the people looked like and that could have helped keep all the names straight (side note after seeing it I now want the 'Go for O!' shirt brought back). Also I realize this is a me personal problem there was too much actual football in it for me at times so the stats and yards stuff just went over my head.
July 10, 2019
I am quite a bit biased, being a Buccaneers fan, but I loved this in-depth look at the earliest years of the NFL's most looked down on franchise. Meticulously researched, as evidenced by the numerous footnotes and even goes on a short tangent about a popular coach's quote never have actually verified as his, The Yucks presents not only what led the team to having their historic loosing streak but also how that shaped them in the public eye for decades to come. A must read for NFL fans (especially Buccaneers fans) but I think even those who have no love for football will enjoy the journey Vuic documents.
December 7, 2020
Well-written, thoroughly researched and penned from a place only a diehard Bucs fan could be. Lots of memories of those awful first few years - cringeworthy, one might say - with respect to the OG head coach, John McKay, who led the charge as ably as possible. A few heartbreaks, a few triumphs, and lots of laughs. That’s Tampa Bay Bucs life now and forever. (PS: my family moved to the Tampa Bay Area the same year the Bucs began, and I’m still here - watching every football Sunday in my pewter and red.)
August 17, 2022
A good-not-great view of the first years of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
I enjoyed some of the stories, but for the most part it felt like a listing of what was reported in the press during those times and after. No really new information or insights.
Buccaneers fans will probably enjoy reminiscing (despite all the losing seasons).
Feels quite out of date now, as it doesn't include anything related to Bruce Arians, Tom Brady or the last Super Bowl they've won, which kinds makes this particular franchise feel very different to the one described in the book.
I enjoyed some of the stories, but for the most part it felt like a listing of what was reported in the press during those times and after. No really new information or insights.
Buccaneers fans will probably enjoy reminiscing (despite all the losing seasons).
Feels quite out of date now, as it doesn't include anything related to Bruce Arians, Tom Brady or the last Super Bowl they've won, which kinds makes this particular franchise feel very different to the one described in the book.
July 7, 2017
This book focuses on the first 2 years of the Bucs franchise, but despite the title, devotes nearly a quarter of its pages to the 1978-2015 seasons. There are a lot stats and game descriptions, which at times tended to crowd out other aspects of the story. The last few pages contain some rather unconvincing speculations as to why future losing teams are not likely to become icons like the Bucs were.
The book was OK and a quick read. I would give 2 1/2 stars if Goodreads allowed half stars.
The book was OK and a quick read. I would give 2 1/2 stars if Goodreads allowed half stars.
June 24, 2018
I thought it was fine. It didn't wow me.
3.6 stars?
He put in a good amount of research. I was not aware, for example, that John McKay likely never said anything about being in favor of execution of his offense. Vuic looked into this thoroughly, and it appears to be something that Sam Rutigliano said that McKay said -- no reporter heard McKay say it.
Worth a look, but only for hard-core football fans (and probably ones born in the '50s or '60s).
3.6 stars?
He put in a good amount of research. I was not aware, for example, that John McKay likely never said anything about being in favor of execution of his offense. Vuic looked into this thoroughly, and it appears to be something that Sam Rutigliano said that McKay said -- no reporter heard McKay say it.
Worth a look, but only for hard-core football fans (and probably ones born in the '50s or '60s).
March 21, 2023
A brief but hilarious history of the formation of the Bucs. Meticulously researched and easy to digest. I have been a fan since I was old enough to walk, not too long after the team's debut. And I have been reading about this team for decades. Still, I learned a lot of things I had never heard before. I thought it would be a rehash of anecdotes I've heard many times, bit it was not that at all. It's a quick read and well worth the time.
February 22, 2025
Excellent sports history book. Enjoyable read and only 200 pages. Vuic picked his spots with game recaps and went heavy on colorful quotes and behind-the-scenes details. The bulk of the book was, obviously, on the 1976-77 seasons, but Vuic also provided enough context on both the Tampa region and the Bucs franchise as a whole, without getting bogged down.
Also - I loved that Vuic researched the origin of Coach McKay’s famous “execution” quote.
Also - I loved that Vuic researched the origin of Coach McKay’s famous “execution” quote.
September 23, 2025
A Great book about a horrible team.
The 1976&1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the absolute worst team in NFL history. Yes even worse than the 2008 Detroit Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns. The expansion Buccaneers had no chance of winning. They were a team other than Lee Roy Selmon were a group of has been and wanna bes.This well researched book by Jason Chic brought back a lot of memories
The 1976&1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the absolute worst team in NFL history. Yes even worse than the 2008 Detroit Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns. The expansion Buccaneers had no chance of winning. They were a team other than Lee Roy Selmon were a group of has been and wanna bes.This well researched book by Jason Chic brought back a lot of memories
November 24, 2017
Mildly entertaining read about the early years of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise. Upon closer examination, however, there is nothing really notable about the ineptitude of Bucs. More garden variety owner cheapness mixed with poor mix of coach and talent. Vuic added about 25 pages of post-script to pad this thing out to 200 pages.
July 23, 2018
I recalled McKay's funny quotes when the team was poor but I really had no idea how bad he mismanaged things, especially with the favoritism of USC guys. Things turned around when they got Doug Williams, however when he jumped ship to the USFL it reverted back to the bad times.
August 19, 2018
A fascinating, well-researched tale of one of the worst teams in the history of sports. I wish the author had more of a "Where Are They Now" section at the end, even though at least one of the players (whose memoir was a secondary source) turned out to be a horrible person.
December 29, 2018
I don't watch a whole lot of sports, big surprise, but I love reading/learning about sports. Because I am a weenie. And this was a fun little read about the ups and downs and downs and downs of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I love a tale of losers and low-stakes disaster, and this definitely delivers.
March 11, 2021
Jason Vuic gives the same kind of deep background on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first two seasons that he did with the Yugo. He's a great writer and wish he wrote more. I'm willing to read about whatever subject he deems interesting.
October 9, 2021
A very interesting account of a very niche part of American history. Really enjoyed the parts about the formation of Florida as we know it today. Also, the John McKay quotes were never failed to make me laugh out loud.
March 10, 2025
Just a well-written book, especially if you grew up in this era and wonder why the Bucs were so bad for so long. And side note: I can read about Doug Williams as long as I'm awake. Dude could have been a hall of famer.
September 6, 2017
Actual rating 3.5
May 16, 2018
Fantastic book! If you are an NFL fan, this is a must-read!
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