GAME DAY MEMORIES
Expansion Bucs visit Broncos
The Tama Bay Bucs visit
Denver today desperate for a win as they fight for a wild card NFC playoff
spot. In 1976 when the Bucs visited
Denver they were also desperate for a win.
That year the expansion Bucs started the season 0-8 when they came to
Mile High Stadium to face the 4-4 Broncos.
The starting quarterback for
the Bucs that day was former Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier. The Bucs selected Spurrier in the expansion
draft from the Forty-Niners where Spurrier had started just 26 games in nine
years, going 13-12-1.
Midway through the third
quarter the Bucs led the Broncos 13-10.
Mile High Stadium grew quiet as Bronco fans started to ponder the shame
of losing to the winless expansion team.
Then the Bucs reverted to form.
Over the course of the next twenty minutes they surrendered a 71-yard
touchdown pass, two interception returns for touchdowns, and one fumble return
for a touchdown. The Broncos won 48-13.
The Bucs would never sniff
victory the rest of the year, finishing a perfectly imperfect 0-14. The Bucs suffered five shutouts in 1976 and
averaged fewer than nine points per game.
No comments:
Post a Comment