1979 Division Title
The 1979 Buccaneers won their first division title and playoff game, led by Ricky Bell's 1,263 rushing yards and the league's top defense.
The 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 4th season in the National Football League. All home games were played at Tampa Stadium. After having won just seven games in the previous three seasons combined, the 1979 Buccaneers won ten games for their first winning season. They finished as NFC Central division champions and won the first playoff game in franchise history.
Quick Facts
- Season
- 1979
- Coach
- John McKay
- Quarterback
- Doug Williams
- Division
- NFC Central
- Record
- 8-8-0
- Playoff result
- Lost to Dallas Cowboys (24-0)
- Significance
- First Division Title and Playoff Appearance
Lore & Background
The Buccaneers added offensive threats to complement their solid defense; a healthy Doug Williams played his first full season and Ricky Bell became the team's first 1,000-yard back, rushing for a career-high 1,263 yards. Tampa Bay also had the number one defense in football allowing only 237 points all season, while their opponents scored only 14.8 points per game. The playoff spot was secured in the final week in a rain-sodden game against the Kansas City Chiefs, with the only score being a 19-yard field goal by Neil O'Donoghue. The Bucs recorded their first-ever playoff win by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 24–17, behind Bell's 142 yards rushing. Tampa Bay hosted the 1979 NFC Championship Game the following week but lost 9–0 to the Los Angeles Rams.
Reader's Guide
The Buccaneers surprised the NFL by winning the team's first five games, becoming the season's last undefeated team and appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated. It also put them in first place for good in the NFC Central. The team's youth became an issue, as the Buccaneers went into a late-season losing streak on the verge of earning the team's first playoff spot. After dropping three games in a row, of which winning any of the three would have clinched the division, McKay launched into an obscenity-laced tirade against reporters who called the team a 'laughingstock' and 'Chokeneers'. Even against a schedule that featured only two opponents with winning records it took until the final game of the season for the Buccaneers to win their tenth game. A better division record gave the Buccaneers the division win over the also-10–6 Chicago Bears.
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