How Many Super Bowls Have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Won?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have never been known for being a powerhouse NFL team. They haven’t had a ton of success throughout their history, other than a few years in the late 90s and early 2000s. So, since they haven’t been a dominant dynasty like the New England Patriots or San Francisco 49ers, how many Super Bowls have the Buccaneers won? Here’s a look at everything the Buccaneers have accomplished.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came into existence in 1976
The 1976 season was the Buccaneers’ first season in the NFL. They had a horrible start, though, as they went 0-14 in 1976, 2-12 in 1977, and 5-11 in 1978. However, they completely turned things around in 1979. Tampa Bay went 10-6 that season and reached the NFC Championship Game.
A tough defense was what made them so good that year, as the Buccaneers were No. 1 in the NFL in points allowed per game, only allowing 14.8 points per outing. Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon led them on that side of the ball, too, as he was a Pro Bowl selection and First-Team All-Pro that year. Offensively, Tampa had Ricky Bell, who ran for 1,263 yards and seven touchdowns. The Buccaneers, though, lost in the NFC Championship Game to the LA Rams, 9-0.
Tampa then made the playoffs again in 1981 and 1982, but the Buccaneers then missed the playoffs in 14 consecutive seasons from 1983 through 1996.
Then, Tony Dungy came along.
They failed to win a Super Bowl with Tony Dungy
Tony Dungy eventually became the first Black head coach to ever win a Super Bowl when he won one with the Indianapolis Colts during the 2006 season. However, before that, he built the Buccaneers into one of the best teams in the NFL.
After Tampa went 6-10 in 1996, Dungy led the Buccaneers to a 10-6 record and the divisional round in his second season in 1997. He then led them to the playoffs in four of five seasons from 1997 through 2001. The Buccaneers also went all the way to the NFC Championship Game with Dungy in 1999. They, however, lost to the St. Louis Rams, 11-6.
The Buccaneers ultimately failed to win a Super Bowl with Dungy, though. Then, after losing in the wild-card round in back-to-back seasons in 2000 and 2001, Dungy and the Buccaneers parted ways.
Jon Gruden then became the team’s head coach in 2002.
Jon Gruden led the Buccaneers to their only Super Bowl title in 2002
To answer the question from the beginning of the story — the Buccaneers have only won one Super Bowl. That championship came in 2002, as Jon Gruden led the Buccaneers on an incredible run in his first season as head coach there.
Tampa Bay went 12-4 that season, as Brad Johnson threw for 3,049 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Keyshawn Johnson was also a star for them, as he caught 76 passes for 1,088 yards and five touchdowns. Their defense was incredible, though, as it only allowed a league-best 12.3 points per game behind the play of Derrick Brooks, Simeon Rice, Warren Sapp, John Lynch, and Shelton Quarles.
They then won in the divisional round over the 49ers before winning in the NFC Championship Game over the Philadelphia Eagles. Then, in the Super Bowl, the Buccaneers dominated the Oakland Raiders, winning 48-21. Michael Pittman ran for 124 yards in the game for the Buccaneers, but the defense forced Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon into five interceptions. Dexter Jackson ultimately won Super Bowl MVP after picking off two passes.
Tampa Bay hasn’t been very good since then
While Dungy led the Buccaneers to success in consecutive years, Gruden couldn’t sustain that success like Dungy did. The Buccaneers went 7-9 and 5-11 in the two seasons after winning the Super Bowl. They then only made the playoffs two more times with Gruden and lost in the wild-card round each time.
After making the playoffs in 2007, though, Tampa Bay went 12 consecutive seasons without a postseason appearance. They had a couple of good seasons during that stretch, as they went 10-6 in 2010, but they just couldn’t do enough to make a postseason appearance.
That was until Tom Brady came along and broke that drought in 2020, leading the Buccaneers to an 11-5 record and to the playoffs.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have only ever won one Super Bowl throughout their history. That franchise, though, could have more championships coming their way in the near future.
Stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
