| 1994 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Sam Wyche |
| Home Field | Tampa Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 6-10 |
| Place | 5th NFC Central |
| Playoff Finish | did not qualify |
| Team MVP | LT Paul Gruber |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 1993 | 1995 |
The 1994 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the death of owner Hugh Culverhouse. Ownership was transferred to a three-man board of trustees. Season ticket sales dwindled, and rumors of the team's location were a persistent distraction all year. At mid-season, the new ownership removed all personnel responsibilities from coach Sam Wyche, and gave them to Vice President Rich McKay, who they named general manager. They also put the team up for sale.[1] On the field, Errict Rhett became the first rookie in the team's history to rush for 1,000 yards, despite not starting until the ninth game of the season. The Buccaneers had one of the weakest offenses in the league, even while led by a coach who had consistently produced top offenses while with the Cincinnati Bengals.[2] At 2-9, most people in the Bay area were ready to hang Wyche and pack his bags, but the defensive line improved as Eric Curry finally matured in the second half of the season, and the Bucs began their first 4-game winning streak in 15 years. It started with an overtime win in Minnesota. Two wins over the Washington Redskins and one over the Los Angeles Rams set up a big game in Tampa against the Green Bay Packers, who were trying to secure a playoff spot. "We've arrived", Wyche announced prematurely.[3] The final game was called "Orange Pride day", and was attended by 65,000 fans, most of whom expected it to be the last football game in Tampa. The Packers won, 34-19.[1]
Offseason
Edit
NFL DraftEdit
| Pick | Round | Player | Position | School |
| 6 | 1 | Trent Dilfer | Quarterback | Fresno State |
| 34 | 2 | Errict Rhett | Running Back | Florida |
| 69 | 3 | Harold Bishop | Tight End | LSU |
| 136 | 5 | Pete Pierson | Offensive Tackle | Washington |
| 165 | 6 | Bernard Carter | Linebacker | East Carolina |
| 200 | 7 | Jim Pyne | Center | Virginia Tech |
PreseasonEdit
Regular seasonEdit
StaffEdit
| 1994 Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
| |||||
Regular seasonEdit
ScheduleEdit
| Regular season | ||||||||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Kickoff[a] | Game site | TV | Attendance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4, 1994 | at Chicago Bears | L 21-9 | 1:00 | Soldier Field | FOX | 61,844 | 0-1 |
| 2 | September 11, 1994 | Indianapolis Colts | W 24-10 | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | NBC | 36,631* | 1-1 |
| 3 | September 18, 1994 | New Orleans Saints | L 9-7 | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | FOX | 45,522* | 1-2 |
| 4 | September 25, 1994 | at Green Bay Packers | L 30-3 | 1:00 | Lambeau Field | FOX | 58,551 | 1-3 |
| 5 | October 2, 1994 | Detroit Lions | W 24-14 | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | FOX | 38,012* | 2-3 |
| 6 | October 9, 1994 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 34-13 | 1:00 | Georgia Dome | FOX | 52,633 | 2-4 |
| 7 | Bye week | |||||||
| 8 | October 23, 1994 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 41-16 | 4:00 | Candlestick Park | FOX | 62,741 | 2-5 |
| 9 | October 30, 1994 | Minnesota Vikings | L 36-13 | 4:00 | Tampa Stadium | FOX | 42,110* | 2-6 |
| 10 | November 6, 1994 | Chicago Bears | L 20-6 | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | FOX | 60,821* | 2-7 |
| 11 | November 13, 1994 | at Detroit Lions | L 14-9 | 8:00 | Pontiac Silverdome | ESPN | 50,814 | 2-8 |
| 12 | November 20, 1994 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 22-21 | 4:00 | Kingdome | FOX | 37,466 | 2-9 |
| 13 | November 27, 1994 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 20-17 OT | 1:00 | Metrodome | FOX | 47,259 | 3-9 |
| 14 | December 4, 1994 | Washington Redskins | W 26-21 | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | FOX | 45,121* | 4-9 |
| 15 | December 11, 1994 | Los Angeles Rams | W 24-14 | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | FOX | 34,150* | 5-9 |
| 16 | December 18, 1994 | at Washington Redskins | W 17-14 | 1:00 | RFK Stadium | FOX | 47,315 | 6-9 |
| 17 | December 24, 1994 | Green Bay Packers | L 34-19 | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | FOX | 65,076* | 6-10 |
Notes:
- a All times in North American Eastern Time. (UTC–4 and UTC–5 during Standard Time)
- = blacked out locally
StandingsEdit
Template:1994 NFC Central standings
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Stroud, Rick. "30 Seasons: 1976-2005. From Sinking Ship to World-Class Cruise" St Petersburg Times. 11 Sep 2005.
- ↑ Lieber, Jill. "The NFC Central". Sports Illustrated. 5 Dec 1994
- ↑ Lieber, Jill. "The NFC Central". Sports Illustrated. 26 Dec 1994
- ↑ 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Media Guide. pp. 44–46. http://www.buccaneers.com/team/mediaguide.aspx. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
