| 1995 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Malcolm Glazer |
| Head Coach | Sam Wyche |
| Home Field | Tampa Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7-9 |
| Place | 5th NFC Central |
| Playoff Finish | did not qualify |
| Team MVP | MLB Hardy Nickerson |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 1994 | 1996 |
The 1995 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on an 6-10 season in which the team won 4 straight games at the end of 1994 and 4 of the last 5. It was Wyche' final season as the team's head coach. Prior to the season Malcolm Glazer took over ownership of the team, then the Bucs drafted Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks, both of whom are recognized as two of the teams greatest ever players, and Lee Roy Selmon was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Overview[]
There were rumors towards the end of the 1994 season about the team deserting Tampa completely but a referendum saved the team. This season is famous for Sam Wyche, Head Coach of the Bucs, "Five dash Two" saying to reporters during a press conference after game 7 in which he basically tells reports "HA I told you so" even though Tampa won their 5 games by the slimmest of margins, often with improbable causes. Yet there was no denying that Tampa Bay under Wyche had won 9 of their last 12 games, better than anyone else in football at that point going back to the 1994 end of year win streak. But the House built of straw would crumble before long. Following the week seven overtime win over Minnesota, Tampa Lost 3 in a row before beating expansion Jacksonville only after Jaguars Coach decided to go for a 2 point conversion when scoring a last minute touchdown. It failed and the Bucs won 17-16, a sweep if you will over both expansion teams as Tampa Played Carolina and beat them 17-10 in week 5. Two more losses followed, and the 6-7 Buccaneers had a prime time ESPN Sunday Night Football game against the Green Bay Packers who were playing without standout Reggie White due to injury. Tampa took the Packers into overtime and Beat them on national TV to go 7-7 and still be in playoff contention in game 14 for the first time in a long time. The Bucs responded by losing to the Chicago Bears by 21 points at home, then the last game of the year, with an 8-8 record within reach, Coach Wyche pulled QB Trent Dilfer in an emotional sideline explosion. Dilfer was told by backup Casey Weldon that Weldon was told by Coach Wyche to be ready, he would pull Dilfer in the second quarter no matter how good he plays. Rumor also has it Wyche, knowing he would be let go by new owners without a winning record after a 5-2 start, would make the Buccaneer players wear Orange pants and Orange shirts, looking like a Creamsickle. New owner Malcolm Glazer had enough of this, and started the search for the next coach of the Buccaneers, a search that would bring in Coach Tony Dungy. The players were in place, it was now time to add the coaches.
Offseason[]
NFL Draft[]
| Pick | Round | Player | Position | School |
| 12 | 1 | Warren Sapp | Defensive Tackle | Miami |
| 28 | 1 | Derrick Brooks | Linebacker | Florida State |
| 43 | 2 | Melvin Johnson | Defensive Back | Kentucky |
| 105 | 4 | Jerry Wilson | Defensive Back | Saginaw Valley State University |
| 143 | 5 | Clifton Abraham | Defensive Back | Florida State |
| 179 | 6 | Wardell Rouse | Linebacker | Clemson |
| 215 | 7 | Steve Ingram | Offensive Tackle | Maryland |
| 227 | 7 | Jeff Rodgers | Defensive End | Texas A&M-Kingsville |
Personnel[]
Staff[]
| 1995 Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
| |||||
Regular season[]
Schedule[]
| Regular season | ||||||||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Kickoff[a] | Game site | TV | Attendance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 3, 1995 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 21-6 | 1:00 | Veterans Stadium | FOX | 66,266 | 1-0 |
| 2 | September 10, 1995 | at Cleveland Browns | L 22-6 | 1:00 | Cleveland Stadium | FOX | 61,083 | 1-1 |
| 3 | September 17, 1995 | Chicago Bears | L 25-6 | 4:00 | Tampa Stadium | FOX | 71,507 | 1-2 |
| 4 | September 24, 1995 | Washington Redskins | W 14-6 | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | FOX | 49,234* | 2-2 |
| 5 | October 1, 1995 | at Carolina Panthers | W 20-13 | 1:00 | Memorial Stadium | FOX | 50,076 | 3-2 |
| 6 | October 8, 1995 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 19-16 | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | NBC | 41,732* | 4-2 |
| 7 | October 15, 1995 | Minnesota Vikings | W 20-17 (OT) | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | FOX | 55,703* | 5-2 |
| 8 | October 22, 1995 | Atlanta Falcons | L 24-21 | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | FOX | 66,135* | 5-3 |
| 9 | October 29, 1995 | at Houston Oilers | L 19-7 | 4:00 | Houston Astrodome | FOX | 31,489 | 5-4 |
| 10 | Bye week | |||||||
| 11 | November 12, 1995 | at Detroit Lions | L 27-24 | 1:00 | Pontiac Silverdome | FOX | 60,644 | 5-5 |
| 12 | November 19, 1995 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 17-16 | 1:00 | Tampa Stadium | NBC | 71,629* | 6-5 |
| 13 | November 26, 1995 | at Green Bay Packers | L 35-13 | 1:00 | Lambeau Field | FOX | 59,218 | 6-6 |
| 14 | December 3, 1995 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 31-17 | 1:00 | Metrodome | FOX | 52,879 | 6-7 |
| 15 | December 10, 1995 | Green Bay Packers | W 13-10 (OT) | 8:00 | Tampa Stadium | ESPN | 67,557* | 7-7 |
| 16 | December 17, 1995 | at Chicago Bears | L 31-10 | 1:00 | Soldier Field | FOX | 49,475 | 7-8 |
| 17 | December 23, 1995 | Detroit Lions | L 37-10 | 4:00 | Tampa Stadium | FOX | 50,049* | 7-9 |
Notes:
- a All times in North American Eastern Time. (UTC–4 and UTC–5 during Standard Time)
- = blacked out locally
Standings[]
Template:1995 NFC Central standings
References[]
- ↑ 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Media Guide,2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Media Guide pp. 44–46. Retrieved on 2010-04-12. ISBN .