Twenty Years Ago: Where Were You?

{PREAMBLE - If you were a baby, young child or in utero, don't respond - it won't be funny}

Ahhh, 1983! The Bucs were entering the regular season after a perfect pre-season where Jack Thompson beat out Jerry Goldsteyn in an intense battle for the starting quarterback spot. Though the Bucs were coming off consecutive playoff appearances, Hugh Culverhouse had decided that Doug Williams' services were no longer needed.

I was so optimistic. Back then the home preseason games were tape delayed the day after on channel 44, WTOG (does that station still exist?) On the Sunday after the last preseason victory over (I believe Washington) I was absolutely certain that we had what it took to not only make the playoffs, but finally beat Dallas, who had eliminated us in 1981 and 1982. I was only mildly bitter that my favorite player, Doug Williams had been run out of town.

I still believe that Culverhouse in his old southern effort to prove that racism played no role in his refusal to pay Williams market value, or anything even close to it, brought in Thompson because he thought he was black! I can only imagine his answer to someone piping up in a staff meeting, "uh, Hugh, he's actually Samoan. He's not black." After adjusting the lapel on his orange blazer, Culverhouse probably quipped, "colored is colored, I aint no racist!"

Anyway, our Bucs lost the opener at home to Detroit, 11-0. We followed that up with eight more losses before finally "getting off the schneid". That season ended as two others after that ended; at 2-14.

Where were you? Were you on the bandwagon? There was plenty of room. I remember people giving tickets away outside every game. Some folks would lay out unused tickets on the ledges of closed ticket windows outside the stadium. Were you there? I can proudly say that I was. Now that doesn't make anyone who wasn't there a poor fan or a bandwagoner - that's not what I'm saying. Just curious.

That Sunday night I opted to stay home and watch the preseason replay over going to see "Fast Times at Ridgemont High". Dumb decision.

What do you remember from the old days?

Costa Mesa, hating the Raiders.

[randombuc]

In NW Pennsylvania, graduating college, looking forward to moving down to St Pete. I didn't know much about the Bucs then, I'd seen a highlight film on tv with Doug Williams, Leroy Selmon et al. When I moved down to Tampa Bay I started rooting for the local team, though it was difficult at times!

In Atlanta trying to get a job down here so I could move back. Watching the just God awful Falcons.

[joebucs76]

I was at the game. Was it that year or another that a hurricane was coming and the next day the only thing they showed on 44 was the uncut verison of the game. And, during one of the breakes Hank Stram said the is a horrible game and no one is going to watch this game tomorrow?

[DragnSlayrF31]

Originally posted by joebucs76
I was at the game. Was it that year or another that a hurricane was coming and the next day the only thing they showed on 44 was the uncut verison of the game. And, during one of the breakes Hank Stram said the is a horrible game and no one is going to watch this game tomorrow?

It was 1983. Hurricane Alicia. Thought that it was going to backtrack and the weather men didn't know if it would change directions. It ended up hitting Galveston as a Cat 5 hurricane causing the worst damage in history to downtown Houston.

[Greg in DC]

I was six. I was in kindergarten and a 3rd grader beat me up. Incidentally, he wore a lot of Miami Dolphins gear (and of course OP and Panama Jack). I've hated the Dolphins ever since.

[Stanger]

Originally posted by srqbucsfan
Watching the just God awful Falcons.

Some things never change

Wow, what a great thread. I spent every Sunday of that season over with my best friend (a Dolphins fan) getting Bucs score updates on NBC's "10 Minute Ticker" -- what an innovation.

Jack Thompson -- the Throwin' Samoan .... ugh!

I was in another life---a season ticket holder for the Eagles Life has got considerably better!

Southern Illinois

Sophmore at Seminole High School (Seminole) and wearing the creamcicle orange and white with pride........

I had just graduated Astronaut and getting ready to go into the AF in April and went to one last game--The MNF vs. the Pack when Jan Stenerued kicked not only the field goal to win in OT, but also one before that to break the all-time scoring mark. I still have a picture I took of Cosell, Merideth, and whomever the third announcer was standing over the ABC Sports banner in the press box. That was my last Bucs' game until I saw the Oilers game in Houston in 1989.

[BucBoss2K1]

I was living in SoCal at the time getting ready to start high school. I remember the preseason, I definitely remember that poor 2-14 season and I also remember the 2 losses to Dallas the two previous playoffs.

We've come a long way since then. Thank God.

I was getting ready to retire from the Navy and start a new career

Originally posted by woodiebob
I was getting ready to retire from the Navy and start a new career

Woodie-- you must have joined the Navy straight out of high school.

I had just realized that if I didn't buckle down, I would never graduate college.

Originally posted by Warhorse
Woodie-- you must have joined the Navy straight out of high school.

I had just realized that if I didn't buckle down, I would never graduate college.

I joined the Navy in 1963 and then graduated from college in 1980 while still in the Navy ..... and the Navy paid for it !!!!

I was four and living outside of Chicago. It'd be another four years before I moved here and started rooting for the Bucs.

83-- 26 then and married 3 yrs. Living near Tallahassee. Just getting my wife off my back about football AND her starting to watch it with me AND liking it!!

Wearing creamsicle..getting laughed at, not caring tho.

At least my creamsicle is a collector's item now--lol.

4-0 preseason thinking we would have at least a winning record that year-- not thinking too much of preseason since. But alas the start of long, long years of losing.

But have ALWAYS helped pull the wagon, Braves fan too then. Nuff said? Glad the Bay Area finally quit getting shafted by MLB and got their team!

Losing Doug W., the biggest mistake this club ever made. Later ('88?) rooting my butt off for him in the SB.

Leroy S still the greatest Buc ever

Originally posted by StangerBuc
Some things never change

LOL, yes they do. I get to see MY TEAM down here now. The Falcons are that dumb flightless bird that belongs to those idiots in Atlanta.

[LadyLuck]

I moved out of the Bucs viewing area (to South East Florida) and was getting ready for my wedding day. PorkFrog & I celebrate our 20th Monday.

[ChuckyWins4TB]

1983....wow....I was a sophmore in HS in West Germany, I was a (hate to admit it) Rams fan then, was since I was a kid...played MLB Varsity starter, loving life in Germany, eating tons of german food, and of course drinking the best beer on the planet:

Urhell Hefe Weizen....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

[AMERICAN MUSCLE]

I was 5 years old living in Long Island NY. I know eveyone is happy to read this

[Kimono Dragon]

1000 feet under water in the North Atlantic.... No women, no beer, no news, no outside world. Worse than a prison sentance, in a way... But I was a Bucs fan then, as now.

[PCBUCFAN]

Proudly wearing my countries uniform and my Buc colors in Alaska, used to trade Buc shirts with the locals for some really cool scrimshaw and stuff. Made it home for a couple games that year, pretty bad.

sophomore in high school.

An itch in my daddy's pants.

[Big D]

Junior at Hillsborough High School - Tampa, Fl

I think ?

I did party a little too much back then.

[aBucnTrucker]

HMMmmm,
1983.......... Well in June I joined the USAF after living in Detroit,MI for 2 yrs. man did I hate living anywhere but Tampa back then. I always was ribbed for being a Buc fan a true glutton for punishment. Well after basic training I was then given a choice assignment of going DDA to MacDill, man back home again!!!!!
I enjoyed being there for that year and a half before being shipped off to Guam. And I havent been back to Tampa to live since, only to visist parents but I'm a true to the end fan even here in the heart of Falcon country.
Go Bucs 2002 WORLD CHAMPIONS ; LET'S DO IT AGAIN!!!!

Waiting for my Tampa Bay Bandits tickets to come in the mail... ahhh those were the days...