Forty-six years ago today, on December 11, 1977, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got their first-ever victory, 33-14 against the New Orleans Saints. It came in the 13th game of the team’s second season and improved Tampa’s all-time record to 1-26. The Bucs’ defense won the day, recovering a fumble and intercepting six passes–three of them for touchdowns. No Buccaneer had previously returned an interception for a touchdown, so these were the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in team history. The three pick-sixes in a game also tied the NFL record at the time. The record stood until 1984, when the Seattle Seahawks broke it with four against Kansas City.
Tampa Bay’s offense didn’t exactly tear up the field in their first win, so if you had to pick an offensive star, it might have been punter/kicker Dave Green. Green hit two field goals and three extra points, and he also completed a 14-yard pass for a first down on a fake punt.
Green is shown here on his 1977 Topps card. The image Topps used for the card is awful, with Green’s face barely visible under his helmet. The stands behind him are empty, so it doesn’t appear to be a sideline shot. Why didn’t the photographer ask him to take off his helmet?
Green appeared on a few more cards, fortunately, and at least two have better pictures of him.
