| One short fieldgoal for a kicker, one giant leap for the Buccaneer franchise Tampa Stadium 16 December 1979 The background OK so maybe trying to paint an analogy with the Moon landing 10 years earlier is a little tough. But never has a 19-yard fieldgoal meant more to a franchise than this one. The Bucs had lost three straight games when a single win meant their first division title and a playoff berth. "Choke-a-neers" was what Tom McEwen called them in The Tampa Tribune on the day of the game. And during a monsoon in Tampa when neither team could move the ball, one drive and one kick made the difference. The game situation The key play to me is actually not Neil O'Donoghue with the kick, but the work of the holder Tom Blanchard. Watch how he handles the snap in the wet conditions. He made the difference. Click here for all the game reports |
| The 100 Greatest Plays in Buccaneer history Welcome to the next and best countdown that we have ever run on BUCPOWER.COM. Featuring every one of the 32 years that the Bucs have played NFL football, we have clips of memorable touchdowns, bloopers, decisive moments and trick plays. From the ridiculous to the sublime, this is a countdown to bring back a lot of memories for Buccaneer fans of all ages around the world. Whereas the top 20-30 plays do stand out and are able to be ranked subjectively (and have been by some of the Tampa media), the early plays are generally spread out across the years and can only be placed approximately in terms of their importance. |
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