The No.80 shirt No fewer than 20 players have sported the 80 jersey for the Buccaneers since 1976, a combination of tight ends and receivers, but none who really stood out to a massively high level. We have gone with Lawrence Dawsey as our best-ever even though his career was hampered by injury after an excellent first two seasons in Buc colours. Michael Clayton had probably the best year of any No.80 with his rookie 2004 season, and Alvin Harper had probably the worst with his final 1996 season. Clayton of course became the boo-birds' favourite target during his later years with the franchise and any consideration for him to beat Dawsey was dropped as quickly as a pass aimed his way. And for the tight ends, Jackie Harris only had one season in this number having switched when the Bucs changed colours, whilst the likes of Todd Yoder, John Davis and Ryan Purvis are nothing more than trivia answers than serious contenders. Frank “Tears on my” Pillow was a favourite of ESPN’s Chris Berman in the late 1980s whilst Steve Holloway was one of the few players to remain on the roster after the 1987 players’ strike. The arrival of first round pick OJ Howard in 2017 brought new life to the number but his role on the team has declined every season to the point where he was nothing more than a blocker and third TE option on the team before moving on in free agency. BEST EVER TO WEAR No.80 FOR THE BUCCANEERS - LAWRENCE DAWSEY
Click on the player's name for their profile page, Buccaneer stats and picture galleries Years Player Pos 1976-77 Jack Novak TE 1978 Larry Franklin WR 1980 Conrad Rucker TE 1980 Tony Samuels TE 1983-85 Gene Branton TE/WR 1985 KD Dunn TE 1986 David Williams WR 1987 Stanley Shakespeare WR 1987 Steve Holloway TE 1988-90 Frank Pillow WR 1991-95 Lawrence Dawsey WR 1996 Alvin Harper WR 1997 Jackie Harris TE 1998-99 John Davis TE 2000-03 Todd Yoder TE 2004-09 Michael Clayton WR 2010 Ryan Purvis TE 2011 Zack Pianalto TE 2012-14 Chris Owusu WR 2017-21 OJ Howard TE 2022 Kaylon Geiger WR