Once upon a time, a 9-6 team called the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went to San Francisco to play their 1-14 49ers, needing only one win to win their first NFC Central Division Championship. Instead it was the underdog 49ers team that beat the Bucs, and gave their future Hall Of Fame Head Coach Bill Walsh a ride off on their shoulders. We should have known this city would be a disaster for Bucs, courtesy of said San Francisco 49ers. They snacked on Doug Williams bullets, and munched on James Wilder. We got their QB (DeBerg), but they got ours (Young). They feasted on Vinny, on Trent, on Erickson, you name it. The San Francisco 49ers have spent the last 30 years beating up on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers every time they’ve hosted the Bucs, so much you could say we’ve become a dish of rice-a-roni. How long ago was 1980?
- George Bush, the father that is, was not even VICE president yet.
- Bon Scott was still the lead singer of AC/DC
- The US Olympic Hockey team won the Gold Medal from the USSR.
- Oh yeah, there was this thing called the USSR, and it was still 10 years away from breaking up.
- Iron Maiden debuted their first LP
- The Summit Venture hit the Skyway Bridge
- Mount St. Helens erupted
- The Empire Strikes Back is released
- People play PAC MAN for the first time.
That’s a long time, and it’s the last time the Bucs have beaten the 49ers. It’s not for a lack of playing them either, 13 times the Bucs have ventured to the land of Flower Power. Only once have they returned to Tampa without cleat marks on their faces. Now it’s understandable for a time, after all from 1983-1996 Tampa Bay was in the middle of a decade and a half of double digit losses. Meanwhile the 49ers were the opposite and in that period went through a prosperous period of double digit WINNING seasons, so it’s totally understandable that a record would occure like this from the period. But it doesn’t explain what’s happened since. In Tampa, the Bucs play the 49ers well, even when we were not supposed to. Tampa Bay has beaten San Francisco the last 3 times they’ve played in Raymond James. But for the last 6 years, three times the Bucs have ventured to the ‘Other Bay Area’ as a favorite and left without so much as a handkerchief to relieve themselves. Three years ago, the Bucs are 9-3 and were resting players to preserve for a playoff game. The starters gave the Bucs backups a lead at the half, but the back ups let that go. Luke McCown led the Bucs downfield but Michael Clayton could not keep his feet in bounds for the two point conversion. Bucs Lose. In 2005 the Bucs look like a renewed powerhouse again, but Brian Griese is lost for the year and Chris Simms is prepared for the game during the Bye week. The Bucs defense holds the 49ers to 15 points, Bucs Lose. The Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers go to San Francisco and lay an egg scoring only on a 75 yard McCardell TD pass and catch. Before that though, a collasal collection of misfits, also rans, losing by some scores that show what kind of sorry Bucs teams they were (’86 7-31, ’90 7-31, ’94 16-41) and some close heartbreakers ( ’92 14-21, ’84 17-24). So no one should even think of refering to this game as a trap game; the Bucs should NEVER be favored playing in San Francisco, a place where not only Tony Bennett has left his heart.
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