Talk of the Bucs being sold, even though it was grossly inaccurate, has once again got Bucs fans worked up.

And one of the area’s more influential residents is again being talked about.

Eddie DeBartlolo, Jr., was the former owner of the San Francisco 49ers during their glory years. He was considered by many the perfect owner. He would stop at nothing to get a winning team.

His 49ers were the first team to win five Super Bowls.

Unlike Jerry Jones, DeBartolo was not a glory hound. Unlike Danny Snyder, he was not a cold, ruthless tyrant, sticking his nose all too often into the football operations.

But DeBartolo’s empire crumbled when he was forced to sell controlling share of the 49ers to his sister when, as detailed in the Los Angeles Times, in 1998, DeBartolo pleaded guilty to a felony charge of failing to report that Louisiana’s former governor, Edwin Edwards, had extorted money from him to win a casino license. The NFL then fined DeBartolo $1 million and suspended him for the 1999 season, ending his rule of the 49ers.

DeBartolo, after the false rumors were started by Sileo, has made no secret of his desire to buy the Bucs as he told the Los Angeles Times, via ProFootballTalk.com.

“If a situation came about with something as close as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I would be a moron not to at least look into it and be somewhat interested.”

As has been pointed out several times over the years, the Glazers aren’t selling the Bucs. If that day were ever to come, Joe couldn’t think of a better candidate to own the Bucs than DeBartolo.