Malcolm’s Hunt Of Bill Parcells
May 29th, 2014
The late Malcolm Glazer made plenty of relentless power plays as the Buccaneers’ owner.
Joe surely remembers all the drama of the sealed bids to purchase Tampa Bay from the Culverhouse estate.
Bucs fans didn’t know who would swoop in and pay for football’s most dreadful franchise. Joe remembers rooting for George Steinbrenner, who made it known he was hungry to lead the Bucs. Steinbrenner, Joe thought, would bring instant credibility, excitement and spending never before seen by local NFL fans.
But some guy named Glazer won the bid with a whopping $192 million offer.
Steinbrenner, one of the sports world’s biggest movers and shakers had lost another local play. Joe remembers talking to Steinbrenner at Tampa Bay Downs about this years later, when Joe was the Tampa Tribune horse racing beat writer and Steinbrenner was a regular around the racetrack. (Old school locals also will remember that Steinbrenner sold his half of Tampa Bay Downs share in the 1980s, not one of his best financial decisions, either.)
Glazer, however, arrived and out-Steinbrennered Mr. Steinbrenner himself.
Glazer relentlessly attacked getting a new stadium built with public funds for the Bucs — or else. And Glazer hunted the biggest tuna in the sea with all the bait he could muster — head coach Bill Parcells.
The goal was simple: inject the franchise with the reigning supreme ruler of NFL sidelines and media magnet. Parcells was a free man and the Bucs wanted a new head coach. Jimmy Johnson got an official offer.
Tony Dungy was choice No. 3.
Mr. Glazer hunted Parcells again to replace Dungy before settling on Jon Gruden. And that brings Joe to one of the more fun memories of his reporting career, when the Tribune sports editor paid Joe to listen to the “Bill Parcells Show,” which was carried by a now-defunct sports radio network. Joe’s job was simply to listen for any clue Parcells might drop about the Buccaneers’ interest. Joe pulled in $200 to listen to about eight hours of sports radio.
Malcolm Glazer clearly believed in going big, chasing the prize harder than the other guy. Win-now Chucky was such a perfect fit for Mr. Glazer.
Joe wonders on this day, after the announcement of Glazer’s death, what Mr. Glazer would have thought of the Raheem Morris hire? Joe also thinks Mr. Glazer would have loved the aggressive nature with which his sons pursued Chip Kelly before hiring Greg Schiano.
May 29th, 2014 at 9:28 am
Steinbrenner as the Bucs owner would have been very cool. He did an amazing job with the Yankees, especially later on. But the Glazers have done good things – beats the hell out of Culverhouse, thats for sure! I am glad we did not get Parcels – and i am a Parcels fan. But he did nothing in Miami, he didn’t even work at it. I think he was burned out at that point, so glad he did not come here.
May 29th, 2014 at 9:42 am
The tuna fish in oil slipped away, he did’nt trust something about this franchise, who could blame him?
May 29th, 2014 at 9:58 am
Parcels built a decent defense in Miami, but that was all he did. I would love for our oline to rack up sacks like his did.
Steinbrenner would have made a good owner, but ticket prices would have been much higher as well.
May 29th, 2014 at 10:12 am
Malcom Glazer set his sights out to get a superbowl and nothing stopped him until he got what he wanted, that’s what was great about him.
After our SB victory he was done with the bucs and moved on to new projects, then he suffered an unfortunate stroke and that’s the last time he oversaw anything related to the bucs.
His boys are good owners but they don’t have the same drive or hunger as their dad, they will be happy with just winning seasons.
May 29th, 2014 at 10:19 am
yes thank you malcolm for the bucs turn around
May 29th, 2014 at 10:38 am
Who was choice #2?
May 29th, 2014 at 10:47 am
It was Culverhouse that tried to sign Bill Parcells. He offered him the job as coach and director of Football operations but turned him down at the last minute. Remember Culverhouse stating “We now feel we’ve been jilted at the altar”
May 29th, 2014 at 10:57 am
Joe… who was choice 2?
How about when Mr Glazer said no thanks to Marvin Lewis after rich mckay gave him the job and we had no plan B , but he got Chucky.
Thank you Glazers!!!!!!
RIP Mr Glazer.
May 29th, 2014 at 11:15 am
13frain Says:
May 29th, 2014 at 10:47 am
May 29th, 2014 at 11:16 am
Dungy was choice number 3, but it wasn’t behind Parcells. Steve Spurrier and Jimmy Johnson were the first 2 choices, and both declined.
May 29th, 2014 at 11:19 am
I don’t think Steinbrenner would fare as well in football. You can’t just buy an all-star team and expect them to work as one.
May 29th, 2014 at 11:25 am
His sons aren’t even close to Malcolm. And I’m sure he knew that. This franchise hasn’t been the same since the sons took full control. That’s not a coincidence.
May 29th, 2014 at 11:26 am
Malcolm: 2 for 2 on coach hires.
Sons: 0 for 2. 1 pending.
May 29th, 2014 at 11:27 am
“Steinbrenner as the Bucs owner would have been very cool. He did an amazing job with the Yankees,”
I’m not so sure. He built the Yankees through unbridled spending, during a time when it was allowed, without limit. Still few limits, but there is a cost, in the ‘luxury tax’. I think the current state of the Yankees ( still very good, but not dominate, as in yesteryears) shows just how hard he’s finding it to work under baseball’s current rules , weak as they are. He’d have a hell of a time working under the NFL’s hard cap. Just my 2 cents.u
May 29th, 2014 at 11:34 am
Umm I don’t think he’s finding it hard to work under baseball’s current rules…
May 29th, 2014 at 12:53 pm
@ Fritz50, You do realize that Steinbrenner is dead.
May 29th, 2014 at 1:47 pm
F*** the yankees and everything about them, near them, employees and their families
May 29th, 2014 at 2:12 pm
Max Says:
May 29th, 2014 at 10:12 am
Where do you get this? Do you know them personally?
And I’m still not buying that Malcom was so great, with all due respect to the deceased. Rich McKay hired Dungy. That move and the drafting of Sapp and Brooks are what turned the organization around, and Malcom had nothing to do with those, except signing off on the Dungy hire after McKay did all the work.
In my recollection, it was also the Glazer boys who were out front in the coaching search after Dungy was fired, the Parcells deal imploded, and McKay’s choice of Marvin Lewis was rejected, which eventually led them to hire Gruden… That was the biggest circus of a coaching hire that I can recall in all the years I’ve followed the NFL.
May 29th, 2014 at 3:09 pm
My feeling is the boys were so hell bent on buying a soccer team the leveraged everything they had and forced Jon out. I think when Malcom had his stroke was around this time 04-05 these boy fell way far from the tree Malcom was brilliant and h the boys only look smart.
May 29th, 2014 at 3:12 pm
Orca, he’s probably going by the win/loss record, playoff appearances, our championship. Don’t necessary agree but makes me wonder .
May 29th, 2014 at 8:49 pm
Chris Thomas: “You mean to tell me you had no back-up plan in place when you fired Coach Dungy?”. RIP….Wonder if Chris Thomas and Malcom Glazer are having a good laugh. The Tamper Bay Buccs! 😉
May 30th, 2014 at 7:59 am
Thanks for sharing this story, Joe. Such a wonderful little piece of Buc history I didnt know about.
May 30th, 2014 at 11:25 am
I wanted to read nice comments by Buc fans about an owner that brought us our first SuperBowl. Thanks to those who have shown the respect he deserves for that, I agree with yopu and he will be missed.
You other Trolls have no morals. Remember Karma, because it will remember you!