Williams’ Honor Not About Numbers
May 13th, 2015
Yes, yesterday word leaked that the Bucs will announce quarterback Doug Williams as the next inductee into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor.
It didn’t take long for some to scoff at this notion.
Reportedly, next Bucs Ring of Honor inductee led them to 1 playoff win and left after 5 seasons in a contract dispute. But it’s Doug, baby!
— rmayertbo (@rmayertbo) May 12, 2015
No, Williams did not have good numbers. This just in haters: Shaun King put up better Tampa Bay numbers than Williams, and just as many playoff wins, too.
However, Williams’ honor is so, so much more than the numbers. It’s about what Williams represented, as a man, as a member of the NFL, and the despicable way he was treated by cad owner Hugh Culverhouse.
Think of the times. Williams was drafted in 1978. Just five years prior, Don Gaffney became the first African-American quarterback to start for Florida when he suited up for the Gators against Auburn in a win at Auburn.
Shoot, just two years before Gaffney beat Auburn, Bear Bryant finally figured out it doesn’t matter how much sunscreen a guy at the beach needs when you’re building a football team. Memories of unconscionable Jim Crow laws were all too fresh when John McKay drafted Williams 17th overall in the 1978 draft.
Then there was this disgusting stigma in NFL circles, a terrible lie, that African-Americans “didn’t have it in them,” that they could not quarterback a team to the playoffs and beyond. Oh, sure, there were a few African-American quarterbacks before Williams, but teams didn’t dare draft one in the first round; no African-American quarterback had ever been drafted before the sixth round. That is, until McKay phoned Williams.
A year later, Williams led the woebegone Bucs to the NFC title game. Three times in four years Williams got the Bucs to the playoffs. Then, Culverhouse all but threw Williams off the team. McKay panicked sending a first-round pick to Cincinnati for backup quarterback Jack Thompson, and the franchise nosedived into the Gulf.
One could argue it took 19 years before the Bucs finally replaced Williams, bad numbers and all, when the team signed Brad Johnson as a free agent. Johnson eventually helped get the Bucs over the hump and win a Super Bowl.
Williams will never be thought of as a Hall of Fame quarterback, nor should he. But for what he represented, what he put up with in Tampa Bay (specifically from Culverhouse), what he stood for in the NFL, all the while remaining a class act, Williams very much deserves a spot in the Ring of Honor.
Congratulations, Doug.
May 13th, 2015 at 5:13 am
Well said and spot on….biggest mistake in bucs history…letting him go to usfl
May 13th, 2015 at 5:46 am
Doug was a Trailblazer from this franchise..I really believe that had Doug Williams had the full support from ownership he could’ve won that Super Bowl in Tampa…
May 13th, 2015 at 5:50 am
I agree with Bucco Bruce: one of the biggest mistakes in Buc history was Culverhouse refusing to give Williams a decent, fair contract. After Williams loss to Dallas in the playoffs to end the ’82 season the Bucs won 10 games in 6 seasons which included 6 win in 1984 when Coach McKay finally had enough and called it a career and the Bucs sunk deeper into the abyss via Leeman Bennett. James wilder was the only relevant offensive component in the post-Williams era and no disrespect to Jimmie Giles, but he did not have a qb that could deliver him the ****ing ball…. The Bucs wasted a high draft pick in the 1984 draft (I believe a top 2 pick as the Bucs were 2-14 along with fellow REPUS Bowl participant Houston in ’83) to land Jack Thompson, a total bust replaced by an ineffective Steve DeBerg. What a epic screw up by Culverhouse, I mean the Bucs may not have been challenging Dallas, the Skins or the 49ers for NFC Titles in ’83/84/85 with Williams but I suspect they would have won more than 10 games in a 4 year span under his helm…. He deserves to be in the ring…
May 13th, 2015 at 5:53 am
“the Bucs won 10 games in 6 seasons which included 6 win in 1984”
Actually it was only 4 seasons: ’83 through ’86… The Bucs got a little better under Perkins in ’87/’88: only losing 11 games a season instead of 14….
May 13th, 2015 at 6:22 am
Well said Joe.
May 13th, 2015 at 6:28 am
Culverhouse was a peice if crap.
May 13th, 2015 at 6:41 am
Can we please stop mentioning Sean King & Doug Williams in the same sentence!…Sean King is the most overrated Bucs QB of all time! Doug Williams is a MVP Super Bowl winning QB (1st & only African American to do so) sorry R.Wilson you don’t count. The only thing King did was bring back the Burger King hats & made them cool to wear again. Doug Williams is the man & in my opinion should’ve been the 2nd guy inducted behind Lee Roy. Well deserved & way overdue, congrats Mr.Williams!
May 13th, 2015 at 6:43 am
Well we could debate on the most overrated buc of all time Booger McFarland or Sean King?
May 13th, 2015 at 6:59 am
Well done Joe. Williams was a very good QB and it is a shame that he had his best season while with the Redskins. I know there are many deserving former Bucs, but Williams being selected is good with me.
May 13th, 2015 at 7:21 am
So many more deserving former Bucs!
May 13th, 2015 at 7:33 am
It is said that nostalgia takes us to a happy place and there was plenty of euphoria in Tampa when the Bucs went from nothing to a contender once Doug came aboard. McKay took a lot of flak behind the scenes for drafting an African-American quarterback. Keep in mind the University of Florida integrated its football team around 1970. A lot going on. It was so very cool to be right in the middle of it when newspapers were relevant, circulation and readership were huge.
The team LOVED Doug and I can’t count the times where the guy literally gave up his body to make a play. Doug’s heart is too big to fit in the convention center downtown. I still remember the first time I stood next to him, the guy looked like a linebacker. Imposing physical guy.
Beyond deserving of the Ring of Honor.
May 13th, 2015 at 7:48 am
Nice job on this article Joe!
May 13th, 2015 at 8:02 am
Doug was way before my time but I’ve read enough about the situation that he went through and what he did for the team to see that this is a good decision. It’s unfortunate that the honoring of Williams is going to stir up the old Culverhouse stories that reflect a lot of the embarrassing early years of the franchise but I agree that Williams is absolutely deserving.
May 13th, 2015 at 8:05 am
Well done Joe.
At Tom Edrington: Your addition was also appreciated. I was not here back then and your perspective from reporting on those days is always appreciated.
Both of you gentleman have convinced me that Williams is the perfect choice for this year’s addition.
May 13th, 2015 at 8:05 am
horrible choice. A train was much more deserving
May 13th, 2015 at 8:09 am
@ DEEnice.
Why doesn’t Russell Wilson count???
Just wondering. He is black….
May 13th, 2015 at 8:13 am
robert9….of course Alstott is deserving…he’ll have to wait just as Doug has….truthfully it is a bit irritating and selfish to hear younger Buc fans insist on their fav players from the SB years….at the expense of players from earlier Buccaneer history that meant as much to the franchise and fans as 40-20-47
May 13th, 2015 at 8:14 am
Although the dynamics and logistics have changed since DW’s era, the lessons learned are still a much valued line of advice for JW…
Off topic:
Why has Joe yet to chime in about the Swearinger and Greene claim?
May 13th, 2015 at 8:44 am
Alstott, Ronde, etc. will likely eventually get in the ring, but I can’t understand why some of these Bucs fans don’t think Doug deserves to get in, heart and soul of a team that was nothing until he arrived. One of the toughest QB’s to ever play the game, that’s physically and mentally, I’m glad the old schoolers like Tom Edrington gets it, thanks for schooling these so called fans
May 13th, 2015 at 9:25 am
his stats were poor and his time was short, but his stat line doesn’t tell the story of his impact quite so clearly as the bucs’ W\L record in the years before and after he was here. he may already be our 4th or 5th best QB in terms of stats, but only brad johnson has been a bigger difference maker at QB for this team in our 40 year history. hopefully #3 bumps him and every other former bucs QB one spot down that all-time list.
May 13th, 2015 at 9:47 am
Well said Joe !! A lot of NFL fans don’t remember just what he went through.Great choice
May 13th, 2015 at 9:55 am
I guess being a mediocre player gets you into the Ring of Honor these days. James Wilder would have been a much wiser and appropriate selection.
Yes, Culverhouse was a cheap man but his decision to offer Doug what he did was based purely on performance, not on race.
Doug jumping ship didn’t pay off for him financially either. Financially he would have been better off if he had signed with the Bucs but I believed he really wanted to get out of town after his wife died.
I believe the Bucs and Doug were a laughable $150K apart in negotiations.
The number is almost laughable for both parties when you consider what it cost both parties.
Doug has always been a legend in his own mind.
And if you want to look at who led the Redskins to that Super Bowl you just have to look at the offensive line.
The notable Tim Brown I believe still holds the NFL Super Bowl record in rushing yards with over 200 in that game.
May 13th, 2015 at 10:33 am
Williams is a Great choice. Buccaneers history doesn’t start in the mid 90’s. Honor the ones that paved the way first.
May 13th, 2015 at 10:39 am
Sorry, I just don’t agree… Putting average players who won a Super Bowl for another team should not be in our “Ring of Honor”…
Doug Williams did not ” lead” this team anywhere… It was Lee Roy Selman and that bad ass defense we had…
Doug Williams played horribly in the NFC Championship but Selman and our defense did not and we lost 9-0…
Its no different then when we sucked in the 90’s and Sean King led us to an NFC loss against the Rams and our offense sucked just as bad…
Every time someone says “Stats don’t matter” about a certain player its because they weren’t very good…
But this franchise has sucked so bad for so many years who really cares?
May 13th, 2015 at 11:24 am
drdneast Says:
May 13th, 2015 at 9:55 am
I guess being a mediocre player gets you into the Ring of Honor these days. James Wilder would have been a much wiser and appropriate selection.
Yes, Culverhouse was a cheap man but his decision to offer Doug what he did was based purely on performance, not on race.
Doug jumping ship didn’t pay off for him financially either. Financially he would have been better off if he had signed with the Bucs but I believed he really wanted to get out of town after his wife died.
I believe the Bucs and Doug were a laughable $150K apart in negotiations.
The number is almost laughable for both parties when you consider what it cost both parties.
Doug has always been a legend in his own mind.
And if you want to look at who led the Redskins to that Super Bowl you just have to look at the offensive line.
The notable Tim Brown I believe still holds the NFL Super Bowl record in rushing yards with over 200 in that game.
————————
No, Doug Williams and the offensive line led that team back from a 14 point deficit with a 35 point 2nd quarter. His perfect passes to Ricky Sanders were things of beauty….and Yes, Tim SMITH did have a remarkable game… it was one of the few decent games of his career. But Doug Williams, who took over for a faltering Jay Schroeder, was clearly the key to that game. Williams was even hurt for part of a series and Schroeder was re-inserted, and quickly took a sack and led the team to a 3 and out. Doug WIlliams is definitely deserving of the MVP that day…there is no doubt.
May 13th, 2015 at 12:38 pm
I love Doug but this isn’t the Ring of Really Swell Guys. This is the Ring of Honor, which MOST teams reserve for the their elite, hall of fame type players. Now, I know the Bucs don’t have many of those but a quarterback who completed less than 50% of his passes for this team is in the Ring of Honor? Shaun King did the same thing and had better numbers. Brad Johnson won a Super Bowl. Hell, Trent Dilfer had better numbers in Tampa Bay.
May 13th, 2015 at 2:12 pm
all you Whining Warren’s can stop complaining now.
Williams AND Alstott will both be inducted into the ring of honor.
May 13th, 2015 at 2:48 pm
I think Tony Dungy had a larger impact on the Bucs franchise… I would rather see him in our “Ring” over Doug Williams…
After all Dungy built the team that kicked ass for over a decade…
May 13th, 2015 at 4:39 pm
@ drdneast
It was Timmy Smith not Tim Brown…
May 13th, 2015 at 10:53 pm
Belated thanks for the kind words guys.