THE OPTIMIST: The Glazers Haven’t Changed
May 30th, 2010
You’ve all read THE PESSIMIST, who will return soon. Now, Joe wants to introduce you to THE OPTIMIST. Joe’s sought his services for a long time.
THE OPTIMIST is Nick Houllis, a Bucs fan and accomplished writer whose steadfast allegiance to the team goes back to the 1970s. Houllis is the founder, creator and guru of BucStop.com, a place Joe goes to get lost in time via Houllis’ stunning video collection.
THE OPTIMIST will shine that positive light in your eyes. Some will love it. Some won’t.
We all know the guy; the uncle who can’t give up the bottle, or the cousin who goes to Vegas like it’s a strip club that also has ‘a guy’ you know, too. They lived that way 10 years ago; they’ll be doing the same things 10 years from now.
People generally do not change.
There are some of us who have been Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans from the Days of Orange, and some for whom throwback weekend last year was more of a novelty.
The ones who were around for the days of the ‘Old Sombrero’ generally have a different view of the Glazers than those who became fans after 2000. That’s because the long-time fans remember.
We remember the news that Hugh Culverhouse had past away, and sadly and sickly some even cheered that news because they knew Hugh had been running the Bucs just to squeeze as much out of that orange as possible, instead of trying to build a winning football team.
Culverhouse claimed the Bucs needed to move half their games to Orlando because they were losing money, when years later papers showed that the Bucs were one of the 10 most profitable franchises every season. There was no love lost on Culverhouse in the early 90’s.
Unstable Times
Then the news started to get worse; some Culverhouse estate members wanted the team to be sold.
Suits were filed that would have forced the trust to sell to the best first offer, regardless of the intentions of the new owner. Peter Angelos was a prime buyer in waiting who made it clear he had NO intention of keeping the team in Tampa, and would immediately take the team to Baltimore where his Orioles played baseball.
The NFL landscape was quite unsettling back then:
The Rams left Los Angeles for St. Louis.
The Browns ditched Cleveland for Baltimore.
Oakland welcomed back the Raiders.
There was no doubt that the Bucs could be lost forever.
And on Sunday, December 24, 1994, on Christmas Eve day, the Bucs sold out Tampa Stadium for a game against Green Bay for the opportunity to see the Bucs for the very last time. It was 50/50 at best that we would ever watch a Bucs game again.
But a buyer emerged, a restaurateur named Malcom Glazer came in and paid a record amount for an NFL franchise at the time, and vowed to keep the team in Tampa, but with a big “If.”
The ‘IF’ was locals building a new stadium because Tampa Stadium could not generate the revenue needed for such a record purchase amount. A new stadium would be required, one that could generate the kind of dollars that only a state of the art facility with club seats and aggressive pricing structures could generate.
The voters went to the polls, to decide on the future of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they understood the economic impact of losing an NFL franchise, and voted to be taxed higher, to pay for a new stadium, and to keep the Bucs.
It passed.
Remember The Glazers Saved The Bucs
And so Raymond James was built; and while the Browns, Rams, Cardinals, Raiders all relocated, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stayed in place, thanks to Malcolm Glazer, who paid a higher amount to keep the Bucs here in Tampa.
The Glazers and Bucs fans rewarded each other; They provided us a quality product on the field, and a state of the art stadium that is every bit the ‘experience’ in as much as it is a home, and we lined up 100,000 deep for season tickets.
The problem today is that most fans were not around for this; and it’s not your fault you were born at a later date, or moved to Tampa after the fact, nor does it make you a lesser fan if you were.
But if you weren’t around for this story, you wouldn’t know how the Glazers saved the Bucs, nor would you remember how the Glazers oversaw the building of the Bucs, with draft picks like Warrick Dunn, Mike Alstott, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, Ronde Barber, and more. THEN, and only then, were Simeon Rice, Keyshawn Johnson, Brad Johnson, Joe Jurevicius and others added as free agents.
If you weren’t around, you wouldn’t know the Glazers, like that drunk uncle, don’t change either, and are simply repeating what they gave us already.
Like the announcers said when Matt Bryant kicked the 62-yard FG to beat the Eagles, “all you have to do is watch and listen.”
May 30th, 2010 at 12:39 am
It’s quite emotional reading this article. It really is. I became a fan after 2000 but being a die-hard Bucs fan, I’ve read and know about the whole history of the team. From the Glazers buying the team, to the Super Bowl win, it really has been a remarkable journey. Then to see how we are now…. it’s sad and disappointing. I have to admit, I’ve been real critical of the Glazers recently about them being cheap and all that. But then again you read this article and you smile. If it weren’t for them… the team would be the Baltimore Buccaneers right now. How weird would that be.
May 30th, 2010 at 12:54 am
I’ve been around since the Bucs were born. I also have plenty of friends and family members who’ve been around that long as well. Most of them believe the Glazers suck as owners right now. Yes there were anxious times after Culverhouse died. I did appreciate that the Glazers bought the team and kept them in Tampa. But let’s be serious here. The Glazers held Tampa hostage in trying to get the stadium built. The tax payers of Tampa are the real heroes for passing that tax measure. I firmly believe that the Glazers would not have blinked an eye to move the team if it didn’t pass. The Glazers got the stadium built and one of the stadium deals in the NFL. They made out like bandits. Pun intended.
I also liked that the Glazers spent money early on to bring better players here. They were bold and imaginative. It was a great move to bring Tony Dungy here as head coach. He built a winning tradition here that hadn’t been around since Doug Williams was the QB. The free agent and draft moves worked well in those early years. BTW Keyshawn came in a trade and not through free agency. But there were things bubbling under the surface that bugged me. They dragged their feet for several years in building the new facility. That ticked me off to no end. I forget what the problem, but it was probably money.
One of my highlights of going to games was the thumbs up from Malcolm before he went into the tunnel before kickoff. That was like a tradition. Then the Glazers bought the kick ball and Malcolm got sick. These two things changed everything. The purse strings were closed and moves were not made to make the team better. This killed them in the last few years. The Glazers have indeed changed and not for the better. People can be fans and still criticize the owners for not putting a quality on the field. This includes the coaching staff where Rah was not even close to being ready to be a head coach. The consequences of being cheap was that the team fell apart down the stretch in 2008 and collapsed in 2009. I don’t feel sorry at all for the Bucs or the Glazers for struggling with the season ticket sales. You get what you paid for.
May 30th, 2010 at 12:54 am
Step in the right direction with the “Optimist” Joe. I’m still glad Steinbrenner’s bid came up short, second best I think. Never would have had Dungy or half the legends that came through. I’ll take the GLazers any day, but they better spend next year.
May 30th, 2010 at 12:58 am
Should say “got one of the best stadium deals” in the first paragraph.
May 30th, 2010 at 12:58 am
Don’t know if you can give the Glazers all that credit for the great move in bringing in Dungy. Wasn’t he third on their list? He was really the coach of last resort. It worked out great, but I wouldn’t call it a great move. That’s like giving Chucky credit for Earnest Graham, who he only used when he ran out of backs
May 30th, 2010 at 1:07 am
It will still bold of the Glazers to hire Dungy even if he wasn’t their first choice. That was a time when black head coaches were a rarity. I think Art Shell was the only one in the modern era before Dungy got hired. So the Glazers were stalking new ground. I am glad we didn’t get Steve Spurrier (would have been a disaster) or Jimmy Johnson (jerk off didn’t get the job done with the Phins). The Bucs needed a calming presence like Dungy to resurrect the team. It was a good and fortunate choice.
May 30th, 2010 at 1:43 am
Correction on my post. Dennis Green was hired before Dungy. So there were two black head coaches before Dungy.
May 30th, 2010 at 5:02 am
When Malcolm actually oversaw the running of the team, we had a sense about the direction. Malcolm wanted to make money and the best way to make lots of money was to put a winner on the field. The Glazer boys, now that Malcolm is in the background, are super cheapskates. I know this from being a sales manager at the old SA on Dale Mabry back in the day. They would beat us up aon tv’s that were already below cost. Old man Glazer hired Dungy because yes he could get him at a reasonable price but more so because he could not het the Headliner coach he wanted he went after a solid PROVEN defensive coordinator who in college was also a QB and he was a reasonably accomplished player. I was skeptical then as well but I knew he had at least some of the Goods. The younger Glazer boys made a serious stretch and gamble firing Gruden and hiring Raheem. They lost on the Gruden deal. He did not immediately and still has not returned to coaching making the Glazers spend more money on Grudens contract what another year or so for millions. The verdict is still out on Raheem, although I expect that once a new CBA is made and no lock out becomes emminent. I believe Rahs leash will become shortened sometime during next season after a CBA is made. The Glazers have already lost millions on the Rah project now being on the hook for Jags and Bates contract as well. If Rah surpasses 5-6 wins he stays and may get an extension but if those wins aren’t convincing and a new CBA is made Rah is all but gone and you will see a new HC in 2011 maybe earlier. Proving that while Malcolm in the Middle was a shrewd business man who wanted to win his offspring are just greedy Silver-Spooners who are clueless at best. While I would like to stay optimistic it’s tough. I am one of those fans that has been a fan since 1977 when I moved to Tampa as a kid. I was formerly a Cincy Bungals fan during there mid 1970’s crap. I’ve always been a homer as far as teams. While I am military and move too often to root for my current home team, Tampa is still listed as my permanent residence as such I am still a homer for the Bucs, Lightning and Rays. Go Tampa! Go Bucs! Happy Memorial day to my fellow veterans. If you are reading this thank a teacher. If you are reading this in English thank a Veteran. The Tampa VA accepts Visitors and Volunteers and you get the honor of helping a Vet young and old.
May 30th, 2010 at 5:18 am
Well said Sarge!
May 30th, 2010 at 7:18 am
Great Post Sarge! The optimist article would have been much more on point had it said “Glazer” instead of the plural. Malcom knew he had to spend money to make money. And he did spend it! His kids have been nothing but typical kids by plundering the coffers and being as cheap as Culverhouse. Media writers & Buc defenders are “wrong” when they credit all the Glazers for what Malcom did. They are nothing like him. Happy Veterans day to you, Sarge, and thank you to all veterans, present & past!
May 30th, 2010 at 7:24 am
The Glazers had nothing to do with the drafting of John Lynch. He was drafted by Sam Wyche in 1993. The do however, get credit for building the team into a Champion.
May 30th, 2010 at 9:34 am
I too am a long time supporter of the Bucs since the first season in 1976.
My dissapointment with the Glazers is not because I didn’t live through those early times. Rather, it is because of it.
As far as the Glazers “saving” the bucs I believe that is partially true. I happen to know Mr. Story, counsel for the Trust Hugh set up, and it was going to go to the highest bidder. However, complications concerning relocation gave the advantage to those who wanted to keep the team here. Not sure it is an absolute fact that is the Glazers hadnt bought the team, it would have been moved. Also, when the sale did go through the Glazers immediately said they were not moving the team, and the pressure to build the stadium did not occur until later. The Glazers would not have hesitated to move had the new stadium not been built. So, the community really saved the team.
As for the Glazers being responsible for drafting the great payers listed, I am not sure they were heavily involved in those decisions. Rich McKay was the GM and Wyche the HC, same as when they bought the team.
Regarding the hiring Dungy, and then Gruden, this is where I think we can see the big change in the Glazers. I give them credit for both hirings which were a huge key in the long run of success. But, remember the exhaustive process they went through to get those coaches? They considered pursued many candidates including big names like Parcells and Spurrior and Marriucci. Also Rich McKay was heavily involved in hiring Dungy.
Contrast that process with what happened with firing Gruden and hiring Rah. No search, no interviews, just a quick news conference. No experienced GM to help in the process. Same with Dom. No way would the 95-2003 Glazers have done that. And I do not believe it is a coincidence that those guys are among the lowest paid in the league.
Combine that with the lowest payroll cumulatively over the last 4/5 seasons, and one of the lowest now, and the refusal to engage in FA or trades, and their change in approach and committment to winning is demonstrated.
So, the anti Glazer thinking also includes those of us here and with the team from the beginning, because we remember Hugh and the pain of being the laughing stock of the league.
The current situation is eerily and all too familiar to us.
May 30th, 2010 at 9:48 am
The unstated thing here is that I don’t think the Glazer’s wanted to save the Bucs for Tampa. I think they wanted to take the sweet, sweet deal in Baltimore and when Art Modell realized it he jumped first.
Just in the nick of time Tampa handed him one of the sweetest stadium deals in history to compensate for his inconvenience.
May 30th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Great Article
May 30th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
@Sgt Mike: First, on this Memorial Day weekend (get with it @tampa2, it’s not Veterans Day), thank you and all your service men and women — past and present — for all you do for this great country! Thank you also for bringing up the important distinction between Malcolm Glazer and his kids. It was Malcolm’s vision and “plan” who made it possible for the Bucs to win a Superbowl. Since his illness, he has clearly not been running the show and “the boys” have been screwing it up royally! I have been and will continue to be very critical of “the boys” (until they get their act together) — NOT Malcolm.
THE OPTIMIST’s article was well done, but didn’t make the important distinction between Malcolm and “the boys”. Nonetheless, it was a good trip down memory lane — especially for those who might not have experienced it first-hand.
I too have been a Bucs fan since day 1. I remember attending Colts (Baltimore, not Indy) pre-season games in Tampa Stadium long before the Bucs and the time before Tampa Stadium was known as the Big Sombrero. Winning the Superbowl after all those lousy Culvershouse years was truely amazing. The current organization looks a lot like those old Culverhouse oranizations, so seeing what’s happing now is very disheartening.
May 30th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
We are on the right track. Free agents wont get you anywhere fast. We need to build through the draft. The question is, can we get there with raheem or is he just a caretaker until Cowher is ready to come back to the NFL.
May 30th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
Great article, and spot on. The Glazers haven’t changed a bit. The problem we are stuck with is because of Gruden/ Allen. They drafted horribly, and coached young talent even worse. Exact same thing they did to the Raiders. Gruden didn’t wanna Coach ANY young players into Nfl talent, took the lazy way out by signing old Vets, and throwing them in his scheme. If It wasn’t for Kiffin coaching young players, we wouldn’t have any young players around One Buc Place. Glazers. Knew rebuilding would COST them money, but they did it anyway, in the best interest of the team.
The SuperBowl win gave Gruden more Slack than he deserved, but we are on the right track now. Don’t know if Morris is going to make it, but thought he deserved another year. The DC/OC blunder last year was bad, hopefully we have moved on.
So, we are doing now what we did with the Glazers before, building a great young talented team to content for years. Hopefully this time we keep drafting wisely. Then we will stay a contender.
May 30th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
These aren’t your mothers glazers of the Dungy era. But what I’ll never get is why they fired Gruden and went with Raheem. Why spend the extra money for unproven leadership? If they were such cheapskates, then that never would have happened. …I think the Glazers suck, but that happening blows a hole IMO in the cheapo talk, and maybe they really believe as The Optimist says that they’re just following a previous formulat that worked well, and they’ll spend when there’s something good to buy.
May 30th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
Damn, and I thought the Optimist would change some minds! 🙂
May 30th, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Lol @ JimBuc… The Optimist change minds just as much as the Pessimist – which is never.
May 30th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
I too am a long time supporter of the Bucs since the first season in 1976.
My dissapointment with the Glazers is not because I didn’t live through those early times. Rather, it is because of it.
As far as the Glazers “saving” the bucs I believe that is partially true. I happen to know Mr. Story, counsel for the Trust Hugh set up, and it was going to go to the highest bidder. However, complications concerning relocation gave the advantage to those who wanted to keep the team here. Not sure it is an absolute fact that is the Glazers hadnt bought the team, it would have been moved. Also, when the sale did go through the Glazers immediately said they were not moving the team, and the pressure to build the stadium did not occur until later. The Glazers would not have hesitated to move had the new stadium not been built. So, the community really saved the team.
As for the Glazers being responsible for drafting the great payers listed, I am not sure they were heavily involved in those decisions. Rich McKay was the GM and Wyche the HC, same as when they bought the team.
Regarding the hiring Dungy, and then Gruden, this is where I think we can see the big change in the Glazers. I give them credit for both hirings which were a huge key in the long run of success. But, remember the exhaustive process they went through to get those coaches? They considered pursued many candidates including big names like Parcells and Spurrior and Marriucci. Also Rich McKay was heavily involved in hiring Dungy.
Contrast that process with what happened with firing Gruden and hiring Rah. No search, no interviews, just a quick news conference. No experienced GM to help in the process. Same with Dom. No way would the 95-2003 Glazers have done that. And I do not believe it is a coincidence that those guys are among the lowest paid in the league.
Combine that with the lowest payroll cumulatively over the last 4/5 seasons, and one of the lowest now, and the refusal to engage in FA or trades, and their change in approach and committment to winning is demonstrated.
So, the anti Glazer thinking also includes those of us here and with the team from the beginning, because we remember Hugh and the pain of being the laughing stock of the league.
The current situation is eerily and all too familiar to us.
May 30th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
All the people talking about the lack of FA signings and no new contract for Penn and Ruud need to get out a little more and read about what is going on outside of Tampa. Here’s just one example that proves the current actions not unique to Bucs:
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/05/30/panthers-could-face-avalanche-of-free-agents-in-2011/
Get a grip all you conspiracy theorists
May 31st, 2010 at 8:49 am
@louie,
Sorry, I seen the mistake after I posted it. But here is something that you may want to consider Today, Memorial Day!
It is the
VETERAN,
not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.
It is
the VETERAN,
not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.
It is
the VETERAN,
not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
It is
the VETERAN,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is
the VETERAN,
not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is
the VETERAN,
not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.
It is also the VETERAN that gives us the freedom to enjoy Football and voice our opinions as to the players & owners. So, I made a mistake by not calling it Memorial Day. But I don’t mind. I was thinking of the past VETERANS that made it possible for all of us to enjoy whatever we have today.
May 31st, 2010 at 9:33 am
@Jimbuc: As usual, you ignore the past. Have the Glazerhouse’s been preparing for the CBA since 2004? This team has been pinching pennies for a number of years.
@tampa2, great post. Thanks for reminding us of all the things we sometimes take for granted.
July 14th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Nice write up Niko.