The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are entering a new decade and they're going to do it with a new look.
On Monday, the Buccaneers confirmed that they will be introducing new uniforms in 2020, with details to be unveiled in April. The team had hinted at this momentous change with a series of posters in the Bay area and social media posts highlighting and acknowledging the ongoing discussion about its uniforms among its fanbase.
Buccaneers Owner/Co-Chairman Ed Glazer stated: "We have heard the feedback from our fans loud and clear and have been working with the NFL and our league partners at Nike to usher in a new look as we enter this next decade of Buccaneers football. We look forward to revealing more details in the near future about our official unveiling event which will take place later this spring."
This will mark the third major change in the Buccaneers' uniforms since they began play in 1976 in an orange-and-red scheme that featured a stylized pirate with a knife in his mouth on the helmet. That look was maintained, with minor tweaks along the way, through the 1996 season.
In 1997, the Buccaneers unveiled a drastically altered uniform scheme. Orange and red was replaced by pewter – a new color introduced into the NFL – and a darker red. That was part of a great era of change that followed Glazer's purchase of the team, as the team's long playoff drought was broken that same year, Raymond James Stadium opened in 1998 and the team eventually won its first Super Bowl Championship in 2002.
In addition to the color changes, the Buccaneers introduced a new logo with a skull and crossed swords on a windswept red battle flag, which graced a pewter helmet with a black facemask. The flag has since become a major part of the team's imagery. There was also a secondary ship logo that was used on the uniform's sleeves.
In 2014, the Buccaneers once again made major transformations to their uniforms, keeping the red and pewter color scheme but making some changes to the hues. The red became more vivid while a darker and richer pewter was adopted. The flag logo was also maintained but with sleeker and crisper lines and a more menacing overall appearance. The helmet also featured a chrome facemask, which was unique to the NFL. In addition, the uniform's jerseys featured a color bar across the shoulders and numbers with reflective trim, another first to the NFL. The shoulders featured asymmetrical logos, with an updated ship logo on the right and a "BUCS" logotype on the left.
And now 2020 will bring a new set of uniform enhancements, based on what Buccaneer fans want to see. Stay tuned for more information about the official unveiling event this spring.
