For the first time in over a decade, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be wearing orange and white this fall.
The Buccaneers announced on Monday that they will wear their "Creamsicle" uniforms against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, October 15, in Week Six of the 2023 NFL season. This marks the first time since the 2012 campaign that the team will don a version of the uniforms it wore for the first 21 seasons of its existence.
"The return of our beloved Creamsicle uniforms for this special game is something that our fans have been passionate about for many years, and we are excited to celebrate the history of our franchise with a unique, dedicated Creamsicle gameday experience," said Buccaneers Chief Operating Officer Brian Ford. "This is more than a throwback game; it is a celebration of our legacy and some of the great moments and players that make our story so special to our fans."
The Buccaneers will focus on a full Creamsicle experience on October 15, celebrating nearly 50 years of franchise history by transforming Raymond James Stadium to pay homage to the team's original home, Tampa Stadium, also known as 'The Big Sombrero.' The transformation will include retro field stencils, stadium bunting and video board assets.
The Buccaneers played in predominantly white and "Florida Orange" uniforms from their inaugural season in 1976 through 1996. In 1997, the team adopted a new color scheme featuring pewter and red, kicking off one of the most successful stretches in franchise history. The Bucs broke a 14-year playoff drought that year, qualified for the postseason in five of the next six seasons and won Super Bowl XXXVII in 2002. Nevertheless, nostalgia for the team's Creamsicle days persists among many Buccaneer fans.
The Buccaneers first revived their Creamsicle look in 2009, in a Week Nine game against the visiting Green Bay Packers at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay had opened the season with an 0-8 record but were able to upend the playoff-bound Packers, 38-28, for their first win of the year.
Tampa Bay played additional Creamsicle games through the 2012 season but had to halt the practice after the NFL adopted a new rule that required teams to use only one helmet for each player for the entire season. That rule has since been revised.
The Buccaneers' original uniforms featured a white helmet with a swashbuckling pirate clenching a dagger in his teeth, known as "Bucco Bruce." The special games played from 2009 through 2012 featured white pants and Creamsicle orange jerseys.
The scheduling of the Creamsicle game against Detroit is fitting in that the Buccaneers spent most of their first two decades playing in an NFC Central division that featured the Lions along with the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. The Buccaneers were still part of the NFC Central when they switched to new colors in 1997. Their first playoff contest in 14 years, at the end of the 1997 season, was a 20-10 win over Detroit in the Wild Card round, which was the last game ever played at Tampa Stadium.
