There is a common thread that ties these five former (and one current) Tampa Bay Buccaneers together in an orderly progression: Vince Workman, Reidel Anthony, Dave Moore, Joe Jurevicius, Jameel Cook, Carnell Williams. Can you identify it?
You could if you were holding a copy of the Buccaneers' 2010 Media Guide, especially if you had it flipped open to page 273, which is part of the tome's extensive history section. At the bottom of 273, you'd find a chart listing some of the statistical milestones in franchise history, in both team and individual terms.
Here's how Workman connects to Williams through a series of Buc milestones:
- On Nov. 14, 1993, Vince Workman scored the 500th touchdown in team history on an 18-yard reception against San Francisco;
- On Sept. 28, 1997, Reidel Anthony scored the 600th touchdown in team history on an eight-yard reception against Arizona;
- On Sept. 24, 2000, Dave Moore scored the 700th touchdown in team history on a three-yard reception against the New York Jets;
- On Sept. 8, 2003, Joe Jurevicius scored the 800th touchdown in team history on a 13-yard reception at Philadelphia;
- On Dec. 24, 2005, Jameel Cook scored the 900th touchdown in team history on a nine-yard reception vs. Atlanta;
- And on Dec. 28, 2008, Carnell Williams had the honor of recording the 1000th touchdown in team history on a nine-yard run against Oakland.
It's a nifty little chart, recalling little slices of team history and some of its noteworthy participants. Some even spark secondary memories - Anthony's score, for instance, helped the Bucs extend their memorable season-opening win streak to five games in '97, and Jurevicius' milestone score in 2003 was the one that came right before the unforgettable tipped-ball TD he visited upon the Eagles' defense.
Could a fan have gathered all this information herself through various sources? Probably, but it would have taken quite some time. Now, that information - and much, much more - is right at her fingertips, and yours. For the second year in a row, the Buccaneers have posted their entire Media Guide online for their fans to access. Whether you want to check it out for reading pleasure, research or a simple online time-wasting session, all you have to do is click.
In fact, you can find the link right here in the Team & Stats section on Buccaneers.com. The team even dipped into the archives to post every year's media guide since 2005. Those looking for the most up-to-date information should choose the top link, that of the just-completed 2010 version.
On this page, you'll find the media guide ready to be opened by Acrobat Reader in PDF format. You can choose to open the entire 384-page file, or select one of eight smaller sections: Ownership, Community, Front Office, Players, Season Review, History, Records and Sidelines. Our list of facts above came from the 73rd page in the History section.
To be sure, large portions of the information in the 2009 Media Guide were already available here on Buccaneers.com, the team's official web site and one of the deepest sources of information on the franchise you'll find anywhere. The player bios you find in the media guide, for instance, are also available here through the team roster; in fact, the online version includes more detailed year-by-year information.
But the media guide, a tradition in the NFL dating back decades, has long been the definitive annual source for Buccaneer information, both critical and trivial. For instance, the draft section (beginning on page 257), also includes a breakdown of the team's all-time first-round picks. Among the many interesting year-by-year tables in the History section, you'll find on page 271 a listing of where the Buccaneers have finished in the league's offensive and defensive rankings each of the past 34 seasons. Tampa Bay's long-running prowess in the defensive rankings is often mentioned during Buccaneer game broadcasts; you can find the exact details here.
There's more. Lots more.
The 2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Media Guide includes biographical information for every coach and player on the team as well as ownership and much of the football staff. There are alphabetical and numerical rosters; a pronunciation guide; an in-depth review of last season that includes stats, tables and game reviews; the aforementioned historical breakdown; information on player awards such as the Pro Bowl; an all-time roster; draft and free agency listings; records and achievements; full statistical tables for every season; stadium and parking information; a 2010 NFL schedule and more.
Maybe you heard recently that the late John McKay, the team's first head coach, will be inducted into the Ring of Honor this coming December, and you'd like to know a little more about his accomplishments. There happens to be a full write-up on McKay on page 360 (right next to one for his fellow Ring member Lee Roy Selmon), or you can choose to browse for your own facts in the various history sections. For instance, you can probably guess that the starting quarterback for most of McKay's 44 wins at the helm was Doug Williams (33 of them, in fact), but do you know who was under center for the other 11. Since every game in the year-by-year section indicates who the head coach was and who the starting quarterback was, you can quickly put together this list of the other winners under McKay: Steve DeBerg (5), Jack Thompson (3), Gary Huff (2) and Mike Rae (1).
Who knows, you might be able to win some Buccaneer trivia bets with your buddies. Just remember, the next time you need to know anything there is to know about franchise history, or the 2010 team, it's all right here at your fingertips on Buccaneers.com. Check it out.
