Just about any Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan over the age of 15 will remember the 2002 season, which of course concluded in the franchise's first Super Bowl title. The entire '02 season was filled with moments that have become cherished memories for Buc fans, from Derrick Brooks' seemingly endless string of touchdown returns to Brad Johnson's gritty stretch-drive performance.
Some of the names, numbers, facts and minutiae come easily to mind. Most will recall that the Bucs set a franchise record with 12 regular-season wins, then rolled over San Francisco, Philadelphia and Oakland to capture the Lombardi Trophy. The final score of Super Bowl XXXVII is easy to recall – 48-21 – as are some of the key moments in the playoffs, including Joe Jurevicius' long gallop in Philly, Ronde Barber's NFC-clinching interception off Donovan McNabb and the barrage of Super Bowl thefts off NFL MVP Rich Gannon.
The key players are now touchstones in franchise history, too – Brooks, Barber, Johnson, Warren Sapp, John Lynch, Shelton Quarles, Mike Alstott, and so on. Most Buc fans could easily name the two players who scored a pair of touchdowns each in Super Bowl XXXVII: Keenan McCardell and Dwight Smith.
But just how deep does your memory of that season go? Can you see each of the team's 19 games play out in your mind? Can you amaze your friends at the sports bar with your 2002 Buccaneers trivia?
Well, you should be able to after taking the quiz below. There's nothing to win – it's just for fun, but see how many of the following 10 questions you can handle. Answers are at the bottom of the page.
**
2002 Super Bowl Season Trivia
- In 2002, Tampa Bay's top-ranked pass defense picked off an NFL-high 31 passes while, amazingly, allowing only 10 touchdown passes. In three playoff games en route to the Super Bowl title, the Bucs allowed only two more scoring passes. How many interceptions did they secure in those three games?
**
- Which of the following individual regular-season performances in 2002 did NOT set a new single-season franchise record at the time?
a. Derrick Brooks' 4 defensive touchdowns
b. Martin Gramatica's 128 points
c. Brad Johnson's 92.9 passer rating
d Simeon Rice's 15.5 sacks
**
- Karl "The Truth" Williams handled all 47 of the Bucs' punt returns in the regular season and postseason in 2002, averaging 9.5 yards per runback in the regular season and 12.3 in the postseason. Against which team did he score his one punt return touchdown of that season?
**
- Who threw the first pass and who threw the last pass of the Buccaneers' thrilling come-from-behind 12-9 victory at Carolina in Week Eight?
**
- LB Derrick Brooks was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2002 thanks in part to his incredible four defensive touchdowns (he added a fifth in the Super Bowl). Who was the only other Buccaneer to score a defensive touchdown during the 2002 regular season?
a. Ronde Barber
b. Brian Kelly
c. Shelton Quarles
d. Dwight Smith
**
- How many future NFL head coaches were on Jon Gruden's Buccaneer coaching staff in 2002?
**
- Simeon Rice led the Buccaneers during the 2002 playoffs with four sacks. Who was second on that list?
a. Ronde Barber
b. Warren Sapp
c. Greg Spires
d. Ellis Wyms
**
- Tampa Bay's 2002 defense, regarded as one of the best crews in the history of the NFL, led the league in a variety of categories, including four of the five below. Which of the five does not belong on the list?
a. Most sacks per pass play
b. Lowest opponent passer rating
c. Fewest yards allowed per game
d. Fewest points allowed per game
e. Highest interception percentage
**
- In Super Bowl XXXVII, who was the last Buccaneer player to hold the game ball in his hands while a play was in motion?
**
- WR Joe Jurevicius had a memorable and emotional playoff run in January of 2003, highlighted by his critical 71-yard catch-and-run early in the win at Philadelphia. Jurevicius ended up with four plays of more than 20 yards during the playoffs. Who was the only other Buccaneer to have at least four 20-yard plays on offense during the 2002 postseason?
a. Mike Alstott
b. Keyshawn Johnson
c. Keenan McCardell
d. Michael Pittman
**
Voices from the Past
The answers to the trivia quiz are below. Just so you can't see the answers at the same time as the questions, will break up the page by showing you what some of the Bucs had to say right after their Super Bowl victory on January 26, 2003.
Super Bowl MVP S Dexter Jackson
(On winning a championship for the city of Tampa)
"It's real great. When I first came to the team, I knew they had great players like the Sapps and Lynches and Brooks. These guys came from nothing and came together as a championship caliber team. It was tough. John Lynch went through it and he told me what it takes to be a great guy. I'm happy for the city of Tampa."
DE Simeon Rice
(On why the Raiders' offense couldn't get on a roll)
"They couldn't get on a roll because they couldn't stand the pressure. When you can't stand the pressure, you've got to get out of the kitchen. We put the pressure we needed to put on their offensive today and they weren't prepared for what this defense brings."
WR Keenan McCardell
(On what Tampa Bay did to surprise Oakland)
"A lot of will, a lot of faith, a lot of belief in our locker room. Everybody in that locker room believed that we were going to go back into that locker room champions."
RB Michael Pittman
(On winning the Super Bowl in his hometown of San Diego)
"It's the greatest feeling in the world. Look at that trophy over there, it's about to be ours. We're the World Champions. I'm at a loss for words right now, but it's big coming in my hometown and I had a great game. I was trying to pull off the MVP, but Dexter Jackson played a great game."
Defensive Coordinator Monte Kiffin
(On how tough it was to choose an MVP)
"As far as I'm concerned the whole defense could have gotten it. But I'll tell you something, our offense did an awesome job. Jon Gruden is the best. He ran the clock, threw the ball and that 90-yard drive was unbelievable."
**
Trivia Quiz Answers:
1. Nine. Three by Dwight Smith and two each by Ronde Barber, Derrick Brooks and Dexter Jackson.
2. d. Simeon Rice's 15.5 sacks. The record was, and still is, 16.5 by Warren Sapp in 2000. Gramatica's scoring record and Johnson's passer rating have since been broken again.
3. Baltimore in Week Two. Williams' 56-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter gave the Bucs a 10-0 lead over the Ravens in a game the visitors would eventually win, 25-0. That was the last of Williams' team-record five career punt return TDs.
4. Rob Johnson and Shaun King. With usual starter Brad Johnson out due to a fractured rib, Rob Johnson got the start and helped the team to a 9-9 tie late in the fourth quarter. However, he was injured at the end of a nine-yard scramble near midfield with less than 20 seconds left in regulation. King came in for one play and completed a seven-yard pass to Karl Williams, which gave Martin Gramatica enough room to nail his fourth field goal, a 47-yard game-winner.
5. c. Shelton Quarles. Quarles returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown in the Bucs' 35-7 drubbing of the Bengals in Cincinnati in Week Four. Of course, Barber and Smith also scored in the postseason.
6. Three: Rod Marinelli, Raheem Morris and Mike Tomlin. Marinelli would serve as Detroit's head coach from 2006-08; Morris was at the Bucs' helm from 2009-11; and Tomlin is currently in his sixth season as the Steelers' head coach after taking that job in 2007.
7. c. Greg Spires. Spires pitched in with two sacks, one each in the NFC Divisional Playoff win over San Francisco and the Super Bowl. Sapp had 1.5, Barber and Wyms one each.
8. a. Most sacks per pass play. Tampa Bay's pass rush in 2002 was undeniably fierce, with Simeon Rice and Warren Sapp leading the way to 43 sacks. However, that was good for sixth in the NFL, not first. The Bucs did lead the NFL with an opponent passer rating of 48.4, an average of 252.8 yards allowed per game, an average of 12.3 points allowed per game and an interception percentage of 6.1.
9. Tom Tupa. That's admittedly a tricky one. The final play from scrimmage in Super Bowl XXXVII was a Rich Gannon pass that was tipped at the line by DE Greg Spires, intercepted by CB Dwight Smith and returned 50 yards for a touchdown. Smith scored with two seconds left and the Bucs kicked the extra point to conclude the scoring at 48-21. Tupa was the holder on that extra point, which means he caught Ryan Benjamin's snap and placed the football on the ground for K Martin Gramatica. The final action in the game was a kickoff following that score, which Gramatica only struck with his foot, obviously (placing the ball on the tee did not occur during the play).
10. d. Michael Pittman. Pittman matched Jurevicius with four plays of 20 or more yards during the 2002 postseason, and like his teammate had at least one in all three games. Keyshawn Johnson had two and Mike Alstott and Ken Dilger had one each.
