Special Treat from BucStop.Com

It is still the offseason and we know you guys are STARVING for something that is football related. Our good friend, Nick Houlis, over at BucStop.com is providing you a fix! Head over to the link below after you read his write up and enjoy a walk down memory lane!

This weekend, we are going to provide you with a little surprise video from the Bucstop.com video archives. In its entirety, the 1999 Bucs season finale, Week 16 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears. 

The game was played in Chicago at the original Soldiers Field, back in the day when the greco/roman architecture was far more predominant than today. Read Below the video for the backdrop on the game. 

 

http://www.bucstop.com/videos/1999atchicago.m4v

The setting for the game is simple, if the Bucs can win the game, they will clinch the first  Central Division Championship in over 18 years! Not since 1981 had the Bucs won a division, and this game would have given the  Bucs a championship, and a first round BYE in the playoffs with what would be the #2 seed in the playoffs. 

The Bucs were in their 3rd season playing with their now not-so-new Pewter and Red uniforms, in Tony Dungy’s 4th season with the team. Tampa Bay went 6-10 in Dungy’s first year playing in the old Orange uniform at the old Tampa Stadium, before a breakthough 1997 season that saw the Bucs break a 14 year playoff drought, by beating the Detroit Lions in a wildcard win played as the last football game at the old Tampa Stadium. 

1998 dawned as the first season played in Raymond James Stadium, the Bucs were favorites to go deep into the playoffs after coming off a 10-6 regular season wild card birth the year before, that finished with a division playoff loss at Green Bay. But the ’98 season produced an 8-8 year that found the Bucs eliminated from playoff contention on the very last Sunday of the year when the Arizona Cardinals beat San Diego by a Field Goal with second left in the PM game to put the Bucs into “Wait until next year” mode.

And so the 1999 season came with a horrible offense led by Trent Dilfer, that finally saw the beleaguered QB benched after he led the Bucs to a 6-3 victory over the Chicago Bears. But backup Eric Zeier didn’t far much better and the Bucs started out 3-4 for a second straight season. QB Trent Dilfer led the Bucs on a 3 game winning streak when a season ending shoulder injury propelled St. Petersburg local Shawn King, the Bucs rookie 3rd string QB from Tulane, into the national spotlight. He led the Bucs to what would be a 6 game winning streak over all, and after a big loss at Oakland, and a home win vs Green Bay, the Bucs find themselves playing in Chicago for all the marbles.

The Bucs are 10-5, and a win would give them the franchises best record ever, and its 3rd ever Central division championship. The game was broadcast on FOX Sports at 1pm in the afternoon. Commercials and halftime show are included in this broadcast, and a postgame show which takes you to the conclusion of the wild Arizona at Green Bay finish, are all in this 3 hour and 23 minute video.