I was born at St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital, a cannon shot of pirate beads away from The Big Sombrero.
I’ve bled Creamsicle ever since.
If you’re going to cover a sports team as a professional, you’re supposed to check your rooting interests at the door. But I prefer not to insult the intelligence of the reader by pretending I’m indifferent when those pewter hats are moving up and down the field.
Sorry, not sorry.
When I was growing up, the most uncool thing you could possibly be was a “Yucks” fan. While my friends traded in their Cowboys Starter jackets for Packers ones (then Broncos ones, then Patriots ones), I was still pulling for the team with the worst winning percentage in NFL history. They were scouring packs of Pro Set and Upper Deck for Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice; I wanted Reggie Cobb and Lawrence Dawsey.
We couldn’t even watch the games on TV back then. The Bucs were never good enough for the games to be anything but blacked out locally, so for the longest time, the iconic voice of Gene Deckerhoff was our only window into the on-field action every week. We’d catch a few highlights on the local news in the evening, or maybe SportsCenter, though the highlights were rarely fun to watch anyway.
That changed in the late-1990s, obviously, as the Bucs finally became perennial playoff contenders, riding a legendary stretch that culminated with a dominant win in their first trip to the Super Bowl. It was redemption for all of us who spent our entire lives rooting them no matter what.
When I decided in high school that I wanted to be a sports journalist, I wanted to do one of two things: Cover the Bucs, or cover the NFL draft.
I never imagined I’d be able to do both, and that someone would actually pay me for it.
But that’s what I’ve been able to do here, and I’ve done my best not to take it for granted.
My senior year, I won a Player of the Week award in football. They threw a banquet for all the winners after the season, and Ronde Barber was the guest speaker.
I was hoping to get a picture or an autograph afterward. He took the picture, signed the shirt, and then spent nearly an hour talking to me about my dreams of being a sports writer. The conversation ended with him telling me to call the team facility the following week, and he would give me an exclusive interview for my ugly little blog that nobody read. Sure enough, he called my house phone on a Tuesday morning, and answered all of my way-too-many questions.
In 2019, I was on the field to see Barber inducted into the Bucs’ Ring of Honor. Last month, I got to write about him being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Pulling for this team has always been a family affair.
My dad still has his ticket stub from that first home playoff game in ’79, a 24-17 win vs. Philly. There was a spirited halftime performance from the King High School band, complete with a trumpet solo. Mom nailed it.
Some of my earliest memories were collecting cards and gumball machine helmets and Starting Lineup figures with my older brother; anything with Bucco Bruce on it, we wanted it. I was at his house when Michael Spurlock ran it back. Santa Maria, indeed.
My sister was a Bucs cheerleader for three seasons. The youngest of five, with four older brothers, she was the only one of us who ever made it to the NFL.
Even now, our family group chat on game day feels like we’re all still huddled around the same TV.
Being able to cover this team will always mean the world to me. It has always been such a big part of my life, and I’ll never get over the fact that I got to do this for a living. Everyone deserves the chance to do what they love, with great people, and with an incredible support network. I’ve been lucky enough to check all of those boxes here.
Bucs fans mean the world to me. I am one of you, and always will be. I have never taken for granted the opportunity to represent the voice of the fans; in press conferences, in locker rooms, and on the digital page. This is my city, my community, my team.
No matter where I go, or how I do this work, that will never change.
I got to cover this team through the most successful three-year stretch in franchise history, with a trio of playoff appearances, back-to-back division titles, and a second Super Bowl run. The GOAT, Gronk, M1K3, LVD . . . some of the most iconic players in league and team history.
What a ride.
Thanks for reading.