They may not have won in them this year, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ “creamsicle” uniforms are still highly regarded.
FOX Sports took to ranking every throwback uniform in the NFL so far for the 2023 season, and Tampa Bay’s throwbacks came in second behind the Houston Oilers throwbacks donned by the Tennessee Titans. The Bucs came in second over the Seattle Seahawks’ throwbacks, the Philadelphia Eagles’ famed kelly green uniforms and Atlanta’s black and red livery.
The Bucs and the Seahawks being together near the list is fitting, as the two came into the league at the same time in 1976. The Seahawks only won two games that year, the first of which was against the winless Bucs and the second of which was against the Falcons, who are also on the list.
Tampa Bay hadn’t worn their creamsicle uniforms since 2012, but brought them back in 2023 for a throwback home game against the Detroit Lions. The Bucs lost that game 20-6.
Some believe the creamsicle uniforms embody a “losing culture”, but they’re some of the best throwback uniforms in the NFL and should be worn every year.
I’ve seen a lot of rhetoric online after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Detroit Lions 20-6 on Sunday. While many have criticized the team’s putrid play on offense (and rightfully so), there’s a small crowd of people out there who have put some of the blame on another aspect entirely — the uniforms the team wore.
The Bucs threw it back to the 1970s with their “creamsicle” uniforms for the first time since 2012, but that wasn’t the only tribute the team made. The Bucs transformed Raymond James Stadium, decking out the sides with vintage 70s flair, painting the field like the days of the Old Sombrero and even going as far as to make the scoreboard graphics more vintage. The cheerleaders wore their old uniforms, creamsicles were handed out in droves and the fans showed up with their vintage Bucs jerseys — the Bucco Bruce era was celebrated thoroughly, and for one day, Tampa Bay became a time capsule of an NFL era long past.
But then the Bucs lost, of course. And online after, many have called for the immediate end of the era, purporting that it embodies a losing culture and that the team shouldn’t wear them again.
But I digress. I think that the Bucs should wear these uniforms and paint those endzones and bring out those pom-poms every year, because the Bucs’ creamsicle uniforms and 1970s iconography are way too cool to give up.
Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
To begin, these uniforms aren’t the reason why the Bucs lost — far from it, in fact. The Bucs lost because their offense couldn’t get in the end zone and their running game can’t get off the ground, and what uniform they wore had nothing to do with it. In fact, head coach Todd Bowles had a quote early last week that said just as much when asked if the creamsicles delivered an element of excitement to the team:
“The Creamsicle is nice for the fans, even some of the players looked at it nice, but the game is played the same way. We’re not going to win the game because we put on different colored uniforms. We’ve got to get back to the grind, we’ve got to work, we’ve got to scratch, we’ve got to claw, we’ve got to do all of the little things right to give ourselves a chance.”
Tampa Bay certainly didn’t do all of the little things right come that Sunday, but they sure looked great doing it. The Bucs’ orange uniforms are some of the best-looking throwbacks in the NFL’s arsenal, and the 1970s vibes in the stadium and through promotional material were tons of fun. It would be a shame to retire them simply because they “embody a losing culture,” especially because there was plenty of good to come out of that era despite the tough times.
Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
Yes, the creamsicle era was full of futility and losing ways, but it spawned Buccaneer heroes that are still beloved today. I wrote about a few of them before the game, but players like Lee Roy Selmon, Doug Williams, James Wilder and more are all players that many Bucs fans grew up watching, and those players helped so many around Tampa Bay fall in love with the game. I myself was not alive for the creamsicle era, but some of my favorite memories of my love for the Buccaneers include going back through the internet for hours reading about the Bucs heroes of the era.
So no, the Bucs should not retire the uniforms. They should wear them not because they have a losing culture, but to turn these uniforms into winners all by themselves and honor the players who wore them years ago. Hell, the 1979 Bucs made it to the NFC Championship in these uniforms — why can’t the Bucs win a game in them?
It was a throwback spectacle on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, and it needs to continue for as long as the Bucs play football. The past isn’t always pretty, but the future is only what you make of it.
Throw it back to the 1970s with some of our favorite shots from Sunday’s creamsicle game:
The game didn’t go as hoped, but the first Tampa Bay Buccaneers throwback since 2012 still delivered some iconic looks.
The team donned its throwback “creamsicle” uniforms against the Detroit Lions, but it wasn’t just the uniforms — the Bucs threw it back to the era entirely, with new field decorum, old traditions and more. It was an event in Tampa Bay, and as such, there were quite a few cool photos taken all across the day from the start of the game to the finish.
Here are some of our favorite shots from Sunday’s throwback matchup:[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media]
Follow along for live updates from Tampa Bay’s Week 6 matchup vs. Detroit!
Put on your favorite 70s tunes and change the dial to FOX — it’s creamsicle day in Tampa Bay.
The Bucs are donning their classic Bucco Bruce decor to play an old NFC Central rival in the Detroit Lions, and the game could have ramifications for the end of the season. Both teams have one loss, are at the top of the division and have defeated two teams from the other’s division, so Sunday’s contest could be a fun one and both teams would benefit massively from a win.
Bucs Wire is at Raymond James Stadium to cover the game, so follow along below for our live updates!
In honor of Tampa Bay’s return to the creamiscles on Sunday, here are some of the best players of the creamsicle era in Tampa Bay from 1976 to 1996:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are bringing out their throwback “creamsicle” uniforms on Sunday, and they’ll be looking to win in a uniform that doesn’t have a whole lot of history of seeing many.
The orange and white era of Bucs history is far more often dire than not, but that doesn’t mean that every player on those teams was bad. There were actually quite a few contributors who donned a helmet with Bucco Bruce on the side, with some of them earning a spot in the Bucs’ Ring of Honor and beyond to the Hall of Fame.
In honor of the Bucs wearing those uniforms against the Lions on Sunday, we compiled (in no particular order) six great Buccaneers players from the “creamsicle” era of Tampa Bay football:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are wearing their “creamsicle” throwback jerseys against the Lions on Sunday, and the crew at NFL Network’s Good Morning Football got into the spirit on Thursday.
The GMFB crew were gifted creamsicle jerseys for a “Throwback Thursday” theme, with each of the four hosts wearing an orange Bucs jersey of players on the team in 2023. Peter Schrager wore Vita Vea’s No. 50, Kyle Brandt wore Baker Mayfield’s No. 6, Colleen Wolfe wore Rachaad White’s No. 1 and former NFL defensive back Jason McCourty wore Antoine Winfield Jr.’s No. 31 jersey. The show also did a Tampa Bay Buccaneers trivia section of the show, asking the hosts questions about the creamsicle era of Bucs football.
The team hasn’t worn its throwback jerseys since 2012, with current Bucs player Lavonte David being the only member of the team to have worn them at one point. The uniforms are making a return on Sunday when the team faces off against the Detroit Lions in an old NFC Central matchup at 4:25 p.m. Sunday.
