LOOKING BACK
By John Turney
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| Purported Buccaneer Uniform Credit: Lamar Sparkman |
According to Tampa Sports History blog, this is the first iteration of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform, which apparently predates the eventual “Creamsicle” uniforms that were ultimately chosen.
Per TSH, "Buccaneers owner Hugh Culverhouse commissioned
Tampa Tribune artist Lamar Sparkman
. . .
to design the team’s logo. On June 14, 1975, the Buccaneers finally gained an identity when the team revealed their colors and new look to the public."
Of course, the logo was Bucco Bruce, seen here:
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| Credit: Lamar Sparkman |
Apparently, Sparkman was the artist
for the picture above which shows Bucco Bruce on the helmet and a form of UCLA loops on the jersey and smartly matches stripes on the pants and socks. The helmet is identical to the final version, down to the Florida orange
facemask.
The famous Creamcicle jerseys are seen below with the stripes on the sleeves, rather than the loops on the shoulder. However the color scheme was the same, Florida orange to symbolize the citrus industry of the state and red to represent courage and valor, as in the "Red Badge of Courage" we surmise. And there was the ever-present Bucco Bruce on the headgear.
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| Original white and dark Buccaneer jerseys |
Enjoyed these unis. They are classic and iconic. Sadly, they couldn't pass "mustard" with the marketing police
ReplyDeleteI also love the "creamsicle" unis. The prototype with the shoulder loops may have looked even better!
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of the color orange so I actually liked those uniforms of the Buccaneers (not so much the orange pants, though). But I also liked the ones they used when they won the S.B.
ReplyDelete