Hugh Franklin Culverhouse, Sr. (1919 – August 26, 1994) was the longtime owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (often shortened as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa Florida. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league.
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Early life
A native of Birmingham, Alabama; Culverhouse attended the University of Alabama, where he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Birmingham (ˈbɝmɪŋhæm is the largest City in the US state of Alabama and is the County seat of Jefferson County. Delta Kappa Epsilon ( ΔΚΕ; also pronounced D-K-E or "Deke" is a Fraternity founded at Yale College in 1844 by 15 men of the sophomore He graduated in 1941. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. After serving in the Army Air Corps in World War II, he earned a law degree from his alma mater in 1947. The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He immediately took a job as an assistant state attorney general, serving there for two years. After serving in the Korean War, he spent a decade with the IRS before moving to Jacksonville, Florida and entering private practice, specializing in tax law. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the The "Tax code" redirects here For the term as used in the United Kingdom PAYE system see Tax code (PAYE. He eventually had investments in 37 companies and was worth over $380 million at his death. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been
He first came to the attention of the NFL in 1972, when he helped broker a deal that allowed longtime Baltimore Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom to buy the Los Angeles Rams. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis Indiana. Carroll Rosenbloom ( March 5, 1907 - April 2, 1979) was the owner of two US football teams the Baltimore Colts (now the Indianapolis The St Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St Chicago industrialist Bob Irsay bought the Rams, then almost immediately traded them to Rosenbloom for the Colts. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Robert Irsay (born March 5, 1923 &mdash died January 14, 1997) was the longtime owner of the National Football League's Baltimore/Indianapolis No players changed teams in the deal.
Owning the Bucs
Two years later, Culverhouse ended up almost by accident as owner of an NFL expansion team in Tampa, set to take the field in 1976. The 1976 NFL season was the 57th Regular season of the National Football League. The franchise had originally been awarded to Philadelphia construction company owner Tom McCloskey, but he backed out due to financial problems (one of them reportedly being a pending divorce that would have given his ex-wife half the team). Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Culverhouse was quickly named as the replacement. A name-the-team contest resulted in the team being called the "Buccaneers," a nod to the Gasparilla Pirate Festival. The Gasparilla Pirate Festival is an annual celebration held in the city of Tampa, Florida.
General criticism
Although Culverhouse was initially seen as a hero for making Tampa a major-league town, he soon became one of the most despised owners in the NFL. He frequently shifted money from the Bucs to his other investments and kept the Bucs' payroll one of the lowest in the league. Unfortunately, this kept the Bucs from attracting quality players in an era when large payrolls were all but required to contend. The few who did rarely stayed long; Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon was the only genuine star who stayed with the team for a long time. The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the Hall of fame of the National Football League (NFL Lee Roy Selmon (born October 20, 1954 in Eufaula Oklahoma) is a former NFL football Defensive lineman. In most other cases, Culverhouse either traded quality players away or wouldn't pay them enough to keep them in Tampa. For example, he allowed the trade of Steve Young after only two seasons at quarterback. Steve Young (born Jon Steven Young on October 11, 1961 in Salt Lake City Utah) is a former Quarterback for the NFL's Quarterback ( QB) is a position in American and Canadian football.
Doug Williams
The most egregious example was Doug Williams, the first African-American starting quarterback in the NFL. Douglas Lee Williams (born August 9, 1955 in Zachary Louisiana) is a former American football Quarterback. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa In only his second season, 1979, Williams led the Bucs to one of the biggest turnarounds in NFL history. The 1979 NFL season was the 60th Regular season of the National Football League. After three straight losing seasons--including losing the first 26 games in franchise history--the Bucs rebounded to their first winning season, an NFC Central title, and an appearance in the NFC Championship game. The NFC North is a division of the National Football League 's National Football Conference. The NFC Championship Game is one of the two Semi-final matches of the National Football League the largest professional American football league in the United The Bucs made the playoffs in three of Williams' five years as starter. However, he was only paid $120,000 a year--far and away the lowest salary for a starting quarterback, and behind 12 backups. After the 1982 season, Williams asked for a $600,000 contract. The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd Regular season of the National Football League. Culverhouse, who had been one of the hardliners in the players' strike earlier that year (a stance repeated in another strike in 1987), refused to budge from his initial offer of $400,000 despite protests from coach John McKay. The 1987 NFL season was the 68th Regular season of the National Football League. John Harvey McKay ( July 5, 1923 &ndash June 10, 2001) was an American football coach While Culverhouse's offer was still more than triple Williams' previous salary, he would have still been among the lowest-paid starters in the league. Feeling that Culverhouse wasn't paying him what a starter should earn, Williams bolted to the USFL. For the proposed "New USFL" see United States Football League (2010.
Without Williams, the Bucs were a rudderless team. In 1983 they lost their first nine games, knocking them out of contention. The 1983 NFL season was the 64th Regular season of the National Football League. The Bucs would never have another winning season during Culverhouse's ownership. The 1983 season would be the first of 12 straight 10-loss seasons, an NFL record for futility.
Television availability
For much of that stretch, Bucs fans only saw their team play on television at home once or twice a year due to the NFL's blackout rules, which require a game to be blacked out in its home market if it isn't sold out 72 hours before kickoff. The few fans who came to Tampa Stadium during this stretch usually showed up with bags over their heads. Tampa Stadium (known as Houlihan's Stadium from 1996 to 1998 and nicknamed "The Big Sombrero ") was a Sports venue located at Culverhouse was so detested that one radio station put up an ad near the stadium with a giant golden screw going through his head. A screw is a shaft with a helical groove or thread formed on its surface and provision at one end to turn the screw
Draft moves
Several questionable draft moves also dogged the Bucs during Culverhouse's tenure. The NFL Draft is an annual Sports draft in which NFL teams select newly-eligible players for their rosters They passed on Tony Dorsett in 1977, traded a 1979 pick that turned into Dan Hampton and traded a 1984 pick that turned into Irving Fryar. Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett (born April 7, 1954 in Rochester Pennsylvania) is a former American football Running back The 1977 National Football League Draft annual player selection was held May 3–4 1977. The 1979 National Football League Draft amateur college selection procedure known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting Daniel Oliver Hampton (born September 19, 1957) is a retired Hall of Fame American football Defensive tackle who played twelve seasons The 1984 National Football League Draft amateur college selection procedure known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting Irving Dale Fryar (born September 28, 1962) is a former American football Wide receiver of the National Football League. The team was already a laughingstock by 1986, as evidenced when they picked Bo Jackson in that year's draft, even after he let it be known that he would never play for them. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson (born November 30, 1962 in Bessemer Alabama) is an American athlete and a former multi- The 1986 National Football League Draft amateur college selection procedure known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting
Turning a profit
Despite the losing and the poor attendance, the Bucs were one of the NFL's most profitable teams for most of Culverhouse's ownership. For instance, despite playing in an outdated stadium, they still made $11 million in 1993. The 1993 NFL season was the 74th Regular season of the National Football League. However, a salary cap increased the payroll for 1994 to $12 million, putting the team in the red. In Professional Sports, a salary cap (often called a wage cap in the United Kingdom) is a limit on the amount of money a team can spend on player The 1994 NFL season was the 75th Regular season of the National Football League.
Death and aftermath
Culverhouse died on August 26, 1994 after a long battle with lung cancer. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Lung cancer is a Disease of uncontrolled Cell growth in tissues of the Lung. His death revealed a team on very shaky financial ground. His son, Hugh, Jr. , a prominent attorney in his own right, discovered the effects of his father's frugal ways. The team was close to bankruptcy, and Tampa Stadium's configuration made it impossible to raise ticket prices. Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their Creditors Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against Despite this, Hugh, Jr. had to practically force the trustees overseeing his father's estate to put the team on the market. Malcolm Glazer eventually bought the team. Malcolm Irving Glazer (born 25 May 1928 in Rochester, New York) is an American businessman and sports-team owner Unlike Culverhouse, Glazer was not afraid to pump money into the team, and the Bucs have been a contender for most of the last decade, including a win in Super Bowl XXXVII. Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego California to decide Hugh, Jr. , later said that his father badly wanted to bring a winner to Tampa, "but he couldn't get over this fatal personality flaw. He was cheap. "
In 1996, Culverhouse's wife of 52 years, Joy, challenged her husband's will. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) She claimed that she'd been tricked into signing away marital property by her husband, who wanted to divorce her in favor of a younger mistress. It turned out that the trustees of the Culverhouse estate had covered up several affairs. They admitted paying palimony to one mistress and psychiatric bills for another. One of his mistresses was the wife of David Brinkley. David McClure Brinkley ( July 10 1920 &ndash June 11 2003) was an American Newscaster for NBC, and Another was a former receptionist with a long-standing drug problem who received thousands of dollars worth of gifts. Eventually, Joy walked away with $36 million as well as around $7 million from her husband's trust. After the settlement, she told a reporter that she wanted to dig up her husband's grave "so I could shoot him 3 times. "
In 2002, Hugh, Jr. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. donated $1 million to the football program at Grambling State University, where Doug Williams was now the coach, as a way to make up for the way his father had forced him out of Tampa 20 years before. Grambling State University is a public, Coeducational University, which is among the Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs in
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