If you love a touch of “Creamsicle” during the sweltering summer days of July − or even September, especially if you live in Florida − then you’re in luck.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are bringing back another flavor of their famous/infamous uniforms featuring “Florida Orange” and the winking pirate, “Bucco Bruce,” that they featured for the first 21 seasons of their existence, beginning in 1976. And, in honor of their upcoming 50th anniversary campaign, the Bucs will also wear their white creamsicle jerseys, typically worn on the road, which had not seen the light of day in any form since 1996. The ones that will be used as throwbacks in 2025 actually haven’t been since ’76, the only year the team sported orange jersey numbers with red trim before subsequently reversing that pattern in 1977.
They’ll make their first appearance in Tampa, officially hitting the field September 21 at Raymond James Stadium for the home opener against the New York Jets.
‘The ’76 Jersey represents a piece of Buccaneers history and serves as a tribute to the generations of fans and players who shaped this franchise,’ said Brian Ford, the team’s chief operating officer, in a statement.
‘As we launch into our 50th season, we’re proud to reintroduce The ’76 Jersey and the tradition it embodies. It is a reminder that every Buccaneers fan, from the originals to the newest generation, is part of an evolving story that started in 1976 and continues being written today.’
The throwbacks will also feature a jersey patch nodding to the anniversary, and the collars have been modified with ‘Hey! Hey! Tampa Bay!’ stitched on the inside to honor the team’s initial fight song, which debuted in 1979.
The uniforms remain among the most notable in league history, the Buccaneers losing their first 26 games while being widely ridiculed for their appearance – both sartorially and from an epically poor football perspective.
“If (Bucco Bruce) is the guy who’s in charge of losing, let’s get rid of him,” John McKay, the club’s original coach, cracked when the logo was first retired in 1997.
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The Buccaneers only won one postseason game in Creamsicle before becoming something of a routine playoff entry in their current garb, which features red, pewter, a pirate flag helmet logo and a ship on the sleeve. Both of the organization’s Super Bowl triumphs have come with the contemporary look.
However the ‘Bucco Bruce’ insignia − a winking pirate emblem calling back swashbuckling actor Errol Flynn − and the Florida Orange have taken on a nostalgic feel in recent decades, serving as a delightful throwback option from the 2009 through ’12 seasons and returning anew in 2023 and ’24 now that the NFL has relaxed its rules by permitting teams to use multiple helmet shells.
Since their returns, Creamsicle and Bruce have been appreciated for breaking the mold of the NFL’s fairly traditional uniforms when they were introduced five decades ago. Bucco Bruce even occasionally took on the visage of Tom Brady, who quarterbacked Tampa Bay from 2020 to ’22 and led the Bucs to victory in Super Bowl 55.
Like their 1976 expansion brethren Bucs, the Seattle Seahawks are expected to resurface their classic white road uniforms to celebrate their 50th season in 2025.