Who’s been No. 1 for the Bucs? A closer look at the picks By Joey Johnston | Tribune Staff Published: February 28, 2015 
Lee Roy Selmon, the Bucs’ first overall draft pick in 1976, had his No. 63 jersey retired and in 1995 became the franchise’s first player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO 
Ricky Bell, the first pick in 1977, had his greatest glory in 1979, when he rushed for 1,263 yards on a team that fell 10 points short of Super Bowl XIV. TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO 
Vinny Testaverde, the No. 1 pick in 1987, threw 77 touchdown passes and 117 interceptions before opting for free agency in 1993. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO 
NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, left, stands with Auburn running back Bo Jackson after he was chosen first in the NFL draft by Tampa Bay in 1986. Jackson never wanted to play for the Bucs and opted for baseball before being drafted the following year by the Raiders. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO 
The Patriots, who traded to get the pick from the Bengals, used the No. 1 selection in 1984 on Irving Fryar. 
The Bucs dealt the top pick in the 1978 draft to the Oilers, who picked future Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell.The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are approaching the 40th NFL draft in the franchise’s history. For the seventh time, they have qualified for the No. 1 overall selection.Theoretically, in the league’s pursuit of parity, bad teams are meant to be rewarded with great players, certainly those expected to become multiple Pro Bowlers, maybe even Hall of Famers.Sometimes, that system works beautifully. Sometimes, it fails miserably.As the Bucs ponder another premium pick – Jameis Winston? Marcus Mariota? – the franchise’s history at No. 1 serves as a cautionary tale. There are no sure things. It’s a field day for second-guessers – in back-to-back seasons, the Bucs actually could have built a dream backfield of Tony Dorsett and Earl Campbell, but broke differently – and a life-altering moment for decision-makers.Here’s a look back.**1976: LEE ROY SELMONPosition: Defensive linemanSchool: Oklahoma.Taken later in the round: DB Mike Haynes, RB Chuck Muncie, RB Joe Washington.When the expansion Bucs won a coin flip with the Seattle Seahawks for the No. 1 overall pick, the choice seemed obvious.Selmon was a consensus first-team All-American, winner of the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award. Still, Ron Wolf, then the Bucs’ vice president of football operations, gave a long look at Mike Haynes, a cornerback from Arizona State.But opponents, Wolf said, might minimize Haynes’ impact by avoid him in the passing game.“Lee Roy was the best player, no question,’’ Wolf said. “It came down to the fact that you could take Mike Haynes out of the game, but you couldn’t take Lee Roy out of the game.’’By the time Selmon’s career ended prematurely in 1986, after he was diagnosed with a herniated disc in his back, he had a franchise-record 78.5 sacks, six Pro Bowl selections and one NFL Defensive Player of the Year honor.His No. 63 jersey was retired. In 1995, he became the franchise’s first player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The city of Tampa named an expressway in his honor.When Selmon shockingly died in 2011 at age 56, the city’s grief was palpable.“Lee Roy was almost unblockable,’’ inaugural Bucs coach John McKay once said. “We knew we had drafted a great player. Over time, we came to realize we had drafted an unbelievably great person.’’**1977: RICKY BELLPosition: Running backSchool: Southern CaliforniaTaken later in the round: RB Tony Dorsett, OT Marvin Powell, WR Stanley Morgan.When coach John McKay selected Bell, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound workhorse, over Tony Dorsett, the Heisman Trophy winner from Pittsburgh, the critics howled. McKay had nine of his former USC players on Tampa Bay’s initial roster. Now, here was another.“Ricky Bell is bigger and stronger,’’ McKay said then. “We know him personally. Besides, he is the better player.’’As a rookie, Bell battled injuries and rushed for just 436 yards and one touchdown, averaging 2.9 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Dorsett thrived for the Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys, rushing for 1,007 yards and 12 touchdowns.“I expected to come to Tampa and rip up the league,’’ Bell later said. “I was supposed to be the guy who led this team out of the forest. But it wasn’t that easy.’’Bell had his greatest glory in 1979, when he rushed for 1,263 yards on a team that fell 10 points short of Super Bowl XIV. In a 3-0 win against Kansas City that clinched the NFC Central Division title, he rushed for 137 yards on 39 carries. In the playoffs against Philadelphia, he added 142 yards on 38 carries.Who knew the end was near?By 1982, a disgruntled Bell had been methodically phased out of the offense due to diminishing production. He was traded to San Diego. But in time, Bell learned he had polymyositis, a rare muscular and skin disease that caused severe pain in his joints.The disease caused cardiac problems, which killed him in 1984. He was 29. He left behind a widow, two children, a mother, six brothers and a legacy of non-complaining hard work.**1978: TRADED TO OILERSDetails: The Bucs sent the No. 1 overall pick to the Oilers in exchange for TE Jimmie Giles and picks that were used for QB Doug Williams, G Brett Moritz, DE Reggie Lewis and QB Chuck Fusina. The Oilers selected RB Earl Campbell at No. 1.The Oilers selected Earl Campbell, but the Bucs got a strong-armed quarterback, who helped the franchise to three playoff appearances in his five seasons, and a tight end who made four Pro Bowls.**1984: TRADED TO BENGALSDetails: In 1983, the Bucs sent their 1984 first-round pick to the Bengals for QB Jack Thompson. The Bengals subsequently traded that pick, which became the No. 1 overall selection, to the New England Patriots, who chose WR Irving Fryar.Desperate for QB help with the team unwilling to re-sign Williams, McKay traded for Thompson (The Throwin’ Samoan), who was the No. 3 overall pick in 1979. It didn’t work. Thompson, 3-13 in games he started, was released before the 1985 season.**1986: BO JACKSONPosition: Running backSchool: AuburnTaken later in the round: DT Tony Casillas, OT Will Wolford, RB Neal Anderson.Following coach Leeman Bennett’s 2-14 debut, the Bucs targeted Bo Jackson, the Heisman Trophy winner. But Jackson had his eyes on baseball.“If we take him and he plays baseball, you all can call me a fool,’’ Bucs owner Hugh Culverhouse said.Culverhouse pledged to make Jackson the highest-paid rookie in NFL history. But Jackson, after a visit to Tampa that included fishing and dinner with several Bucs players, was backtracking.Jackson, a fourth-round pick of the Kansas City Royals, signed a reported five-year, $7 million contract. He said he was done with football. The Bucs sunk to another 2-14 season.By September, Jackson was in the major leagues and hit one of the longest home runs in the history of Royals Stadium. In the 1987 draft, he was a seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Raiders. Jackson reversed field and signed with the Raiders, saying football would become his “hobby.’’Jackson played four half-season stints with the Raiders, rushing for 5.4 yards per carry in 38 games, even making the Pro Bowl once despite his part-time status. He became one of the world’s most recognizable athletes due to the “Bo Knows’’ Nike advertisements.“I chose another route and that’s just the way it is,’’ Jackson said in 2000 during a visit to Tampa, years after he retired from sports due to a degenerative hip. “I wasn’t comfortable coming here to play. There were even players here who said, ‘Man, you don’t want to come here.’ So when you’ve got people already on the team telling you that …’’**1987: VINNY TESTAVERDEPosition: QuarterbackSchool: MiamiTaken later in the round: LB Cornelius Bennett, CB Rod Woodson, DT Jerome Brown.Reeling from another 2-14 season, the Bucs saw value, on and off the field, with Vinny Testaverde, the Heisman Trophy winner. New Bucs coach Ray Perkins, hired from Alabama, was sold.Testaverde, who signed a six-year, $8.2-million contract, threw for a league single-game rookie record 369 yards in his first start. But in his second season, he tossed 35 interceptions, the second-highest total in league history. With the Bucs, Testaverde threw 77 touchdown passes and 117 interceptions.When Perkins was fired, Testaverde called his former coach’s offense “the most conservative in history.’’ Perkins fired back, calling Testaverde “an excuse-maker.’’In 1993, Testaverde opted for free agency, signing with the Cleveland Browns. Testaverde, a two-time Pro Bowler, retired after 2007 season, having played 21 NFL seasons. He played for five teams after the Bucs. He finished ninth all-time in passing yards, attempts and completions, while tossing 275 career touchdown passes for 10th all-time.After leaving Tampa Bay, Testaverde started four times against the Bucs. He was 4-0.
