When fans think of the Buccaneers, most, if not all, recall the Super Bowl-winning teams of 2002 and 2020. Anytime before that is generally seen as a dark era of Bucs football filled with a lot of losing seasons. Even with that caveat, plenty of players shined with impressive years and stints. Players that are largely forgotten in the minds of fans, apart from the most ardent and hardcore supporters.

For this series, I wanted to take a look at players who are underrated or not mentioned much when discussing the team’s history. The number of players mentioned in each entry will vary based on position.

The only rules are that they were Bucs between 1976 to 1996 – fitting the prerequisite of rocking the original “Bucco Bruce” uniforms – and are worth remembering.

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

Offensive Line

Overview:

Former Bucs DE Lee Roy Selmon – Photo courtesy of the Buccaneers

The Bucs’ offense has now been well-chronicled in the first half of this series.

But what about the defense?

Throughout Bucs’ history, plenty of defensive players have stood out for their play. If one were to make a Mount Rushmore of Bucs players, it would consist of most – if not all – defensive players.

With that being said, the defensive line has perhaps been the most dominant. Lee Roy Selmon. Warren Sapp. Simeon Rice. Vita Vea.

While each has deservedly been in the spotlight, there have been key players who performed well for a time but have not received their due. Now is the time to properly recognize five defensive linemen who have been forgotten.

Forgotten Bucs At DL

1. Dave Pear

Who was the first Buccaneer to be named to a Pro Bowl? The answer to this trivia question would be defensive tackle Dave Pear, who got the nod way back in 1978. It was a worthy selection, as Pear had nine sacks that season.

In 2016, Dave Pear reflected on his time in the NFL. “I remember in Tampa Bay when I’d sack the quarterback,” Pear said. “We could stand on ‘em. So I remember sacking the quarterback and standing on him and raising my hands up in the air. And 80,000 people screamed. The only thing that mattered at that time was the game. That was bigger than anything.”

Having just one big season and falling off the NFL radar begs the question – what happened to him? Why is he not mentioned more than his first and only Pro Bowl nod?

Well, that starts with battling a lifetime of injuries and lingering health issues.

After being with the Bucs for their first three seasons, Pear signed with the Raiders in 1979. He went out on top in 1980 as a Super Bowl champion, but not until realizing he had been playing with a broken neck for two years and was unceremoniously released.

He has had countless surgeries since, and his tale is a cautionary one of the risks associated with playing professional football.

2. David Logan

When discussing some of the best Bucs in the 1980s, the late David Logan’s name should enter the conversation sooner rather than later. Of course, there was Lee Roy Selmon, Doug Williams, and James Wilder. But Logan wreaked havoc as a 6-foot-2, 250-pound nose tackle.

Drafted in the 12th round in 1979 by the Bucs, Logan spent eight seasons with the team from 1979-1986. He started 103 games and is credited with 39 career sacks. While tackles were not an official metric back then, per Buccaneersfan.com, he had an impressive 624 total tackles, or just about six a game.

Former Bucs NT David Logan – Photo courtesy of the Buccaneers

Those are impressive totals for a nose tackle, and it speaks to just how effective he was getting to quarterbacks and running backs alike. As well as the large sack numbers from a defensive tackle, Logan has four fumble recoveries to his name. Three of which he returned for touchdowns.

There is a strong argument to be made that David Logan deserves to be considered one of the biggest draft steals in NFL history for providing so much production as a late-round pick. An argument can also be made that he is one of the best pure nose tackles the game has seen as well.

In an interesting 2016 ESPN story, Michael DiRocco contextualized Logan’s greatness with one of the best nose tackles at the time – Vince Wilfork.

“Even if you discount the sack total from 1979-81, Logan’s pass-rushing production from the middle of the line of scrimmage is eye-popping. Vince Wilfork is generally regarded as being the best nose tackle in the NFL over the past decade, but his sack numbers are nowhere close. Wilfork has 16.0 sacks in 12 seasons (11 with New England, one with Houston) and he never had more than 3.5 in a season.

“Logan had more than 5.0 sacks in a season three times, including a career-high 9.5 in 1983.”

His 1983 season was outstanding, although it was a forgetful 2-14 season in Tampa Bay. He earned the first of two All-Pro selections that year, with another the following season.

After a brief stint with the Packers, Logan returned as a color analyst in Tampa Bay for eight years, working with Gene Deckerhoff on radio broadcasts. He then transitioned to television where he was a sports anchor for Bay News 9. Unfortunately, he passed away at just 42 years old in 1999 after suffering a heart attack.

While it is easy to disregard most of the teams he played on, no one should dismiss David Logan’s underrated impact on the field and his time as an analyst in the Tampa Bay community.

3. Santana Dotson

Santana Dotson played for four seasons in Tampa Bay, with his best season coming as a rookie in 1992.

He shot out of a cannon from Week 1 that year. He had two sacks apiece in his first two NFL games and in Week 4 recovered a 42-yard fumble and returned it for a touchdown. Dotson would finish a dominant rookie season as the runner-up for the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year with 71 total tackles and 10 sacks. He earned the nickname “Sacktana.”

In the following three seasons, Dotson would still be productive, although he did not start a full slate of regular season games again in Tampa Bay. With the team adding Eric Curry and Warren Sapp with high draft picks in consecutive drafts and already having Brad Culpepper, Chidi Ahanotu, and Mark Wheeler up front, he was left as the odd man out.

As a free agent in 1996, Dotson signed with the Packers. It proved to be a smart decision for him, as he won a Super Bowl with them in his first season in green and gold. Pairing with Gilbert Brown, better known as the “The Gravedigger,” Dotson was productive for six years as a Packer, recording 161 total tackles and 26 sacks.

4. Chidi Ahanotu

If there is a theme among the defensive linemen listed so far, it would be that each was a late-round draft pick who eventually provided surplus value to the Bucs. Such is the case when looking back on Chidi Ahanotu.

Ahanotu was a sixth-round pick back in 1993, and while he stepped in as a starter, it was not until 1997 that he turned his play up a notch. That year, he led the team with a career-high 10 sacks. That included three multi-sack games and a stretch of six sacks in four games. Ahanotu was so productive the Bucs used the franchise tag on him before he hit free agency.

While he suffered a shoulder injury the following season, Ahanotu was still rewarded with a six-year contract before the start of the 1999 campaign. He would play just two more years in Tampa Bay before being released and appearing with the Rams, Bills, 49ers, and Dolphins. He had a brief eight-game stint returning to the Bucs in 2004 and had 3.5 sacks.

All told, Ahanotu had 34.5 sacks with the team, which still ranks seventh in franchise history. His single-season sack total may have only entered the double digits once, but he was a consistent presence as a defensive end with his ability to stop the run and rush the passer.

5. Brad Culpepper

While Brad Culpepper was productive when he played with the Bucs, his post-playing days have been filled with arguably more highlights.

A born and raised Floridian, Culpepper also attended the University of Florida to play college football. He starred there, and after being a 10th-round pick by the Vikings, he spent two years in Minnesota before coming down to Tampa Bay. From 1994-99, Culpepper put up solid numbers as a defensive tackle, recording 33 sacks in that time span. His three biggest seasons came as the ship began to right itself from 1997-1999.

Bucs DT Warren Sapp – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

As an integral part of the transformation of the “Yuccaneers” to the dominant team of the late 1990s and early 2000s, Culpepper was highly effective. During those years, he recorded 8.5, nine, and six sacks, respectively.

He also paired with a young and emerging Warren Sapp along the defensive line. When Sapp won NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1999, he gave Culpepper plenty of credit.

“I am the player I am because of Brad Culpepper,” Sapp said then. “I wouldn’t trade Brad for any nose tackle in the NFL.”

While he lined up and did the dirty work in the trenches as a Buccaneer, Culpepper continued doing so in various ventures after hanging it up. In 2007, he founded the Culpepper Kurland firm and currently serves as an attorney.

Instead of highlights from his playing days circulating on YouTube, there are numerous clips of his appearances on the reality show Survivor. Culpepper has been a participant on the show twice, including a runner-up finish on Survivor: Game Changers back in 2017.