1985 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
| 1985 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach |
Leeman Bennett (1st season) |
| General manager |
Phil Krueger (Since 1978) |
| Owner |
Hugh Culverhouse (Since 1976) |
| Home field | Tampa Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 2–14 |
| Division place | 5th NFC Central |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers |
2
|
| AP All-Pros |
1
|
| Team MVP | RB James Wilder |
The 1985 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 10th season in the National Football League
The season began with the team trying to improve on an 6-10 season. It was the first season for Leeman Bennett as the team's head coach. Prior to the season they acquired the future hall of fame quarterback Steve Young.
In week 1, Tampa Bay held a 28-17 halftime lead over the eventual Super Bowl winners the Chicago Bears. In fact both games vs the Bears provided Tampa Bay halftime leads. Young won his first start against the Detroit Lions before the losses started to pile on, including playing in a foot of snow in Green Bay. The Buccaneers failed to improve on their 6-10 record, and finished 2-14, the worst in the NFL. The Bucs lost their first 9 games before shutting out the Cardinals at home 16-0 to finally get in the win column. One week later, the Buccaneers were humiliated, 62-28, in New York by the Jets. The 62 points allowed during the game were the most points allowed by any team during the 1980s and are the most allowed in franchise history. After a win in overtime against the Lions, the Buccaneers would then lose 3 straight games to end the season 2-14.
Former Atlanta Falcons coach Leeman Bennett was named by owner Hugh Culverhouse as the replacement for retired head coach John McKay. Other candidates interviewed included Buccaneer defensive coordinator Wayne Fontes, Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Tom Catlin, former Michigan Panthers head coach Jim Stanley, former New England Patriots head coach Ron Meyer, Washington Redskins quarterback coach Jerry Rhome, former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Bud Carson, and former Florida Gators coach Charley Pell. Bennett was an unexpected choice, as Fontes had long been considered to be the leading candidate and had the near-unanimous support of the players and existing staff. Culverhouse almost gave Fontes the job without conducting an interview process, before having second thoughts and soliciting recommendations from McKay, Tex Schramm, and Dan Rooney. Described as "heartbroken", Fontes learned while attending a scouting combine in Arizona that he had been passed over for the job. Bennett indicated that nobody who had been a candidate for the head coaching job would be hired as an assistant, ending speculation that he might retain Fontes or bring in his former assistant Jim Stanley. Fontes eventually accepted the defensive coordinator position with the Detroit Lions.
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