2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season
| 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Jon Gruden |
| General manager | Rich McKay |
| Owner | Malcolm Glazer |
| Home field | Raymond James Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1st NFC South |
| Playoff finish |
Won Divisional Playoffs (49ers) 31–6 Won NFC Championship (Eagles) 27–10 Won Super Bowl XXXVII (Raiders) 48–21 |
| Pro Bowlers | QB Brad Johnson FB Mike Alstott DE Simeon Rice DT Warren Sapp LB Derrick Brooks LB Shelton Quarles SS John Lynch |
| AP All-Pros | DE Simeon Rice (1st team) DT Warren Sapp (1st team) LB Derrick Brooks (1st team) CB Ronde Barber (2nd team) SS John Lynch (2nd team) |
| Team MVP | QB Brad Johnson |
The 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 27th season in the National Football League and was their most successful season in franchise history as they won Super Bowl XXXVII.
The season began with the team trying to improve on a 9–7 season and did so with a franchise best 12–4 record. It was Jon Gruden's first season as the Buccaneers head coach. They won the Super Bowl for the first time in the team's history, beating the Oakland Raiders 48–21. To date, this is Tampa Bay's only Super Bowl appearance. They are along with the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints as the only teams to have been to one Super Bowl and win it.
In January 2002, after losing in the wild card round to the Eagles for the second consecutive year, the Buccaneers fired head coach Tony Dungy. After a recruiting effort aimed at former Jets coach Bill Parcells, Tampa Bay settled on Raiders coach Jon Gruden in exchange for two first round draft picks (2002, 2003), two second round picks (2002, 2004) and US$8 million in cash payments.
Upon his arrival in Tampa Bay, Gruden immediately went to work, acquiring former Jaguars WR Keenan McCardell, and RB Michael Pittman from the Cardinals. The Buccaneers needed to improve their sluggish offense, as the league's sweeping realignment sent them to the new NFC South division, along with Atlanta, Carolina and New Orleans.
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