Doug Williams Returns to Tampa, 5/14/84

On May 14, 1984, former Buccaneer quarterback Doug Williams returned to Tampa Stadium as a member of the USFL's Oklahoma Outlaws. The game against the Tampa Bandits should have been an occasion for local football fans to offer one last salute to the man who led the Buccaneers to three playoff berths in four seasons. If only life were that simple.

Instead of a hero's welcome, Williams returned to town as public enemy number one. A bitter contract dispute with Buccaneer owner Hugh Culverhouse following the 1982 season, sadly, forced many fans to choose sides.

At the time, Williams made less money than every other starting quarterback in the NFL -- including 12 backup quarterbacks -- and wanted a substantial raise from his base salary of $120,000. Culverhouse failed to meet his contract demands as the two parties were just $200,000 dollars apart. Publicly, Williams asked for $875,000, but had been willing to settle for $600,000. Culverhouse offered $400,000 with a chance to make $600,000 by the third year, an offer which Williams said at the time made him feel unwanted.

Things eventually turned ugly when Williams wondered whether racism was really at the core of Culverhouse's offer, suggesting that if he was white, "Don't you think I'd have gotten what I wanted?" He also questioned whether Head Coach John McKay did enough on his behalf, as McKay called the Culverhouse's bid to keep Williams a "fair offer."

The situation had become untenable by August 1983. Unsure of their quarterback situation, the Buccaneers traded a number one draft pick to the Cincinnati Bengals for backup quarterback Jack Thompson. On August 9, Williams announced his intention to play the following spring in Tulsa for the Oklahoma Outlaws of the USFL. On his way out of town, the quarterback declared that he hoped Tampa Bay would finish 0-16 without him. The team came pretty darned close, finishing the 1983 campaign a disastrous 2-14.

This all set the stage for Williams' dramatic return to Tampa for a Monday night contest against the Bandits at Tampa Stadium. A local coin dealer named Art Arbutine got into the spirit by offering 50 silver dollars -- worth $750 -- to any Bandit player for each sack of Williams. The offer, made purely out of fun, paled in comparison to the vociferous booing Williams endured by Bandit fans.

Many in the local football-watching populace called Williams greedy and selfish, blaming him for turning his back on the Buccaneers and leaving the team a disaster. Williams got an earful from the majority of the 45,000-plus fans as he took the field for his opening offensive drive against the Bandits.

Despite a chorus of boos, Williams completed six of his first seven pass attempts while leading the Outlaws to touchdown on their opening possession. The quarterback did his part to silence the detractors in the stands by tossing three touchdowns in the first half to keep his team -- a 13.5 point underdog -- within seven points of the Bandits, trailing just 28-21 at the half.

For all his heroics in the first half, however, Williams fared just as poorly in the second half, throwing three interceptions and no additional touchdowns. Williams lost his cool after two of the interceptions, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct for arguing with a referee and later an unnecessary roughness call for tackling Bandit safety Tim King out of bounds. The later offense resulted in debris being thrown at Williams from spectators behind the visitor's bench.

On the night, Williams finished 25 of 48 for 347 yards with three touchdowns, but it clearly was not enough against a Bandit offensive-machine that racked up a team-record 511 yards of total offense en route to a 48-21 victory.

While local football fans earned a measure of revenge that night, Williams ultimately found redemption in his career by leading the Washington Redskins to a Super Bowl championship in January 1988, earning the game's Most Valuable Player award in the process. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, would endure a string of 14 consecutive losing seasons from 1983-1996.

Welcomed back to the Buccaneer family with a front office position in 2004, today Williams serves as the team's Coordinator of Pro Scouting, proving that despite the bad blood and hard feelings of the past, it truly is possible to come home again.

“Coming back to play here was emotional because I felt I never should have left anyway,” Williams recalls today. “Playing the Bandits, who were one of the most productive and well-supported teams in the USFL, made it even better. You knew they’d bring their best because I was coming to town.”

The response from the fans that night, he says, was expected and he doesn’t let that cloud his perspective on the present.

“People weren’t really sure why I left Tampa,” he says. “It was a lot different back then. The team really controlled the spin, not the player. People understand that now though and you go forward.

Some people respect what I did, some maybe not, but at the end of the day you just have to roll with the punches. I have enjoyed my time being back here and the respect that has been given to me.”

Bandits v. Federals, 4/28/84

On paper, the April 28, 1984, showdown between the Tampa Bay Bandits and Washington Federals seemed like a sure mismatch. The Federals, one of the worst teams in the USFL at 1-8, came to town for a Saturday night ESPN tilt against the surging Bandits, winners of three straight. While the 6-3 Bandits were jockeying for playoff position in the competitive Southern Division, the Federals merely hoped to be competitive.

Although Washington captured their first victory just a week prior against the winless Oakland Invaders, Tampa Bay refused to look past the downtrodden Federals. Quarterback John Reaves knew the stakes were too high for a letdown.

“We’re in a position where we have to go out every week and win,” Reaves said. “Washington looks good on film. They’ll be all fired up after their first win last week.”

Tampa Bay head coach Steve Spurrier acknowledged the threat of his team becoming complacent as well, particularly given their short week of practice following a Monday night road win over the defending USFL champion Michigan Panthers.

“There’s a definite chance to get complacent if you don’t watch for it,” Spurrier said. “If you go out there and play lazy, they can give you a hard time. We’re planning on this being a tough game.”

On “Tax Relief Night” at Tampa Stadium, the Bandits offered to pay up to $25,000 in taxes for 15 lucky fans. On the field, however, the Bandits would show no such leniency to their guests from Washington, D.C.

The Bandits, a 16.5-point favorite in the game, had little chance of becoming complacent early on as the Federals committed three turnovers on their first three offensive possessions. Tampa Bay boasted one of the hottest defensive units in the league since switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3 scheme in Week 9, and their stellar play continued against Washington.

Tampa Bay’s defense capitalized early on a Washington miscue, recovering a botched center-snap at the Federals 27 yard line. It took just six plays for Tampa Bay to take advantage. Running back Gary Anderson scored the first of his two touchdowns on the game, leaping into the end zone from one yard out to give the Bandits the early lead.

On the ensuing possession, cornerback Jeff George intercepted Washington quarterback Mike Hohensee in Tampa Bay territory and returned the ball 31 yards to the Washington 43. The Bandits would need only five plays to score this time, the drive capped by a one-yard pass from Reaves to fullback Greg Boone.

Following two turnovers and trailing 14-0, the Federals coughed up the football once again, this time on the ensuing kickoff. The Bandits recovered the ball at the Washington 30 yard line, and would only need four plays to set the rout in motion. Gary Anderson notched his second touchdown of the quarter, this time a 17-yard run, to give Tampa Bay a commanding lead.

The Bandits had run only 15 plays and controlled the ball for just 5:32, but were already up by three touchdowns. The 21 first quarter points tied a team record set during a 45-17 victory over the Birmingham Stallions in 1983.

After surrendering a 51-yard field goal to the Federals on the first play of the second quarter, the Bandits answered with an eight-play, 80-yard drive. Reaves tossed his second touchdown pass of the night, a 20-yard strike to tight end Marvin Harvey, to extend Tampa Bay’s lead. In one Tampa Bay’s few miscues, placekicker Zenon Andrusyshyn botched the extra point leaving his team with a 27-3 lead.

Leading 27-6 after one half, Tampa Bay had been virtually assured of victory. The Bandits were historically 11-0 to that point in games they led at the half and this game would prove no different.

John Reaves tossed his third touchdown pass of the game in the third quarter, an 18-yard strike to receiver Larry Brodsky, and Andrusyshyn added a 44-yard field goal to account for the rest of Tampa Bay’s scoring output. Late meaningless touchdowns by Washington, long after the game had been decided, made the final score of 37-19.

While Reaves’ passing numbers were mostly pedestrian (12 of 24 for 172 yards), his three touchdowns and command of the offense were all Tampa Bay needed to win the game. With the victory, Reaves improved to 12-3 as a starter in a Tampa Bay uniform.

“John had them guessing all night,” said wide receiver Eric Truvillion. “He was on target.”

The victory propelled the 7-3 Bandits into a tie for second place in the Southern Division with the New Orleans Breakers. The Bandits would travel to Jacksonville in Week 11 before returning to Tampa Stadium on May 14 for a game of special interest to the local football watching populace.

The Monday night showdown against the Oklahoma Outlaws, who were quarterbacked by Doug Williams, would mark his first appearance at Tampa Stadium since being released by the Buccaneers following the 1982 season.

Bandits v. Bulls on ESPN, 3/10/84

In their second season of existence in 1984, the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League got off to a running start. After barely missing the playoffs in 1983, the Bandits opened the next campaign with a pair of victories against the Houston Gamblers and Arizona Wranglers.

The Jacksonville Bulls -- owners of a 1-1 mark -- came to Tampa Stadium on March 10, 1984, for a Saturday night contest broadcast nationwide on ESPN. With a Country & Western Night theme featuring a Dolly Parton lookalike contest, the game billed as "The Battle for Florida" featured the two best offensive attacks in the league. The Bulls, behind the arm of former University of Georgia quarterback Matt Robinson, led the USFL's Eastern Conference in passing. The Bandits, led by former Robinson High School and University of Florida standout John Reaves, were second only to the Bulls in that department.

As an expansion team in 1984, the Bulls quickly became the talk of the league. Jacksonville shocked everyone in Week 1 against the Washington Federals, scoring a USFL-record 53 points in a rout. The following week against the New Jersey Generals, the Bulls broke a USFL attendance record at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville with a crowd of more than 73,000. If not for a controversial finish in which a Jacksonville field goal was ruled no good despite video evidence to the contrary, the Bulls could have easily carried a 2-0 mark into the showdown with Tampa Bay.

"I think there was a false sense that expansion teams were going to be a year behind us," said then-Tampa Bay head coach Steve Spurrier. "There's a competitive group of owners in this league and they realize that if their teams don't play well, people aren't going to come out to the games."

The Bulls were certainly playing well, and the Bandits had their work cut out for them against the first-year upstarts. In front of a team-record crowd of 51,274, Jacksonville put Tampa Bay in a hole early, capitalizing on two interceptions by Reaves in the game's first six minutes. Linebacker Fernando Jackson picked off an underthrown pass by Reaves at Tampa Bay's own 31 yard line. This play set up the the Bulls first score, a four-yard touchdown reception by Michael Whitting. Kicker Dan Miller missed the extra point wide right, resulting in a 6-0 lead for Jacksonville.

Andy Hendel's interception on Tampa Bay's ensuing possession set up the Bulls at the Bandits' 8-yard line. Running back Larry Mason ran the ball in from the five for the score, and following a failed two-point conversion, Jacksonville held a lead 12-0 lead over Tampa Bay.

The Bandits answered by making the most of their best offensive weapon, running back Gary Anderson. The former University of Arkansas star led the Bandits on the ground and through the air on a 16-play, 85-yard drive to answer the Bulls. Anderson capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run -- his fifth of the young season -- to cut the defecit to 12-7.

Jacksonville's lead slipped to three points when Alonzo Johnson blocked Rich Hendley's punt out of the end zone for the first registered safety in Bandits history. Following the free kick, the Bandits were on the move when Reaves threw his third interception of the half to thwart a promising drive.

The Bulls capitalized on the mistake with a 13-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Quarterback Matt Robinson provided the points -- but was lost for the rest of the game to injury -- on his one-yard touchdown plunge that gave his team an 18-9 lead.

With just 54 seconds left in the first half, the Bandits drove the length of the field to set up a field goal attempt for kicker Zenon Andrusyshyn. His kick from 28 yards out was good and the Bandits, despite three turnovers, went into the locker room trailing by only six points, 18-12.

The Bandits tied the game with 6:15 left in the third quarter when Reaves tossed his first touchdown pass of the season, a 33-yard strike to wide receiver Eric Truvillion. Andrusyshyn shanked the extra point attempt, leaving the game tied at 18.

On Jacksonville's next possession, the Tampa Bay defense forced Robinson's replacement at quarterback, Robbie Mahfouz, into a costly interception deep in their own territory. Fullback Greg Boone capped the short Tampa Bay drive with a 9-yard TD run to give Tampa Bay their first lead of the game.

Leading 25-18 with a chance to pull away from the Bulls, Reaves threw his fourth interception of the game. Jacksonville's Willie McClendon then carried the ball five times on a six-play, 61-yard drive that concluded with his six-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter to notch the score at 25.

Once a hero, McClendon became the goat for Jacksonville when he fumbled at the Tampa Bay 40 with 5:21 left. After exchanging punts in a field position battle, Tampa Bay capitalized with time winding down in the game. Reaves, whose four picks nearly cost Tampa Bay the game, led the Bandits down to the Jacksonville 13-yard-line with just six seconds remaining. Despite a poor snap from center, Willie Gillespie made a great hold and Andrusyshyn's 30-yard field goal was true, giving the Bandits a hard-fought and harrowing 28-25 triumph.

The win propelled the Bandits to a 3-0 mark, the same record it held after three weeks in 1983. The previous edition of the Bandits ended up finishing 11-7 and out of the playoffs. Still, players on the team believed there was plenty of improvement ahead for Tampa Bay.

"We can be a whole lot better," Reaves said.

Added Greg Boone, "I don't think anybody is better than us on offense, and I don't see anybody physically better than us."

Undefeated and atop the Southern Division, the Bandits certainly had reason to feel 1984 would make the disappointments of 1983 a distant memory.

Debut of Tampa Bay Bandits, 3/6/83

“So, come on folks, let’s get the fever, be a Bandit Ball believer. We believe you're gonna love Bandit Ball.”
– Lyrics from “Bandit Ball” by Jerry Reed.

On March 6, 1983, Tampa Bay football fans got their first formal introduction to the concept of “Bandit Ball.” When the Tampa Bay Bandits of the newly formed United States Football League arrived on the scene 25 years ago, nobody knew quite what to expect. At least with movie icon Burt Reynolds as general partner and former University of Florida quarterback Steve Spurrier as head coach, fans knew Bandit football would be anything but dull.

There was certainly enough pre-game hype leading up to the team’s season-opening debut at Tampa Stadium. In the week before the game, an executive with the New England Patriots of the rival National Football League took a verbal shot at the Bandits, describing their roster as that of a semi-pro football team. Bandits’ owner John Bassett, in an act of equal parts defiance and showmanship, challenged the Patriots to a $1 million game after the completion of the USFL’s season. The winner would take home $500,000, and the other half would go to the charity of the loser’s choice.

Although that game never happened, Basset wanted to prove the USFL was more than a semi-pro league. Rosters throughout the league were dotted with former NFL players and newly drafted college stars, such as 1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker from the University of Georgia. The Bandits’ roster featured numerous players with NFL experience, including its starting quarterback, John Reaves. A local product who attended Robinson High School, Reaves starred at the University of Florida, and then played 10 years in the NFL with Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Minnesota and Houston.

The Bandits could not have asked for more ideal conditions for their debut against the Boston Breakers. On a sunny day with temperatures in the low 80s, more than 42,000 fans gathered at Tampa Stadium for the spectacle that would become known as “Bandit Ball.” Although Reynolds missed the game because of a scheduling conflict, his friend, Jim Nabors of “Gomer Pyle” fame, drew a rousing ovation for his rendition of the National Anthem. One of the few glitches of the day occurred before the game, when windy conditions scuttled a planned delivery of the game-ball to midfield by parachutists.

In contrast to the 1976 expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who struggled to move the ball on offense and put points on the scoreboard, the Bandits showed early on that they would have no such problems. On the Bandits’ first drive, Reaves showcased a no-huddle attack that provided a glimpse of “Bandit Ball” excitement.

However, in a sequence that undoubtedly caused flashbacks to the first season of Buccaneers football, the Bandits’ initial scoring attempt, a 42-yard field goal try, was blocked as the result of a low snap.

Boston took advantage of the miscue, scoring the first points of the game with 58 seconds remaining in the first quarter, a 30-yard field goal by Tim Mazzetti.

The Bandits answered at the 8:59 mark of the second quarter with a six-play, 75-yard drive that produced a 6-yard scoring pass from Reaves to running back Ricky Williams. Williams, who took over primary tailback duties when starter George Ragsdale broke his ankle on the opening kickoff, earned a spot in the USFL record books with the first touchdown in league history.

Boston retook the lead before halftime with a 6-yard touchdown pass of its own from quarterback John Walton to tailback Anthony Steels. The score capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive that put the Breakers on top 10-7 at halftime.

Then the Bandits and Breakers provided a wild and memorable second half of football. The Bandits marched down the field from their own 17, behind the arm of John Reaves, who connected with receiver Eric Truvillion from 6 yards out to put Tampa Bay back on top, 14-10.

Truvillion provided one of the highlights of the day on Tampa Bay’s subsequent drive. With the Bandits threatening to score from Boston’s 4-yard line, a Reaves pass attempt was batted and intercepted in the end zone by Terry Love, who scampered the other way for what looked to be a 102-yard touchdown return. But Truvillion, a former quarterback at Florida A&M, tackled Love at Tampa Bay’s 2-yard line to prevent the score. Unfortunately for the Bandits, it didn’t take long for former Buccaneers running back Troy Davis to punch it in from the 1-yard line to give his team a 17-14 lead.

Boston had a chance to increase its lead in the fourth quarter, but a field goal attempt by Mazzetti hit the uprights. After that gaffe, it wasn’t too long before Tampa Bay scored the go-ahead touchdown on its ensuing possession. From Boston’s 33-yard line, Reaves found a wide-open Willie Gillespie, who made an acrobatic catch for a touchdown after blowing past Breakers cornerback Charles Harbison.

Ahead 21-17, Tampa Bay turned to its defense to ice the game. Safety Ken Taylor disrupted a John Walton pass at the Bandits’ 5-yard line on fourth down to prevent a potential game-winning score late in the fourth quarter. The change of possession would result in yet another dramatic example of “Bandit Ball.”

With just 1:36 left and facing fourth-and-inches at their own 29, Spurrier decided to keep the Bandits’ offense on the field rather than punt. Fullback Greg Boone was stuffed for no gain, but to the delight of all those wearing the Bandits’ colors of red, silver and black, the Breakers had lined up offsides on the play. The penalty resulted in an automatic first down and allowed Tampa Bay to successfully run out the clock.

Tampa Bay fans were not only treated to a successful 21-17 victory by the home team, but were given an entertaining brand of football that would become the franchise’s hallmark during the three years of its existence. Reaves put on a passing clinic in his debut, completing 28 of 39 passes for 358 yards and three touchdown passes. Williams gained 97 yards on 25 carries, while catching six passes for 49 yards and a touchdown.

It may not have been the NFL, but it certainly wasn’t semi-pro quality. The combination of Spurrier’s daring coaching style and Reaves’ cannon arm helped make everyone in attendance that day a “Bandit Ball” believer.