stoops the eternal pimp
8/6/2009, 03:12 PM
is the first inductee into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ring of Honor
TAMPA — Lee Roy Selmon will be the first player enshrined in the Bucs' Ring of Honor on Nov. 8, but what he is most looking forward to is the action on the field that day.
The opponent will be his old division nemesis, Green Bay.
"What I'm most excited about with all of this is the game," Selmon said during the official announcement Monday. "We play Green Bay (from) the old NFC Central, we're bringing back the old jerseys, the throwbacks, and we're bringing back some of the players from the '79 team. … There were a lot of magical moments that year."
Selmon, who works in a fundraising capacity for the University of South Florida, is the only Buccaneer in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and his No. 63 is the franchise's only retired jersey.
Team co-chairman Bryan Glazer acknowledged the Ring of Honor "has been a long time coming," but he added ownership wanted to wait until there was a larger pool of candidates for induction.
Glazer said one person associated with the franchise will be inducted each year (coaches are eligible) but it hasn't been decided whether enshrinement will be chronological.
Selmon, the team's first draft pick in 1976, endured an 0-26 start to his career with the expansion Bucs. Though he went to the NFC Championship Game in 1979, the lean years gave him a special admiration for what the franchise has accomplished since, including the 2002 Super Bowl victory.
"I'm just glad for the fans that have been there from the beginning," he said. "You really have an appreciation for that journey. … It makes you hungry as an organization."
TAMPA — Lee Roy Selmon will be the first player enshrined in the Bucs' Ring of Honor on Nov. 8, but what he is most looking forward to is the action on the field that day.
The opponent will be his old division nemesis, Green Bay.
"What I'm most excited about with all of this is the game," Selmon said during the official announcement Monday. "We play Green Bay (from) the old NFC Central, we're bringing back the old jerseys, the throwbacks, and we're bringing back some of the players from the '79 team. … There were a lot of magical moments that year."
Selmon, who works in a fundraising capacity for the University of South Florida, is the only Buccaneer in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and his No. 63 is the franchise's only retired jersey.
Team co-chairman Bryan Glazer acknowledged the Ring of Honor "has been a long time coming," but he added ownership wanted to wait until there was a larger pool of candidates for induction.
Glazer said one person associated with the franchise will be inducted each year (coaches are eligible) but it hasn't been decided whether enshrinement will be chronological.
Selmon, the team's first draft pick in 1976, endured an 0-26 start to his career with the expansion Bucs. Though he went to the NFC Championship Game in 1979, the lean years gave him a special admiration for what the franchise has accomplished since, including the 2002 Super Bowl victory.
"I'm just glad for the fans that have been there from the beginning," he said. "You really have an appreciation for that journey. … It makes you hungry as an organization."