| 1985 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Leeman Bennett |
| Home field | Tampa Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 2-14 |
| Place | 5th NFC Central |
| Playoff finish | did not qualify |
| Timeline | |
| Previous season | Next season |
| 1984 | 1986 |
The 1985 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 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. During this season the team wore patches on their jerseys to commemorate their 10th season.
Contents |
Offseason
NFL Draft
| Pick | Round | Player | Position | School |
| 8 | 1 | Ron Holmes | Defensive End | Washington |
| 64 | 3 | Ervin Randle | Linebacker | Baylor |
| 92 | 4 | Mike Heaven | Defensive Back | Illinois |
| 176 | 7 | Mike Prior | Defensive Back | Illinois State |
| 204 | 8 | Phil Freeman | Wide Receiver | Arizona State |
| 232 | 9 | Steve Calabria | Quarterback | Colgate |
| 260 | 10 | Donald Igwebuike | Kicker | Clemson |
| 288 | 11 | Punkin Williams | Running Back | Memphis State |
| 316 | 12 | Jim Rockford | Defensive Back | Oklahoma |
| 330 | 12 (from the Rams) | Jim Melka | Linebacker | Wisconsin |
The Buccaneers' 2nd-round pick went to the Denver Broncos as part of the trade for Steve DeBerg. Their 5th-round pick went to the New York Jets for running back Scott Dierking. Their 6th-round pick was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals for tackle Don Swafford. The second 12-round pick came from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for defensive end Booker Reese.
Regular season
Snow Bowl
The Snow Bowl was a National Football League game played on December 1, 1985 between the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Snow had begun to fall heavily that morning and continued throughout the day. By kickoff, the roads were impossible to navigate preventing many fans from attending. This gave the game the dubious distinction of having over 36,000 "no-shows," the most in Packers history. However, 19,856 fans did make it through the gates, many of whom arrived by snowmobile.
The game itself saw the Packers dominate the Buccaneers en route to a 21-0 victory. The Packers offense gained 512 total yards to the Buccaneers 65. During the game, Packers defensive end Alphonso Carreker sacked Buccaneers quarterback and future Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee Steve Young a then team record four times.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8, 1985 | at Chicago Bears | L 38-28 |
| 2 | September 15, 1985 | Minnesota Vikings | L 31-16 |
| 3 | September 22, 1985 | at New Orleans Saints | L 20-13 |
| 4 | September 29, 1985 | at Detroit Lions | L 30-9 |
| 5 | October 6, 1985 | Chicago Bears | L 27-19 |
| 6 | October 13, 1985 | Los Angeles Rams | L 31-27 |
| 7 | October 20, 1985 | at Miami Dolphins | L 41-38 |
| 8 | October 27, 1985 | New England Patriots | L 32-14 |
| 9 | November 3, 1985 | at New York Giants | L 22-20 |
| 10 | November 10, 1985 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 16-0 |
| 11 | November 17, 1985 | at New York Jets | L 62-28 |
| 12 | November 24, 1985 | Detroit Lions | W 19-16 |
| 13 | December 1, 1985 | at Green Bay Packers | L 21-0 |
| 14 | December 8, 1985 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 26-7 |
| 15 | December 15, 1985 | Indianapolis Colts | L 31-23 |
| 16 | December 22, 1985 | Green Bay Packers | L 20-17 |
Division standings
| NFC Central | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| Chicago Bears | 15 | 1 | 0 | .938 | 456 | 198 | W-3 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 337 | 355 | W-2 |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 307 | 366 | L-3 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 346 | 359 | L-2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 294 | 448 | L-4 |
Roster
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks
Running Backs Wide Receivers Tight Ends |
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen DE |
Linebackers
Defensive Backs CB Special Teams |
Reserve Lists
Practice Squad Rookies in italics |
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Awards and records
References
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