The 50 Most Notable Players In Bucs History (Nos. 16-20)
July 19th, 2025
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BY IRA KAUFMAN
In keeping with the 50th anniversary of Buccaneer football, I’m counting down the 20 most notable players in franchise history.
No. 50 – Mark Cotney
No. 49 – Mike Washington
No. 48 – Richard “Batman” Wood
No. 47 – Aqib Talib
No. 46 – Ricky Reynolds
No. 45 – Keyshawn Johnson
No. 44 – Ricky Bell
Mike Evans shares a moment with the late Vincent Jackson.
No. 43 – Vincent Jackson
No. 42 – Mark Carrier
No. 41 – Donnie Abraham
No. 40 – Cadillac Williams
No. 39 – Joey Galloway
No. 38 – Kevin House
No. 37 – Davin Joseph
No. 36 – Shelton Quarles
No. 35 – Michael Pittman
No. 34 – Leonard Fournette
No. 33 – Donovan Smith
No. 32 – Rob Gronkowski
No. 31 – Doug Martin
No. 30 – Baker Mayfield
No. 29 – Ndamukong Suh
No. 28 – Hugh Green
No. 27 – Jason Pierre-Paul
No. 26 – Shaq Barrett
No. 25 – Donald Penn
No. 24 – Brad Johnson
No. 23 – Gerald McCoy
No. 22 – Ali Marpet
No. 21 – Vita Vea
20. Tony Mayberry
Mayberry’s 145 starts are the sixth-most in Tampa Bay history. A fourth-round pick in the 1990 draft, he didn’t miss a game in his final nine seasons. He earned Pro Bowl berths in his last three years as a Buc and anchored the offensive line for a decade before Jeff Christy arrived in 2000.
19. Antoine Winfield Jr.
Selected in the second round of the 2020 draft, Winfield started as a rookie safety and turned in perhaps the biggest play of Tampa Bay’s championship run when he forced a fumble against Saints tight end Jared Cook in the divisional round. He followed up with an interception against Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. The following postseason, he sacked Jalen Hurts in a playoff victory and then forced a fumble against the Rams. His 2023 season was one for the ages — 122 tackles, 6 sacks, 3 interceptions, 12 passes defended, 6 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries.
18. Warrick Dunn
The No. 3 rusher in franchise annals behind James Wilder and Mike Alstott, Dunn also ranks fifth in career receptions. Chosen in the first round of the 1997 draft, he topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage in all six of his seasons in Tampa. Dunn was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year after averaging 90 yards per game from scrimmage. He made two Pro Bowl teams as a Buccaneer.
17. Chris Godwin
He ranks No. 2 all-time behind Mike Evans in career receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Godwin has two of the top three seasons in franchise history in terms of catches with 104 in 2022 and 98 in 2021. He has topped 1,000 receiving yards four times in his 8-year career and made the Pro Bowl in 2019.
16. James Wilder
The franchise’s career rushing leader, Wilder also ranks third in receptions and third in touchdowns. In 1984, Wilder led the league with 407 carries en route to 1,544 yards and 13 rushing TDs. He also caught 85 passes and finished with 2,229 yards from scrimmage, earning All-Pro honors. He followed up in 1985 with 1,300 yards on the ground and 10 TDs. “When you hit James Wilder, everything hurt,” said Lawrence Taylor. In 2013, when Bill Parcells was asked to name underrated opponents he admired, the first player he mentioned was James Wilder.
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July 19th, 2025 at 10:00 pm
Vita Vea higher tha Gerald McCoy?? Who made this list? I mean i get recency bias. But he was all we had for years! Go Bucs!
July 19th, 2025 at 10:29 pm
We have the best kicker in bucs history on the roster
July 19th, 2025 at 10:46 pm
It’s a crime Wilder isn’t in the ROH.
When I was a kid, he was a superstar on some teams that really weren’t.
July 20th, 2025 at 12:15 am
Can you imagine Wilder in 21st century football, playing with the current team. No offense to his line or our RBs today but what an offense we would have with that athlete coming out of the backfield. He was so much fun to watch.
July 20th, 2025 at 12:41 am
“In 2013, when Bill Parcells was asked to name underrated opponents he admired, the first player he mentioned was James Wilder.”
That’s a cool nugget, I had never heard that before.
No disrespect to Wilder, but I’m putting Dunn above him on this list. Just compare the rushing/receiving numbers of Dunn vs Bettis, and then tell me how Dunn isn’t talked about at all as a HOFer.
Bettis: 13 years, 15,111 yards from scrimmage, 4.1 yards per touch
Dunn: 12 years, 15,306 yards from scrimmage, 4.6 yards per touch
And those numbers don’t include Dunn in the return game.
Bettis’ career PFR AV number, 104 — Dunn, 124, and Dunn did that in one less season. If you’re not familiar with stat, just know a 20 point difference is pretty huge, basically like an entire extra season of production at an ALL-PRO level.
July 20th, 2025 at 2:49 am
Too bad Dungy didn’t evolve into loving offensive points scored until after he got fired for expecting his defense to hold everyone to 6 or less.
Kudos to Todd for wanting to score 40 a game. Sadly, that’s in part because his defense can’t stop a herd of turtles from putting game winning points in the 4th quarter .
July 20th, 2025 at 5:03 am
All great picks!
Dunn is such a great human too. Years ago while at FSU, he and others would help out at a local elementary school. Such a positive moment for so many kids. And not to forget his charities, houses built, etc.
Glad to see Chris right there too.
July 20th, 2025 at 7:05 am
Loved to watch Wilder carry the ball. He was a consummate RB. You’re right TBBucFan, this offense would be even better with Wilder in the backfield, particularly if paired with Bucky – Thunder and Lightning!
July 20th, 2025 at 7:07 am
This is why they call you the Sage sir!
I had forgotten how good Mayberry was Ira.
Dunn would be higher if he had not been allowed to escapr to the enemy?
Put Wilder in the Ring!
Go Bucs!
July 20th, 2025 at 7:41 am
Wilder should be top 10.
July 20th, 2025 at 8:03 am
James Wilder !
July 20th, 2025 at 8:30 am
Tony Mayberry was awesome.
July 20th, 2025 at 10:00 am
Looks like you have Paul Gruber in the top 15. It was nice to see him finally get into the playoffs before he retired, not only was he an elite player but an iron man as well.
July 20th, 2025 at 2:31 pm
Rover Says:
Vita Vea higher tha Gerald McCoy?? Who made this list?
^^^^^^^
I’d take VV over GMC every day.