Buccaneers Jersey Countdown: Number 76
Who was the best player in Buccaneers history to wear number 76?
More from The Pewter Plank
Time to continue our walk down memory lane with the Buccaneers. Since 1976, the Bucs have had a wide variety of talented players. They may not have had a plethora of wins (see winless start), but there always have been talented players.
But who has been the best?
For months, we have been counting backwards through the best players to wear each jersey number, starting back from 99. Most recently, we took a look at number 77. Today, we take the next step and look at number 76.
The choice goes back into the early days, and it’s the late David Logan.
Logan was drafted in the 12th round of the 1979 draft out of the University of Pittsburgh. For our younger fans, the draft wasn’t televised back then. Imagine how long it would have taken to televise a 12 round draft! They used to do it all in one day back then.
Anyway, after a rookie season that saw him active for five games, Logan took over as the starting nose tackle in 1980. He posted a fumble recovery that he returned 60 yards for a touchdown that year. (Tackles statistics weren’t available). He posted another fumble recovery for a score in 1981, but we really felt Logan’s impact starting in 1982.
In 1982, quarterback sacks became an official stat. That year, Logan made his presence felt with 4.8 sacks. The following year, he put up 9.5 sacks, including two separate two-sack performances, one against the Cowboys, one against the Steelers. In 1984 Logan added 5.5 sacks, and marked the second season in a row that he earned first team All-Conference honors. He also was named All-NFL in 1984.
1985 was another solid season for Logan with 6.5 sacks. After a two sack season in 1986, Logan ended his career with the Green Bay Packers in 1987.
After his playing days were done, he spent eight years calling Bucs games on the radio with Gene Deckerhoff.
For his career, he started 103 out of 110 games in Tampa and posted 28.3 official sacks. He unfortunately passed away in 1999 due to a heart attack, but a scholarship was created in his name for high school seniors in Tampa and Central Florida.
The best player to wear number 76, the late David Logan.