Which Buccaneers Legend Deserves the Next Ring of Honor Induction?

With so many former Tampa Bay Buccaneers standouts worthy of a place in the Ring of Honor, identifying the next inductee is no easy task.

The Glazers really have shown they are not fans of any of the creamsicle era players. So great Buccaneer’ players like James Wilder and Dave Pear won’t be on this list.

Although those players don’t make this list, there is one player who can be considered the most pivotal player to wear creamsicle as well as pewter.

In this list of the five names, two of the players I’m promoting for the Ring of Honor were unrestricted free agents and one the Bucs acquired by trade, two drafted.

Hardy Nickerson

My number one choice and one who is long overdue. Hardy Nickerson. Nickerson was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Buccaneers in 1993. He was instrumental in the Buccaneers culture change. While with the Bucs from1993 till 1999 he was a Pro Bowl selection five times, had 1,000 tackles and wore both colors in his time with the team.

Not having Hardy in the Bucs Ring of Honor is a disservice to this great player and the fans who endured those earlier year of the franchise.

Jason Pierre Paul

The Bucs traded for Jason Pierre-Paul from the Giants in 2018.

in what may have been the second-best trade in the franchise’s history (Brady has to be first, and yes he is counted as a trade), JPP as all NFL fans know him, brought an attitude and accountability to the team that had sadly been missing for a very long time, not to mention his incredible athleticism on the edge.

Pierre-Paul was instrumental in the Buccaneers turnaround which lead to another Buccaneer Super Bowl.

Ndamukong Suh

No doubt about Ndamukong Suh, this man brought the “nasty” back to Tampa. Not since Warren Sapp has a Buccaneer been so aggressive in attacking an O-line.

His violent playing style was just the thing to pair along with Vita Vea.

Despite Brady and Gronk and the greatness they brought with them, without the likes of JPP, and Suh, the Buccaneers Super Bowl may have ended quite differently.

The next two I have added here are entirely homegrown. Drafted by the Buccaneers and in the case of one of them played their entire career with them.

Gerald McCoy

Gerald McCoy is an interesting mix of, should he, or shouldn’t he? Here’s the thing with McCoy, you can’t tell the story of the Buccaneers without him, he was one of the “faces of the franchise” for years, his photo along with Lavonte David’s was on Ray-Jay for years.

He was one of the few to make consecutive Pro Bowls. His name is one which everyone will remember for good,  bad or otherwise.

He was also a big part of the turnaround in the next Super Bowl run even if he didn’t get to be part of it.

McCoy will most likely be the only one on this list to get blowback from fans, but it’s not HOF voting, this is for the Ring of Honor.

There is no doubt GMAC was loved in the locker room, and as a person outside it.

Lavonte David

Lavonte David is most likely the Bucs next Hall of Fame player, outside of Brady and Gronk. His entry into the Bucs Ring of Honor is signed sealed and delivered. The only question here is when.

In my honest opinion he could be in the ring right now. Is there any question he is possibly the most loved player to wear a Buc jersey since Mike Alstott?

Not since Derrick Brooks has anyone played the position as well as David. I’m not even going to try to make an argument for why David should be in, No Buc fan reading this would dare debate his credentials.

There you have it, these are my candidates for the next Buccaneer Ring of Honor, you readers may want to debate them but it’s very doubtful that you can deny them, (maybe one of them)

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