Long before wide receivers Michael Clayton, Keyshawn Johnson or Joey Galloway, stepped onto the field in a Buc’s uniform, there was a man named Mark Carrier. Not many of our fans especially the younger ones, remember this man, or what he accomplished here in Tampa, but his accomplishments were nothing short of magnificent.
Carrier was drafted in the third round of the 1987 draft, and in that year he set a franchise single-game receiving record, with 212 yards against the Saints, that record would not be broken until Vincent Jackson beat it by 4 yards in 2012, which ironically was also accomplished against the Saints. Then later in 1989, he set the Buccaneers single-season franchise record for receiving yards with 1,422. That record still holds to this day. In that same year, Carrier became the first Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver to make a Pro Bowl appearance, something that would not be done again until 2001 and something that would only be done two more times since Keyshawn Johnson did it in 2001.
In that same year, Carrier became the first Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver to make a Pro Bowl appearance, something that would not be done again until 2001 and something that would only be done two more times since Keyshawn Johnson did it in 2001.
Mark Carrier never had the chance to play in the playoffs as a Buccaneers wide receiver, but eventually had his chance to grace the playoffs with the Cleveland Browns in 1994. He got another chance to appear in the playoffs in 1996 with the Carolina Panthers. At the finale of his career as a Buccaneers receiver, Carrier had 5,018 receiving yards, and that still holds to this day as the number one overall franchise record.
