Greg D'Cruz

Of all the NFL teams that I could follow, why did I choose the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? It was 1979, I was an impressionable 12-year-old living in Canada. At that time, getting any NFL coverage was tough enough but that was reserved for the elite teams like the Cowboys, Steelers etc. I watched one game at 1 PM and one game at 4 PM. That was it. No Redzone, no night games on Sunday Each Christmas my family would drive from Montreal to visit my aunt in Jacksonville. I remember seeing the Bucs playing on TV against the Falcons when I was there. I saw something that day that changed my fandom forever. There was a QB wearing number 12, in an orange jersey and he wasn’t white! As a minority myself, seeing a non-white QB was something that immediately I was drawn to. I knew that this was the team, and this was the guy who I would follow. The years between 1979 and 1997 were obviously difficult but my fandom never wavered. If anything, it made me stronger as a person. I’ve often joked that I’ve had 3 wives but only ONE football team. I was asked if I wanted to write the occasional article for Bucs Report. Talking and writing about the Bucs is a full-time hobby so of course my answer was YES. I’m 56, retired and living in Costa Rica now. I sport 4 Buc tattoos and have been fortunate to make many visits to Tampa to watch the Bucs. I’ve made countless friends and even more memories. I look forward to chatting and interacting with the many Buccaneer fans throughout the world. Go Bucs Greg D’Cruz