Familiarity won out 43 years ago when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers bypassed future hall-of-famer Tony Dorsett with the top pick in the NFL draft.
The second-year Bucs, led by former USC college coach John McKay, selected USC running back Ricky Bell with the No. 1 overall pick on this date in 1977. Dorsett, Pittsburgh’s Heisman Trophy-winning tailback, went No. 2 to the Dallas Cowboys.
While Bell and Dorsett proved to be among the best college players of the era, their pro careers turned out to be vastly different.
McKay witnessed firsthand the potential of Bell in 1975 when the power rusher produced a career-best year as a junior while gaining an NCAA-best 1,957 yards.