When John McKay took over as the Buccaneers’ first head coach in 1976, one of his first orders of business was acquiring linebacker Richard Wood.
Before taking the Bucs job, McKay was the head coach at USC. His star pupil, Wood, was a three-time All-American and helped lead the Trojans to two national championships.
Wood had been drafted by the Jets and spent his first year in New York but was promptly traded when McKay took the reigns in Tampa.
“That first year, when I knew Coach McKay was coming to Tampa, I had an idea,” Wood said.