Tampa Bay Buccaneers all-time Mount Rushmore

20 Aug 2000: Derrick Brooks #55 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers calls out instructions during the game against the New England Patriots at the Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Buccaneers defeated the Patriots 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart/Allsport /

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TAMPA, FL – DECEMBER 13: Lee Roy Selmon /

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mount Rushmore: DE Lee Roy Selmon

More than four decades ago he was the first overall pick in the 1976 NFL Draft. Hence he was the first-ever selection by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team that joined the league that year along with the Seattle Seahawks. Former University of Oklahoma defensive end Lee Roy Selmon was the franchise’s premier defensive player during his nine-year tenure with the club.

The ex-Sooner weathered the team’s 0-26 start during the first two seasons and then suddenly in 1979, John McKay’s squad found itself hosting the NFC Championship Game vs. the Los Angeles Rams.

That fourth season was a coming out party for Selmon. It was the first of six consecutive Pro Bowl invitations. He earned All-Pro honors as well and was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. After a rookie season in which he played in only eight games and made just six starts, he missed just four contests the final eight years of his career.

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Selmon was the first player in the history of the franchise to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, getting the call in 1995. While individual sack statistics weren’t official until 1982, his resume reads 78.5 QB traps and 28 forced fumbles.

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