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The Greatest Villain In the History of All 32 NFL Teams

By Erik Lambert

of the New York Jets of the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium on November 22, 2007 in Irving, Texas
of the New York Jets of the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium on November 22, 2007 in Irving, Texas /
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18 Dec 1988: Detroit Lions head coach Wayne Fontes (left) confers with Hugh Culverhouse during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers won the game, 21-10. Mandatory Credit: Allen Dean Steele /Allsport
18 Dec 1988: Detroit Lions head coach Wayne Fontes (left) confers with Hugh Culverhouse during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers won the game, 21-10. Mandatory Credit: Allen Dean Steele /Allsport /

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

. OWN. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hugh Culverhouse . 30. player. 48

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans can credit Hugh Culverhouse for bringing the franchise into the NFL….and not much else. In truth, he may be in contention for worst owner in league history and that’s not an exaggeration. The man was disliked almost universally, not just by fans but by players, coaches, executives and fellow owners.

He kept his employees in a constant state of fear. He’d fire people for mistakes that he himself had a direct hand in. Despite being one of the higher grossing franchises of the time, he was notoriously cheap when paying his players. If that weren’t enough, he was directly at fault for the infamous Bo Jackson debacle in 1986.

The Auburn running back had no desire to play for Tampa and requested Culverhouse not pick him. Instead, the owner tried to strongarm Jackson into accepting a cheap contract rather than taking a lucrative trade to move out of the #1 spot. They picked him anyway and Jackson went to play Major League Baseball instead. The Buccaneers got absolutely nothing from that #1 pick.

Yet it was Culverhouse’s lack of interest in winning that seemed to stick out most. This reflected in his treatment of quarterback Doug Williams. Despite leading the team to three playoff appearances including an NFC championship game, Culverhouse refused to pay him a $600,000 raise. As a result, Williams left for the USFL. Tampa Bay didn’t make the playoffs again until 1997.

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