A day like no other at the Stadium Tom McEwen, The Tampa Tribune, published 19 December 1977 Thirteen times since there have been Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Bucs have lined up against and lost before their own people at Tampa Stadium. Six times this year, they have lined up and lost without scoring a touchdown before their home people. Three hundred and seventy-one offensive plays they had run this year at Tampa Stadium without scoring a touchdown. To show their gratitude to their bloodbrother followers, the Bucs forewent personal introductions Sunday, formed a single file line down the middle of Tampa Stadium, and in a touching pre-game ceremony, waved and waved and waved to the 57,000 who waved and waved and waved back, during a standing ovation. Three hours later, those faithful would be standing again and waving, and making noise loud enough to be heard in Seattle, and this time it was the crowd that was paying the tribute. Their guys had come through. "We put the pressure on ourselves with our salute to the fans," said fullback Jimmy DuBose, a grinning, weary, rewarded Jimmy DuBose, late Sunday afternoon. "We put the monkey on our backs. We had to win." And win the Bucs did. It was 17-7 against the St. Louis Cardinals. It deserved to be 17-7. And isn't it different to say the Bucs won their second straight game while dealing the St. Louis Cardinals their fourth straight defeat? And isn't it different to read that Coach John McKay said after it was over, "Gentlemen, we played well and we deserved to win." And isn't it different to know that the Bucs scored touchdowns at Tampa Stadium? "I think," said McKay, "the feeling has come to be different. In the past, we have all waited for something bad to happen to the Bucs. It didn't at New Orleans when we won last week, and it didn't today. I think we have proved we can win in the National Football League. That wasn't a bad team we played today." Oh, how different it was Sunday for the Bucs and those who have stuck with them in live performance. They didn't just score their first touchdown this year (on the 372nd offensive play of the season at the stadium), they scored two, and they scored the first with a fourth down at the 1-yard-line situation, then scored the second on a picture-perfect, 61-yard touchdown pass from Gary Huff to Morris Owens. There just may be people alive who thought they would never, ever see a 61-yard Bucs' touchdown pass. Moreover, Dave Green kicked a critical 23-yard field goal in the third quarter, making it a more-comfy 17-7. There were experienced fans present who had reason to wonder if Dave-boy would pull off that necessary heroic. But he did on a day that simply was not like any other regular-season NFL day at Tampa Stadium. Know this: The Bucs fumbled the ball away not once. Only one Buc pass was intercepted and the Cardinals were able to produce no points from it. Twice the Bucs stopped the Cards with inches to go on final downs. They scored two touchdowns, which needs to be repeated. Ahead a nervous 14-7 in the third quarter, and trapped at their 1-yard line, Huff boldly passed and Morris Owens caught it. The play was worth 62 yards and led to the field goal. The drive went 93 yards to the Cardinal 6, and then came the field goal. Finally, these three other nifties: The Buc defense played as it has most of the year … solidly … but this time winning, without being able to penetrate the effective Cardinal offensive front to sack quarterback Jim Hart; The Buc secondary, going against one of the game's best passers and passing attacks, allowed no touchdowns by the air, and picked off two key interceptions (Mark Cotney and Mike Washington). Not one … NOT ONCE … did quarterback Gary Huff hit the ground. He went not just unsacked, he was never trapped and forced to run and therefore flung to the turf. "How nice not to have hands in my face at all," Huff said gratefully. "I didn't go down once. When they blitzed, the line picked it up. It has just been a matter of time." Huff quarterbacked throughout the great win, just as he did in the 33-14 first-ever at New Orleans a week ago. And for those who seek to asterisk the Buc win because Cardinal running back Terry Metcalf went down and out early, counter with the fact that Buc running back Ricky Bell watched the game in civilian clothes, with bruised ribs. "It is," said Buc trainer John Lopez, over the din as the last seconds were ticking away and victory was assured, "a day to tear the goal posts down." And that happened, too, the $2,700 goal posts, but no one was hurt, so who cares? Only thing was, when the younger set made it onto the field after the game, so unaccustomed were they to the circumstance, that for a time they seemed uncertain of their next step. "I know," said guard Jeff Winans. "A couple were beating on me until they realised who I was. Then they hugged me." Then they tore the goal posts down. "It certainly makes our Christmas," said McKay. "I hope it adds something to the Christmas of all our fans everywhere." Tackle Darryl Carlton summed it up, the win and its affect, quite plainly. "Wow. They ain't no stoppin' us now."