This season everything came together for Gruden and the Bucs. They celebrated a 48-21 Super Bowl win against his old team, the Raiders, and Oakland’s new head coach, Bill Callahan. Callahan was fired the next year and, as Husker fans remember, spent four mostly unsuccessful years in Lincoln.
The triumph over the heavily favored Raiders was the first championship a team from Tampa had ever won.
“Tampa has always been near the Bucs,” said Brandenburg. “Unfortunately it took us 30 years to win the Super Bowl. It was really exciting in the area. They had their parade in the Raymond James area. The stadium was full. There were people at the airport when they came in. It was just fabulous. “
When he remembers the 2002 team most, the defense was led by Hall of Famers Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp.
“We had Ronde Barber, John Lynch and Derrick Brooks. This year we only had one beast of defense,” said Brandenburg. “In order for our defense to take it out of the hands of the offensive to keep the game going, I spent about $ 1,000 on goods the day after our victory.”
He hopes defense will once again be key for Sunday’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LV. Tampa Bay is currently fifth in the league in terms of sales.
Left to right Randy Brandenburg’s boys Randy III, Matthew and Alex pose for a picture in their Tampa Bay outfit at a 2004 game. The Brandenburgers are originally from Tampa and will be cheering on the Bucs during the Super Bowl.
Peter Huguenin | The Columbus Telegram
“On the defensive side of the ball, come on. We fired Aaron Rodgers five times and picked him up once,” said Brandenburg. “If our defenses are stepped up like we did against the Packers, who were second on offense just behind the Chiefs this year, we can honestly keep up with them very well and if the ball stays in Brady’s hands I think we can get away with victory. “
