jhenderson@tampatrib.com

TAMPA - Bad as this season was for the Bucs, it could have been worse. At least the Bucs only went winless in December. The Detroit Lions went winless for 2008.

Some of us have been around long enough to recall when the Bucs went through a season - almost two of them, actually - like the one the Lions just endured. That was that magic autumn of 1976, when the Bucs set the standard for futility in the NFL by going belly-up 14 times in 14 games. The streak eventually reached 26.

Detroit has lost 17 in a row, dating to 2006. Slackers.

"I'm of mixed feelings. You don't wish that on anybody, but at the same time I'm happy to have passed the torch," former Bucs defensive end Pat Toomay said.

The Lions might drop the torch. Heaven knows those early Bucs dropped enough things, and there were plenty in the league who enjoyed the struggles of the Florida upstarts and their cocky college coach, John McKay.

"We had a meeting, and McKay was saying that he had seen the films and was all excited," Toomay said. "He said No. 54 for the Cowboys couldn't play for us. Well, No. 54 was Randy White, and [McKay] was looking at film of an exhibition game and White was playing a new position or something. That's when I first thought we wouldn't win a game. Zip."

He was right. They were shut out their first two games (and five times overall) and didn't score a touchdown until the fourth week. They were beaten 42-0 in an icebox at Pittsburgh (it could have been 82-0 if the Steelers had chosen). In the last six weeks of the season, they were outscored 228-50.

"I remember the last game. Everybody showed up with their cars packed. There were U-Hauls out in the parking lot and pick-up trucks with furniture piled high," Toomay said. "It reminded me of the Oklahoma dust bowl days. I lived in Dallas, and my goal was to be out of the state by midnight. I made it."

It wasn't all bad, though.

"Our 0-14, there was certain charm to it. We had a very close-knit group of guys internally. We didn't start fighting or biting at each other," said wide receiver Barry Smith, now a Tampa businessman.

He is friends with Steve Spurrier, one of three quarterbacks to start for the Bucs that season. Spurrier is in town to coach South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.

Smith was in a suite at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, watching the new Bucs while keeping an eye on the scoreboard. The Lions lost 31-21 at Green Bay to complete the winless season.

"To me, it's a worse nightmare for the Lions. With us, it was almost comical. There are a lot of fun stories from that first year, but with the Lions, bad is bad," he said. "I feel bad for anybody who didn't win a ballgame. It's kind of that red badge to win the rest of your life. Yes, my heart goes out to them. I'm actually very surprised they didn't win. Everybody wins a game."

Well, not everybody.

Copyright ? 2008, The Tampa Tribune and may not be republished without permission. E-mail library@tampatrib.com