Glazer, Gruden will join Buccaneers Ring of Honor

Late owner Malcolm Glazer and former head coach Jon Gruden will join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Ring of Honor during the 2017 season, the team announced Tuesday.

Glazer will be inducted posthumously during a Thursday Night Football game against the New England Patriots on October 5. Glazer passed away in 2014 at age 85.

Gruden, who works for ESPN and is part of the Monday Night Football broadcast team, will be inducted when the Bucs host the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football on December 18.

Glazer purchased the team in 1995, taking over a franchise that had not reached the playoffs since 1982. By 1997, the Bucs were a playoff team led by head coach Tony Dungy and a young, talented defense that included future Hall of Famers Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp.

The Bucs reached the playoffs seven times in 11 seasons between 1997-2007, including the team’s crowning achievement, a Super Bowl championship following the 2002 season.

The Bucs fired Dungy after the 2001 season following a second straight wild-card playoff loss and hired Gruden, who had been coaching the Oakland Raiders.

In his first season, Gruden helped get the franchise over the hump, reaching Super Bowl XXXVII in San Diego. The Bucs defeated Gruden’s former team, the Raiders, 48-21, for the only championship in the franchise’s 41 seasons.

“As we approach the 15th anniversary of our Super Bowl victory, it seemed a fitting time to acknowledge our father and Jon Gruden for the immense impact they had on our fans and the entire Tampa Bay community,” Bucs Co-Chairman Ed Glazer said in a press release on Buccaneers.com. “Our father was passionate about transforming the Buccaneers into a model NFL franchise. His deep commitment to the Tampa Bay area is at the core of our organizational identity to this day.”

This story was originally published May 30, 2017 at 9:02 PM with the headline "Glazer, Gruden will join Buccaneers Ring of Honor."