Hugh Culverhouse and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

<p> From 1976 until 1994 the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost far more games than they won. The Bucs' status as a sporting punch line belied the fact that they were led by arguably the most important owner of that era. Known as the Vice-Commissioner Hugh F. Culverhouse Sr. wielded his financial acumen as a weapon keeping other NFL owners in line through the economic downturn of the 1980s two work stoppages and a multimillion dollar lawsuit from a rival league. Culverhouse's near-Dickensian frugality also led directly and indirectly to the Steve Young-Joe Montana quarterback controversy; Doug Williams' triumph in Super Bowl XXII; and the largest fourth-quarter collapse in NFL history. Over two dozen interviews with Culverhouse's allies and adversaries inform this thorough and balanced chronicle of the man and his team.</p>