TAMPA — Give me James Wilder.

Give me Leonard Levy.

Give me Batman.

Give me history, give me memories, give me tingles.

To the outside world, the history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may look like a half-century of guffaws interspersed with two How-Do-You-Like-Us-Now seasons. But, to longtime devotees, that journey may be the closest thing to a Purple Heart in football.

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So chuckle if you wish when you hear that Simeon Rice is to be the latest inductee in the Ring of Honor. Point out that he played as many games in the uniforms of other teams as he did with the Bucs. Snicker that the Ring of Honor is dominated by one very specific, and condensed, time period.

Just know that Tampa Bay’s history has a certain charm that cannot be explained to anyone who does not know the story of the Booker Reese debacle. Or the Bo Jackson fiasco. Or the Jack Thompson embarrassment.

It’s the tale of Wilder, who is still the franchise’s all-time leading rusher and should be in the Ring of Honor. It’s the backstory of Levy, who shook hands, dialed numbers and pulled strings until Tampa Bay was finally awarded a major professional franchise. It’s Richard “Batman” Wood who was among the finest linebackers to never make a Pro Bowl.

Give me Hardy Nickerson.

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Give me Ricky Bell.

Give me Gerald McCoy.

I could go on and on. There are names that are instantly recognizable and names that are merely familiar but they should all be celebrated now that the Bucs are gearing up for their 50th season of football.

Oh, maybe you think this is overkill. Maybe you feel the bar has been set too low for the Ring of Honor. After all, the Bucs have five different coaches with their names prominently displayed across the suite level façade at Raymond James Stadium. Those five coaches helped the Bucs advance to the playoffs in 15 different seasons — or four seasons fewer than Don Shula.

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Doug Williams is up there, despite playing only 66 games in a Bucs uniform. That means the only quarterback in the Ring of Honor threw for fewer yards in Tampa Bay than Josh Freeman or Trent Dilfer. Mike Alstott is up there and he never rushed for 1,000 yards in a season.

They have been honored because they are integral parts of Tampa Bay lore. Because, all these years later, a fan in Gulfport or Westchase can close their eyes and still see them in the prime of their careers. Maybe their numbers wouldn’t measure up in Green Bay or Dallas or San Francisco, but their impact in Tampa Bay — in both good times and bad — make them as much a part of the landscape as beaches and bridges.

Give me Steve Young.

Give me Joe Gibbs.

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Give me Ron Wolf.

They were all here. Three Hall of Famers at the start of their football journey. Young started 19 games, won three, and was tossed aside for Vinny Testaverde. Gibbs was Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator for one season in 1978 before bailing to become part of the Air Coryell offense in San Diego. Wolf had the first general manager-type role in Tampa Bay in 1976-77 but left amidst a front office power struggle.

The point is, even when they did something right the Bucs often managed to screw it up.

How bad were they for most of those five decades? Look at it this way:

The Bucs have won two Super Bowls, have more playoff victories in 49 years than the Lions have had in 95 years, have five players in the Hall of Fame and still have the worst winning percentage in NFL, MLB and NBA history.

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That means the Bucs can claim as much misery as any team in North America, and yet they still have two Lombardi Trophies in the lobby at One Buc Place. You can tease all you like, but that’s a pretty remarkable legacy for any fan base.

It’s like Charlie Brown getting off his back to finally kick that winning field goal.

Some fans are used to losing. It’s practically a stain on the soul. Just ask a relative in Atlanta what it’s been like to follow the Falcons the past 60 years. Some fans are spoiled by winning. They wear their arrogance like a cologne. Or have you never met a Cowboys fan?

Around here, we’ve experienced it all. From the worst start in football history to a Tom Brady Super Bowl.

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So maybe Tampa Bay’s Ring of Honor is less exclusive than some other franchises with their more storied histories. Let other people worry about that. Bucs fans have paid their dues and deserve their celebratory moments.

Give me Simeon Rice.

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