The 1990 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 15th season in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. Head coach

Ray Perkins Walter Ray Perkins (November 6, 1941 – December 9, 2020) was an American football coach and player. He played as a wide receiver for the University of Alabama and Baltimore Colts. He later worked as a football coach for 28 years, including sti ...

and Bucs players were getting criticized by fans with his 3-a-day training camp practices. Leaving many players complaining of fatigue late in the year, and with injuries that never really healed themselves throughout the end of the season. Still, after starting 4–2 via four wins against divisional opponents, the Buccaneers dropped two out of three games to a weak

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

team. Later in the year, quarterback

Vinny Testaverde Vincent Frank Testaverde Sr. (; born November 13, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He played college football at Miami, where he was an All-American and won the H ...

and receiver Willie Drewrey combined on an 89-yard touchdown pass in week 13 for the longest play in franchise history. Coach Perkins was fired after that game and the team fell short of a possible break even season with two losses to end the season, although the 6-10 record was Tampa Bay's best since

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, John McKay's last season as coach. Offensive coordinator Richard Williamson was made head coach for the 1991 season based on a 1–2 record. Tax records showed the Buccaneers were one of the most profitable teams during this time, even though owner

Hugh Culverhouse Hugh Franklin Culverhouse, Sr. (February 20, 1919 – August 25, 1994) was an American businessman, attorney, and sports franchise owner. Culverhouse is best known for having been the longtime owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the Nationa ...

announced the Bucs were losing money and needed to play games in Orlando, Florida to gain income. The Buccaneers officially finished second in the NFC Central thanks to their 5-3 divisional record. The other three teams in the division who went 6-10--the Lions, Packers and Vikings--all went 3-5 in division games. The second place finish was their highest since winning the division in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

, and would be their highest until

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

Offseason

NFL Draft

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Roster

Regular season

Schedule

Notes: :Division opponents in bold text

Standings

References

Buccaneers on Pro Football Reference
1990 in sports in Florida, Tampa Bay Buccaneers season

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

20th century in Tampa, Florida Tampa Bay Buccaneers seasons {{Americanfootball-season-stub