As fans wait for their favorite sports to start up again, many are turning to social media to discuss great moments from the past. This means that the debate over the greatest Tampa Bay sports legend of all time has been on a lot of people’s minds lately.
Derrick Brooks
This NFL legend and Super Bowl champion started his career with Pensacola and was named in the Florida High School Athletic Association All-Century Team. He then played a massive role for the Florida State University Seminoles team and was an All-American pick.
Brooks joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1995 NFL draft and went on to play got the Bucs for his entire career, up to 2008. During that time, he was selected for the Pro Bowl 11 times and was an All-Pro nine times.
For Buccaneers fans, his crowning glory came in 2003, when he took part in the team’s first ever Super Bowl victory. The 48-21 win against the Oakland Raiders remains the finest moment in the team’s history.
Marty St. Louis
This Canadian hockey player was responsible for one of the finest moments that Tampa Bay sports fans have experienced. Game 6 of the 2004 Stanley Cup final was the scene of his overtime goal that led to Game 7, and to the team’s one and only championship to date.
St. Louis was undrafted, despite having had a strong career in college hockey. He then joined the Calgary Flames, but he really took off when he played for Tampa Bay Lightning between 2000 and 2014. During this period, he led the team to some famous victories with his goals,
He was the NHL’s top scorer in the 2003-04 season, with 94 points. In the 2006-07 season, he broke the 100 point barrier, with 102 points and 43 goals. If you knew how to bet on NHL hockey in those days, he would have been a solid choice as individual scorer.
Lee Roy Selmon
Selmon made history in 1976, when the Buccaneers picked him as their first-ever choice in the NFL draft. His older brother, Dewey, was then named as a second round pick. He would stay with the team for nine seasons before a back injury cut his career short.
He had played his college career at the University of Oklahoma and was chosen as an All-American in both 1974 and the following year, as well as being named in the NCAA Football All-Century Team in Sports Illustrated.
After joining the Tampa Bay team, he was named rookie of the year in his first season and MVP. Selmon was held in such high regard that he played in six consecutive Pro Bowls and was named 1979’s defensive player of the year in the NFL. After his NFL career ended, he stayed in Tampa and was well—known for his charity work.
Evan Longoria
California-born Longoria played with the Tampa Bay Rays from 2008 to 2017. He joined up in the 2006 MLB draft, as the third pick. After a couple of seasons in the minors, he was the MLB rookie of the year in 2008 and played in that year’s all-star game.
Perhaps he is best remembered for the 12th-innings walk-off home run that he hit in the final game of the 2011 season. That hit was enough to put them ahead of the Red Sox and ensured that the Rays entered the American League wild card spot.
The success Longoria had in his time in Tampa Bay can be seen in the number of franchise records that he still holds. These include the number of games played and number of home runs hit. After leaving the Rays at the end of 2017, he joined the San Francisco Giants, who are ranked high in the MLB odds 2020.