Hugh Culverhouse: A Reign of Error

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When you think of some of the worst owners in NFL history, the usual suspects tend to pile up: George Preston Marshall, Dan Snyder, Mike Brown, Bob Irsay, Art Modell, and a few others. In most cases, however, there tends to be a notoriously awful owner that tends to slip through the cracks: This man's name is Hugh Culverhouse, and he was the owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1976-1994. Throughout his control, the Bucs were consistently one of the worst teams in football, with only a blip of success due to things unrelated to his efforts.
Every move he made was for the sake of the bottom line, yet he took pride in his love of controlling both his football team and the league itself. He combined the worst aspects of sports ownership, and this description only scratches the surface of it. This video will show you the rest, in all of its horrific glory.
There are reasons why I consider him the worst owner in NFL history.

[@pridelander06]

As much as I truly love your "Current events" series like Sportsball and Haters' Guides, I really love learning about history of sports franchises/owners, even when the particular subject is more a cautionary tale.

[@NWOWCW4Life1]

Same here.

[@lucashenderson2775]

Agreed. Tree's been on a roll with these lately between this one about Hugh Culverhouse and the one about Marge Schott. His look at the Oilers' downfall in Houston and move to Tennessee where they became the Titans was amazing as well.

[@jeffmalinoff2836]

They are my favorite

[@jpragata017]

Same

[@heribertoruizjr.5296]

True especially the oilers story

[@tannerplummer1996]

So let me get this straight. The Bucs had Doug Williams, Steve Young, Chris Chandler, and Vinny Testeverde?! And they f****d all four of them up?! And all four of them had good NFL careers after they left Tampa?! Wow that's brutal!!!!

[@snakeguy8646]

Unironically Brady is our Franchises best QB, goes to show just how shit we were at getting an ACTUAL QB

[@drinfernodds]

Yup, they could make chicken shit out of chicken salad with the best of them.

[@iamhungey12345]

@@snakeguy8646 Or developing them. You know Tampa Bay was bad back in the days when Vinny actually improved with the freaking Jets where their QB position have been cursed for decades! (though he had stops with couple of other teams as well and had couple of good seasons)

[@Dystopia1111]

Can't forget the legend that was Steve DeBerg.

[@nijobkk2322]

Yep 💀

[@coldsnap5742]

Here's a weird fact for you: Their very first draft, they were pushed by everyone to take a QB with their first overall pick. Instead, they took Lee Roy Selmon, who was derided at the time, but would become an all-time-great defender and Hall-of-Famer. None of the QBs in that year's draft would go on to make even a single Pro Bowl. Despite starting 0-26, they somehow still made the correct decision.

[@bagofgroceries]

John McKay had an eye for talent, what can we say?

[@reedermh]

Enough to have a freeway named after him, no less.

[@brianbaker2884]

I met Selmon, before he passed. Sweet guy

[@chuckeecheeze4649]

It's funny that the first team to lose to the Bucs, ever, has swept them 2-0 in both of their championship seasons. Hell, the Saints still haven't lost to Brady's Bucs ............................... in the regular season. Didn't think I was gonna let that go did ya?

[@TheLolapuff]

Same. Great person.

[@Jwpolk2]

Hugh's son made a big donation to our law school on the condition that we rename it to the Culverhouse School of Law. He then proceeded to make an absolute fool of himself by trying to make admissions decisions, trying to get our dean replaced, and making comments about how he was going to "fix" the school (which was already ranked in the top 15% in the country). The school ended up giving the money back and literally scraping his name off the front of the building. He gets booed at Bama games now.

[@Matty_Symz]

As a current Alabama student, the thing that made the school give Hugh Jr. his money back was the fact he was openly advocating for prospective students to not attend UA because of the restrictive abortion bill that the State of Alabama passed in 2019. Idk what Hugh Jr. thought the University could even do about that law since UA has no control over what bills Alabama's state government can pass, but I'm so glad the University cut ties with this overbearing, egotistical narcissist because he tried to make the University about him and his late father. No University wants to deal with a donor who is actively trying to push prospective students AWAY from them and not towards them.

[@Jwpolk2]

@Matty Symz yes, I remember that being the deciding factor after a series of wild behaviors. He openly expressed his disdain for the Dean and tried to force his voice to be heard in admissions decisions - insisting that the small law class be expanded at the potential cost of the relatively high ranking the law school had achieved. I was at the first game he got booed by the law school student section prior to the return of the money.

[@Matty_Symz]

@@Jwpolk2 If there were Lolcow videos for University Boosters, he would definitely be one of them. I think you could do an entire series on them because whether it just be trying to meddle in Law School admissions like Hugh Jr. did or going to great lengths as to try and influence the Athletic Departments over positions like Head Coaches and Starting Players (Think Texas and Auburn) on a roster, there are definitely some interesting characters that could be analyzed.

[@lewis9702]

The Apple doesn't fall far from the Tree.

[@Lny_Forner]

I'm liking this trend of Tree revealing absolute shittiness on the part of the big four's owners. I could totally get behind this as a separate series to lolcow videos

[@jclips2098]

Watching these makes me realize how batshit insane some people are compared to me. Makes me feel a lot better about myself.

[@declanssportsdesk]

I hope that comes to fruition.

[@doctorvladandhisbluejaysd2802]

yeah that would be awesome, a very good owner to make a video on is ted stepien

[@AubreyChase7]

A video on Fred Wilpon is long overdue

[@tehbeernerd]

Dollar Bill Wirtz, Eugene Melnyk, Stan Kroenke, Donald Sterling, James Dolan, Peter Angelos, Charles Wang… the possibilities are endless. (The Leafs Half Century of Failure video is a de facto Harold Ballard video imo)

[@RarelyEvenn]

As a 3rd generation Bucs fan, I have heard stories. The Bucs were automatically going to be bad, but having him as an owner set us way back. 0-26. A mark I'm very proud of.

[@someperson3883]

Can’t wait to sweep y’all again

[@greenfroppy212]

@@someperson3883 Can’t wait to not see you guys in the playoffs yet again lmao. Beating the Bucs is like your Super Bowl

[@RarelyEvenn]

@@someperson3883 The first time you swept us, we beat you in the playoffs. Second time, you didn't even make the playoffs. Saints fans value regular season victories over winning titles.

[@someperson3883]

@@greenfroppy212 We will beat y’all but we have a Super Bowl

[@someperson3883]

@@RarelyEvenn I’ll give you that y’all beat us in the playoffs in 2020. We only missed last year because of injuries. We have a Super Bowl so beating the Bucs twice isn’t the biggest accomplishment ever it is one thing we have done

[@SteeleZack]

I have been reading Jeff Pearlman's "Football for a Buck", at which mentions Doug William's time in the USFL after his departure from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the mid-80's. Apparently Williams didn't hold back when talking to the media and referring to Hugh Culverhouse as the perfect example of a "cheap-ass racist asshole". Upon reading that, I both knew that he would be a topic for a video.

[@bigbearkat2010]

Which if you think about it is really something. This dude has spent years in Dan Snyders front office and still isn't the worst boss he's ever had

[@michealkeck2877]

Really good book. I've listened to the audiobook a few times

[@edalder2000]

That book is outstanding.

[@SteeleZack]

@@bigbearkat2010 In the case of Doug Williams, Snyder will allow his GMs to spend large amounts of money on players though if he wants to (not on stadium infrastructure and maintence though lol), the 2000 off-season is an example of this. Culverhouse was a miser who flat out refused to and would low-ball players all of the time. There is also the racist overtone (hopefully using the correct term here lol) of making him the lowest paid starting QB during a era where a black starting QB was still not the norm (he was drafted in 1978). Also the dick-head move of trying to sell him undeveloped real-estate as an incentive rather than monetary incentive (money) like a normal person .

[@SteeleZack]

@@edalder2000 Turns out Donald Trump was not the only con artist and or terrible owner that obtained ownership of a USFL team lol

[@actuallynotsteve]

The "team execution? I'm in favor of it" quote is my favorite coach quote of all time

[@berr21able]

The sad thing about those early Buccs was that they had Hall of Fame defensive lineman Lee Roy Salmon for all of his career. He even played on the 0-14 team. But they never built around him, and effectively wasted his talents.

[@erics.czernecki7333]

He was actually selected first overall in their inaugural draft. Makes it a bit sadder.

[@maxsmith5483]

He had a bomb ass chain of restaurants at least. Till they ruined it after his death.

[@ynsimha7663]

@Fries Salmon of course

[@marcus813]

@@maxsmith5483 I ate at 2 of his restaurants (Brandon and near Ray Jay). That was some tasty food!

[@thee-wastegamer4044]

He's immortalized here, we named our main expressway after him! Edit: also it's spelled Selmon, you can tell when someone is new in town when they say they took the "Salmon" lol

[@SSobotkaJr]

As a kid, back when the Seahawks and Buccaneers were being formed, I was only happy to finally have a pro-team to cheer for. I was a bit clueless to the fact the Bucs were losing constantly, only until a classmate -- who was a Raiders fan -- point it out. This lead me into asking my Dad why we still supported the Bucs? If they are so terrible, what was even the point? Pop told me this: "These guys aren't playing so good now, but that will change. Until then, you need to show support for them, to show the players that there are people in this community that want them here, want them to keep playing and hopefully one year, they will have a winning season. The truth is, it takes being there for a team in the good times AND the bad times, to show them just how much we appreciate them being here.". The hallmark of a TRUE fan is sticking with your team, win or loss, no matter what. Pop taught me that with loyalty, eventually comes your reward of better times. That happened in 2002 with our first win in SB 37, and then years later in 2020, with SB 55 -- with the added bonus of us being the 1st team in the Modern NFL that played in the Super Bowl in our own home stadium. Yes, Culverhouse was an anathema to the team, but after he passed, the team did improve. The current ownership and GM learned not to duplicate Hugh's mistakes. But, even with the bad early years, Pop -- who passed away in 1994 -- taught me the proper depth of loyalty will always be rewarded. That is why I am still a Buccaneers fan to this day.

[@heatherphillips5983]

I never watched the BUCS, until my husband and I moved to Tampa Bay when his father's construction company got the contract for a two year deal on a bunch of luxury condominiums , to build them. The guy that owned the land it was being built on, had his own luxury suite in the stadium, and we'd go to the home games. I've been a fan every since, even though Dallas is my number one team.

[@nobody-wk6ej]

So naturally, since you've done Harold Ballard and Marge Schott does this mean Donald Sterling is coming up next? The Unholy Trinity must be completed.

[@rangav248]

I assume he is waiting for the eventual legacy of failure video on the LA Clippers

[@bigbearkat2010]

Is there anything he could add the Secret Base video didn't cover? I only know the broad strokes about the guy.

[@ivaneurope]

@@rangav248 He waits til when Kawhi and Paul George leave this franchise.

[@reedermh]

He hasn't done Ballard yet. Only Schott and Culverhouse.

[@bigbearkat2010]

@@reedermh he kind of has though, half of his Maple Leafs video was about how much of a douchenozzle Ballard was

[@yungtoolshed251]

Been a Bucs fan since I moved to Tampa over a decade ago, the Glazers aren’t perfect but the games are fun to go to, the stadium experience is nice, the team is plugged in to the local area, and even during the wilderness years of 2010-2020 they could put together teams that were at least somewhat fun to watch. Doug Martin, Mike Evans, Lavonte David, Gerald McCoy, Vincent Jackson, and even Jameis Winston(he did have a few immaculate plays a year) all made the team fun to watch even though they lost a lot of games.

[@FelipeYoshioCordeirodeSouza]

Tell that to Manchester United

[@otaviofrn_adv]

The Bucaneers is a franchise of thrills or chills in it's history. No in between

[@obijuanquenobi1911]

@@FelipeYoshioCordeirodeSouza at this point, I love watching Man U just for the comedy even though I had a much bigger laugh because of a certain French team…

[@mach6893]

@@FelipeYoshioCordeirodeSouza Man U didn't even need a billionaire owner to begin with. Man U used to be a self-sustaining club.

[@micahkiyimba8641]

The Glazers have basically ruined the "Steelers" of English football. When they arrived Manchester United was the most successful and best club in the country and possibly the world..but they've run it into the ground

[@HeyitsCamden]

Yeah being a Bucs fan hasn't been easy, whether it's the Culverhouse origin days, the post-superbowl drought, the MRSA days...but thankfully the past couple of years have helped a bit.

[@booneshow1863]

Yeah. I remember that I really started paying attention in 2008. The year after gruden left. Over a decade of mediocrity (except 2010) and then one day boom, superbowl.

[@Tikitackfouls]

@@booneshow1863 there were flashes on offense before Brady with Fitz

[@nicholasselke5214]

Don’t forget Jameis. Well, except for the turnovers

[@DeosPraetorian]

Yeah but at least you have two rings My team doesn't have any

[@DeosPraetorian]

@@booneshow1863 I mean to be fair that's basically how both your super bowl's wins happened. The team sucked and then boom a super bowl and then it sucked and then another super bowl

[@austinemms9772]

Say what you will about how he runs the Bengals but it comes to cheap owners, Hugh Culverhouse makes Mike Brown look like George Steinbrenner.

[@mach6893]

Mike Brown collected more playoff wins in 1 year than Hustler Hugh did in 18 years.

[@Bigunk-hc2ri]

As a bengals fan I wouldn’t go that far

[@anthonywatson6070]

As a Bucs fan who lived through the "lost decade", spanning the post Gruden years to the arrival of Brady, we have come a long way from the depths of football hell to Valhalla

[@booneshow1863]

I hated Greg schiano the most.

[@Shawn6751]

You guys will be heading back to football hades soon.

[@booneshow1863]

@@Shawn6751 yeah. Probably in two years.

[@Tikitackfouls]

Y'all got godell trying to help y'all

[@youknowimright.3137]

@@booneshow1863 Our 2013 team on paper were great ... he destroyed that team right out the gate.

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

Hugh Culverhouse, Harold Ballard, Marge Schott, and Ted Stepien are the Mount Rushmore of Worst Sports Owners ever.

[@thepassingstatic6268]

Dan Snyder has to be up there. He has to, hes done so much (and so little simultaneously) in this regard

[@iexist_15]

What about Donald Sterling?

[@tehbeernerd]

I had to look up Stepien. He sounded terrible but Donald Sterling was worse

[@tehbeernerd]

Thing is, Donald Sterling did move the Clippers- from San Diego to Los Angeles, against the NBA’s explicit wishes. The league was so pissed off that they nearly contracted the Clippers just so they could get Sterling off their hands.

[@Eibarwoman]

William Clay Ford Sr., 53 years of futility and wasting multiple generational talents even producing Hugh Culverhouse like losing streaks including the legendary 0-16 season. While the stadiums he encouraged construction of were great, the show you got to watch rarely made the playoffs let alone win a game there.

[@Shay_Mendez]

As a Raiders fan, I have to thank Culverhouse for being so goddamn inept and cheaper than the poorest miser. Thank you SOOOOOO much for pissing Bo off so bad that he played for the Royals so we could draft him!

[@r3tr0actiongamer24]

Drafted by the Raaaaaaiders in the 7th round which is astounding in itself

[@mikepastor.k6233]

It's not like he had a HoF career with you. What, one good season..

[@r3tr0actiongamer24]

@@mikepastor.k6233 You do realize he played with the raiders PART TIME and had very impressive stats and averaged 5.4 yards a carry. If didn’t get that career ending injury he would have been a HOF’er in two sports. Please tell me you can’t be this dumb right?

[@emperorburton]

We got our vengeance in 2002. The Raiders haven’t been relevant since.

[@Evan-fw6wt]

i love these videos about old owners. i know nothing about them yet im still fully invested.

[@grand_tourist46]

Rest assured, you are not alone.

[@epickendall1]

I wonder going to do one on a terrible NHL owner or NBA owner

[@Charles_Groebs]

@@epickendall1 NBA is easily Donald Sterling, NHL I think would be the infamous Dollar Bill Wirtz.

[@nerdstop5025]

@@Charles_Groebs Would the owners of the Hawks and Thrashers in the 2000s qualify for both? Or just NHL, cause we did have good years from Iso Joe, Josh Smith, and Big Al.

[@epickendall1]

@@Charles_Groebs never heard about the last guy

[@IlGreven]

You could make an argument that Hugh Culverhouse was responsible for many player deaths from stopping them from having medical insurance when out of the league (or even have access to their medical records) as a negotiating tactic that caused the 1980's strikes. Among them, of course, was the sad saga of Doug Kotar as told by Keith Olbermann on his ESPN show a few years ago.

[@AnimatedIdiotGuide]

I got to say I approve of this new direction that Tree is going in. He’s gone from a shit poster to a sort of historian. I don’t know if it’ll bring in the views like the old stuff but I approve of this. And I intend to stick around.

[@chadghostall5648]

hes just reading an article

[@Seanpatf66]

He actually wants to cover relevant items, unlike a certain gator jaguar fan.

[@JoeVideoed]

@@Seanpatf66 & that would be?

[@handsofrand6660]

@@chadghostall5648 historiography is just reading articles in a scholarly manner

[@9124Nove]

This isn't anything new. He's been doing deep dives for years. If anything, it's more frequent now.

[@partybear2579]

As a lifelong Bucs fan…you’re 100% on the money

[@marcus813]

Another lifelong Bucs fan here. Most of my childhood took place after Culverhouse lowballed Doug Williams and I endured so much losing. I don't know how I remained a fan through all that.

[@someperson3883]

He gave the nickname Succaneers to the bucs

[@youknowimright.3137]

@@marcus813 Facts.

[@youknowimright.3137]

@@someperson3883 Facts.

[@empire0]

These videos kill me. Feeding players Wendy's, making them buy their own drinks, offering them loans on a bullshit property development as part of their contract😂

[@UrinatingTree]

Even worse. They had to buy Wendy's for themselves. The team didn't provide it.

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

Imagine turning down Bill Walsh because you were too cheap…

[@someperson3883]

That’s how they became the Succaneers

[@thepubknight6144]

@@someperson3883 before the browns, jags and lions there was the Bucs

[@someperson3883]

@@thepubknight6144 Well the lions still sucked

[@BTLAGS]

Bill walsh dodged a Bullet and we would not be talking about walsh if he went to the Bucaneers Walsh to the 49ers worked because the owner wasn't afraid to spend money as long as the team won and walsh could surround himself with talent players and coaches to adhere to the system. Culverhouse just ruined people no matter what he did the bucaneers were a cemetary of NFL careers to end or come to an end.

[@IncredibleFulk1]

@@BTLAGS Funny how the roles are reversed now. The 49ers are freaking cheap while the Bucs go a spend. God I hate my team the 49ers 😭

[@anthonyavendano6718]

Tree please keep this sports history videos up. with no sportsball these videos fill the empty void

[@Harv72b]

I mean, it's hard to rank an owner as _worse_ than a guy who literally had to be forced to integrate his team by the *sitting President of the United States* , but Culverhouse was certainly down there.

[@Eibarwoman]

Or the 53-year reign of William Clay Ford Sr., the man who wasted Calvin Johnson, Billy Sims, and Barry Sanders and only winning 2 playoff games in the whole span in 1968 and 1991. It was said that his father bought him the Lions so he wouldn't run Ford Motor Company into the ground.

[@otaviofrn_adv]

@@Eibarwoman Henry Ford, in his grave, said of William Clay's passing: thanks God that I have no more grandsons alive, this one was a disgrace But William bought the Lions himself. He was a minor owner from 61, turning into sole owner after 1963. His father, Edsel, the only child of Henry Ford, passed away in 1943 at age 49, when William was 16-17 years old.

[@someperson3883]

@Fries Only the Cowgirls would lose a playoff game to Detrash

[@willhennessy864]

I'm genuinely impressed that you managed to make it through the Doug Williams section without an absolute tidal wave of profanity. Good god, that man was robbed.

[@targettoad691]

Fun Fact about the Bucs: Until Tom Brady resigned last year, no Buccaneers QB had ever signed a 2nd contract with the team. Even to this day, no quarterback has stayed on the Tampa Bay roster for 7 or more years.

[@jet4212006]

"The Glazers are far form the best owners in sports." Manchester United fans "PREACH!"

[@epicchk4319]

It could be worse Stan Kroenke and Arsenal

[@epicchk4319]

@@chriswolf1089 Yeah but they haven't won the Premiere League since 2004.

[@JuicyPlayer]

2 Super Bowl wins though. I don’t follow soccer but the Glazers are god compared to Culverhouse.

[@nathanhosea489]

​@@JuicyPlayer The Glazers got lucky with the Bucs. Man U didn't have debt before they came and now they have a crap ton of debt

[@JuicyPlayer]

@@nathanhosea489 winning 2 super bowls isn’t luck

[@fabriziolorenzo2392]

Tree, these historical videos have really injected new life into your channel. I LOVE them, keep it up!

[@zetastreaker47]

May Hugh Culverhouse forever rot in Hell for his penny-pinching and cruel actions against his family. The NFL has so many shitty owners in its history it could be its own basketball team. Starting lineup, a sixth man, and a bench of 7.

[@ironskull1420]

15:50

[@jtewr1860]

Rare delicacy when UTree posts

[@gitasumarni1760]

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[@badger6728]

Hail, fellow Bengals fan!

[@jtewr1860]

@@badger6728 WHO DEY

[@declanssportsdesk]

Great work on this video, Tree. I’ve always had a passion for the stories of NFL owners and I hope there will be more similar videos in the future.

[@tannerwilson4843]

Love that your beginning to do some old school LOLCow’s from prominent sports figures from say the 70’s and 80’s. Would love to see more of these.

[@doubledown0411]

I moved to Florida in 1985 when I was 9. My Stepdad got a job in Tampa. When we visited his office the first time, we drove near the Bucs HQ. I was shocked even as a kid how drab it was. It looked a just a plain office park. No Flags or logos, or anything. Then when you fly out of Tampa, you go right over it. It even looked like shit from the air. It's amazing the had any success. I basically stayed a Giants fan till I was an adult and the Glazers bought the team and brought in Tony Dungy.

[@marcus813]

Lifelong Bucs fan here. I long knew about the Bucs' tiny HQ. I always wondered why that was the case throughout my childhood and it's clear why it was so tiny and drab. That the weight room in their current HQ is nearly as big as their entire original HQ was is stunning.

[@greenfroppy212]

As a Bucs fan the Bo Jackson thing still hurts to this day

[@marcus813]

Even as a Bucs fan, I never blamed Jackson for not suiting up for the Bucs given the stunt the club pulled.

[@mach6893]

@@marcus813 I don't blame Bo either. I blame Culverhouse.

[@greenfroppy212]

@@marcus813 Same here. What the Bucs tried to pull was disgusting

[@BTLAGS]

I believe Bo jackson not going to Tampa was the best thing to happen to Bo jackson he would have been ruined by the Bucs and their track record.

[@marcus813]

@@BTLAGS Based on how Culverhouse ran things, he might have ruined a promising backfield of Jackson and Steve Young anyway.

[@carolinekelman2403]

Now please do Matt Millen’s tenure with the Lions.

[@carolinekelman2403]

@Michael Orme sounds right for Detroit.

[@1069KLICFM]

@Michael Orme when did Bobby Layne curse the Lions?

[@davester1970]

As a Steeler fan, I thank William Clay Ford and the Lions for Kevin Colbert. Colbert was the Lion's director of player scouting in the late 90's. The Lions could have had Colbert running the team instead of Matt Millen. Instead he builds championship and contending teams in Pittsburgh.

[@koneheadcokehead4981]

At least Doug Williams got a happy ending at the end of the day winning a Super Bowl with Commanders in Superbowl 22 and even winning the MVP for the Super Bowl and is even the Senior Advisor for the Commanders now, but man being the only starting Black quarterback at the time and then only getting paid $120,000 which in some cases was lower than the third string quarterback really sits unwell with me and i'm just really glad he at least got to win that Super Bowl with the Commanders to spit in the face of Culverhouse.

[@George_Fl0yd]

They were called the Redskins when they won. No need to be scared of using that name

[@iamhungey12345]

*Redskins They won't be the "Commanders" until recently.

[@ladyfire44]

The former Redskins should've gone with the Rebels as their new name to keep the red and gold in them. Commanders doesn't suit them.

[@randyjohnson8262]

Doug Williams never played for the Commanders. He did play for the Redskins

[@eddiekulp1241]

The Redskins , will never use that stupid new name.

[@Spartan536]

Thank you @UrinatingTree for doing this video, I have been waiting for this. Hugh Culverhouse is the prime example of what you DON'T want in a Franchise Owner. Everyone here in Tampa Bay hates his dead ass and his legacy, we hate him so much that we try not to talk about him and when we do its never anything good.

[@willbtwins]

Tree I love these cause as a younger fan of the game I know nothing of the game from like the early 1990 and before. So when ever you bring stuff like this up it just opens up even more legacy to the teams

[@jimmysaints]

Ok, I am LOVING this series of owner history you've been doing. It's fantastic! It's funny and educational.

[@hollowred1935]

growing up i always wondered how the Bucs kept letting SB worthy QBs go to other teams and win. now i see the full picture. Thank You Tree.

[@JoelElRican]

As a Bucs fan who wasn't alive in Culverhouse's reign, the stories are well known in the old school fandom and there is never a good thing to say about the guy. People who have stayed fans even during this time, are the real ones.

[@marcus813]

I'm one of those fans. The Bucs made the playoffs in the strike-marred '82 season, but I was only a baby back then. As a result, I didn't get to watch the Bucs in a playoff game on live TV until I was in freakin' HIGH SCHOOL! I don't know how I remained a fan during my childhood, but I was rewarded for it.

[@someperson3883]

Compared to the 90% of Brady wagons

[@raineob4996]

Love the ownership deep dives. Any chance we can get one on John Spano (fraudulently bought the Islanders) or Howard Baldwin? (almost led to the Penguins being moves)

[@tehbeernerd]

ESPN made a good documentary about Spano already

[@UrinatingTree]

IIRC, Baldwin gave away the farm to get Civic Arena renovated in the late 90's, which cut off the Pens revenue-making abilities at the knee. That's what put them in bankruptcy and nearly had them move.

[@penguinsfan251]

@@UrinatingTree Tree, both you and I know that Baldwin was a shyster who was broke and BSed his way into taking control of the Penguins with debt and other people's money. Some of that blame falls on the late Ed Debartolo. De Bartolo had money for horse race tracks, shopping plazas, the Pittsburgh Maulers, malls (R.I.P. Century III, I loved that place when it was new) and the 49ers. The one entity he whined about losing money on was the Penguins. I give him credit for allowing the rebuild to take place under his watch but it was low class to whine about it at the Cup celebration. So, he dumped the team for a piddly $11 million (in 1991 dollars) to Baldwin's group. Baldwin dumped the skating penguin for the pigeon. Baldwin switched the radio rights to WTAE (I could listen to the games on KDKA from Northeast Ohio and the Baltimore-DC area, but WTAE's signal could not reach the top of Mount Washington - and that was during the day. The drafts under Baldwin were bad - the scouting department budget had to be cut. There was Straka and nothing else. The guy who owned the Cleveland Lumberjacks, the Pens' farm team, had to sign and use veteran IHL players because the Pens had no prospects. Something both DeBartolo and Baldwin were guilty of was not pushing for a new arena. The old Igloo, even with great views from the lower E balconies, was obsolete in the 1970s. DeBartolo's real estate development expertise could have landed a new arena in the late 1980s or early 1990s. The Pens should have got a new arena - either between PNC Park and Heinz Field, or entered into a partnership with Pitt to have a new arena in Oakland (not Oakland, California, for aht of tahners) using what is the present day wasteland across the Boulevard of the Allies from Magee Women's Hospital. Heck, Pitt could have had a scholarship hockey team and the football Panthers could have played in a new stadium on the site of the old Pitt Stadium...another story. But...Baldwin was broke, not making the Cup final in 1993 or 1994 with teams good enough to make it there, his failure of a movie, his failure to attract partners with deep pockets, etc. The Penguins had underfunded owners in the 1960s and 1970s, but Baldwin was worse than any of them. DeBartolo had to suffer with the 1982-83 and 1983-84 Penguins, who drew about 4,000 a game, whose top star was Mike Bullard, in the midst of a recession that took Western Pennsylvania's unemployment to about 16%. It's worth mentioning that Baldwin was involved in owning the Whalers and the North Stars. He didn't cause them to move - they had their own problems - but Baldwin did nothing to help. Think about it....Mario never got paid the entire amount of that big contract he signed with Baldwin. When Mario got the Pens out of bankruptcy court, he had a .500 team that was absent almost all the stars from the early 1990s, an inactive AHL franchise, an old and obsolete barn with seats as comfortable to sit on as a bed of nails and a scouting staff that was threadbare. The bankruptcy judge was favorable to Mario, but he still had a list of secured creditors to pay. Somehow he managed to get Burkle to put up $20 million and they set about making the Penguins a showcase franchise. Mario, who came to Pittsburgh barely speaking English, who dropped out of school after the 10th grade (if memory serves), who had NO experience running any kind of business...became a better owner than 99% of the jagoffs who own teams in all the North American major sports leagues. Mario paid off every creditor, secured and unsecured, at 100% to the dollar. He set up the hospital playrooms for kids and started his own foundation. The Penguins had no huge TV & radio market to bail out financial mistakes. The Pens' opponents were almost all playing in newer arenas with more money from parking, club seats, boxes and sponsorships. Yet, the Pens beat all odds. Mario belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame as an owner. Every indoor ice rink within 70 miles of Pittsburgh is almost always busy with youth hockey and we need more rinks. Crummy, greedy, lousy owners deserve to be excoriated. Those who do great work both with their franchises and off the field/court/ice should be promoted.

[@154alaska]

content like this is why i became a fan of your channel in the first place excited to see you inevitably rip Charles Finley soon

[@daltonjohnson38]

I've heard the stories about the early BUCS. But gosh dang, Hugh was awful

[@Spartan536]

UrinatingTree was also not going into detail, this was just a synopsis, it gets MUCH WORSE in detail.

[@docfrazier99]

@@Spartan536 Feel free to give us the details!

[@Spartan536]

@@docfrazier99 I would need to make a hour long video at minimum. To put it bluntly here as UrinatingTree stated at the end of his video, his WIDOWED WIFE would like to have resurrected her dead husband just to shoot him with every bullet she could get. The man was one of the biggest pieces of shit to ever walk the Earth, and that is putting him right next to people like Stalin, Putin, Mao, Pol Pot, and Hitler.

[@davester1970]

As a Cincinnati Reds fan, we may have had Marge Schott as an ignorant and crazy owner, but at least the Reds contended and won a World Series Championship with her at the helm. Hugh Culverhouse was a cheap joke. I felt bad for John McKay and Leroy Selmon back in the day.

[@Tyrunner0097]

The fact that McKay got an 0-14 team to within 5 years be one win away from the Super Bowl is damn impressive. If Culverhouse wasn't the miser POS he was, McKay would've had a much better coaching career in the NFL

[@psychris101]

Great article, enjoyed immensely.

[@gavinpyle8654]

I really love these video essay style stories, really interesting stuff

[@James-fm4lk]

As a Bucs fan, I've been waiting for this shit for years

[@BadErnest]

Well done, Sir! I’m glad you noted his relationship with Georgia Frontiere and the Rams organization. I remember when he died, nobody seemed too upset about it.

[@ResoluteMujigae]

Georgia Frontiere was a female.

[@BadErnest]

@@ResoluteMujigae I’m aware of that

[@DANNY74125]

I'm loving all of these historical videos you've been doing lately. If you want to continue then I'm all for it.

[@NWOWCW4Life1]

Man that’s wild. You really do amazing on these documentaries Tree

[@radien239]

George Preston Marshall was hated in the DC area. Big reason why there’s many cowboy fans here. Damn Skins always have horrible owners with the exception of JKC

[@PADRII]

I looked him up on wikipedia just to see. I didn't find that much, but I found this gem: "His refusal to integrate was routinely mocked by Shirley Povich, a columnist for The Washington Post, who called him "one of pro football’s greatest innovators, and its leading bigot." Marshall unsuccessfully sued Povich for $200,000 after a critical article." Dan Snyder didn't learn from history it seems like.

[@Tyrunner0097]

Similar to Culverhouse, Marshall did some good things for the league, including creating the championship game playoff system, making a more equal playing schedule for teams, and using television to do regular broadcasts of games. However, he was absolutely a Kx3 member in all but an official title. A complete racist POS. He protested the formation of the Cowboys, because he wanted Washington to be the team of the deep South, and Texas was part of his territory. He wasn't allowed to field his team in RFK Stadium until the local government forced him to integrate, and when he gave in and traded for Bobby Mitchell, in Mitchell's first meeting with the team, Marshall led the rest of the white players in singing "Dixie", and forced Mitchell to sing with them.

[@mach6893]

@@Tyrunner0097 Honestly, the feds should have evicted GPM and the Skins form RFK Stadium until he sold the Skins.

[@JBarg25]

The apocryphal story is that RFK threatened to lock them out of the then-new DC Stadium in his guise as Attorney General unless the team integrated.

[@johnpoole3871]

Yeah I didn't think much of John Kent Cook but I wish he didn't have to sell the team. Now Washington is doomed forever, our only hope is to keep winning this terrible division with 8-9 records and try to avoid Seattle in the playoffs.

[@Hooper1254]

Let’s go bro, thank you for making these videos tree. Love the backstory of all these POS franchises. Keep it up man!

[@ReeseLeeArt]

Been following off and on since the old video game stuff. You’re my favorite content creator Tree. Great work!

[@rotcehlobo8311]

Most in depth and passionate sports biography channel on YT. Thank you.

[@ralph8677]

With the USFL around the corner, I'm surprised nothing was brought up about the Tampa Bay Bandits. They were one of (if not the only) USFL team that was more popular than their NFL counterpart thanks to John Bassett's free-spending mentality to make games entertaining. When the Bucs changed their uniforms in 1997, they did so with a look that wasn't a revamp of the "creamsicle" orange & red, but a red & black scheme that was very similar to the Bandit uniforms. It's almost as if they wanted to pay tribute to John Bassett instead of Hugh Culverhouse...

[@mjwatts1983]

It was the Bandits owner who was strongly against the Generals owner’s half-baked scheme to shift to a fall schedule which was one of many reasons if not the one reason why the USFL folded

[@mjwatts1983]

@holykuhrap That’s for another story…

[@z2ei]

@holykuhrap It doesn't hurt that Bud Adams firing Bum Phillips for not beating the (Super Bowl Champion) Raiders only to tank the next decade really pissed off the entire city of Houston.

[@royals080]

Pittsburgh maulers was pretty popular in Pittsburgh some how

[@SlobberyPantsu]

I appreciate the Chris Chandler nod at 11:00, even if nobody else does

[@oddballskull1941]

I’m liking these “profile videos” or whatever you want to call them where you do a brief history of a particular person, especially non athletes, who are involved in sports franchises

[@pnwwags1818]

I love these videos thank you tree!

[@ThreePointOneFou]

The man's widow said she wanted to pull him up out of the ground and kill him herself. When Robert Irsay Sr. passed and nobody wanted to talk about him because they couldn't think of anything good to say about the man, I thought, "That's got to be the worst thing in the world when your own family doesn't want to talk about you after you just died." Wrong on my part!

[@williambrightman1375]

Culverhouse's Widow felt that way because Hugh screwed her over financially and also had multiple extra marital affairs behind her back as well.

[@johnmarshall4399]

She loved money

[@TBMike]

As a bucs fan, why did u make me relive this shit

[@MrEngel333]

I still count my blessings that I was too young to have to deal with Hugh Culverhouse's antics as a Bucs fan, though his stench still hangs over the history of the team. Needless to say I've been waiting for this video for a while lol, great video Tree!

[@AT-il2ej]

Love these retrospectives

[@jakesmith6233]

Tree with another historic piece. I'm liking this. Though it begs the question, which historic piece is the best so far (has to be between 2020-present). Mine has to be Mike Keenan and his legacy of volatility.

[@turbokart3776]

There is a reason the Bucs have far and away the worst all-time record of any team in the NFL and will likely never dig their way to a .500 all-time record: this man's horrifyingly bad ownership.

[@thepassingstatic6268]

You never know. Bruce Arians has had them going in the right direction as of late

[@Eibarwoman]

The Lions have the same with William Clay Ford around for 53 years dragging the team down to a 45.1%. Barring a second coming of Lombardi or Belichick, you're not going to dig out of that hole.

[@marcus813]

It would take the Glazers ages to get the Bucs out of that hole, but they did preside over 2 Super Bowl titles, which I'm thankful for.

[@mach6893]

@@Eibarwoman Dan Campbell eats William Clay Ford's kneecaps for breakfast!

[@hello-rq8kf]

sub 0.5 doesn't bother me. we have the best SB trophies : total wins ratio

[@josephninosky6057]

Man, you make fantastic videos. Thank you!

[@alekjenkins2558]

Literally came out of surgery 1 hour ago, I really needed this.

[@j.mieses8139]

As a Bucs I appreciate the video on on the Crappy history of my team..We have come a long way!

[@sirokat]

I love these videos on bad sports owners. They’re a fantastic idea!

[@Steve-wo7gt]

This is hilarious. I just finished your Marge Schott video this morning and wrote in the comments that you should do a profile on Hugh Culverhouse. Nice to see were way ahead of me. Ah, memories. 😆

[@benxenos9875]

Another great video tree! Keep up with the historical stuff it's great

[@colliesis]

I swear, the MLB lockout has just *activated* Tree. No owner is safe. He's coming for /yourteam/'s owner next!

[@ethanhatcher5533]

Hopefully Anthony Precourt is next

[@Tyrunner0097]

If Tree was more into the NBA, he could do a good one on Herb Kohl. Yes, he's still appreciated for doing all he could to keep the Bucks in Milwaukee, and we're eternally grateful, but Kohl was like Harold Ballard in that he only allowed the Bucks to be good enough to make the playoffs, then collect the playoff revenue. Never wanted to spend just a bit more to make the team better and also scrimped many times on improving the Bradley Center. Yes, some fans are now bashing Lasry and Edens for continually raising ticket prices (20-50% increases for season ticket holders), but they're at least spending money on the team, and we finally got a championship back in Milwaukee.

[@calebh9710]

Good thing the Broncos are for sell

[@reedermh]

I would suggest he do one on Texas Rangers ownership. Except that outside of W, NONE of them have been good.

[@JoeVideoed]

@@reedermh Did W ever lead the team to the playoffs? I don't think so. All I know about his tenure there was that he traded Sammy Sosa to Chicago, to which as a Cubs fan I said at the time, "THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANK YOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!!!!!!!!!!!".

[@lastsinnersa8002]

I've always wanted to see more about certain owners that either ruined expansion teams or held back teams that could have won a championship. Klein, Chargers owner in the Dan Fouts era, preferred horses to humans because they didn't talk back - would love to see Tree's take on him.

[@aaron24wood]

I'm enjoying this series. Love to hear more horrible owner stories.

[@jesfel14]

There are plenty of then that are worthy of a Legacy of Failure videos.

[@theunderdawg.]

Tree is always so consistent with these types of roast videos. Other channels will just settle for gimmicky-content or run out of material but I've been a subscriber for years and Tree still seemingly has lavish amounts of hilarious one-liners and drastically inept franchises to make fun of.

[@ThatShadowSiren]

We in Tampa take pride in being the only team in NFL history to lose 26 straight games.

[@marcus813]

Even as a Bucs fan, I wouldn't wish this record on any NFL club.

[@Beginstheman]

Outside of the 2 odd Super Bowls, the Glazers can be described as outright horrible of their own as well. If you look at what they have done to Manchester United, they would be right up there with Culverhouse when they have to show some kind of astuteness and personal investment into a sports club.

[@JuicyPlayer]

They are great owners by NFL standards. They’re not cheap and actually invest in the team.

[@depressedchargersfan8061]

Great video man. Keep up the good work.

[@donphilp7511]

Excellent dissection. Just what I expect from you. no holds barred. And a snappy peppery Pace. I watch you and the other guys to keep my sanity And keep properly informed. Thank you!

[@Coralskipper]

Keep these awesome history videos going. I love em.

[@thebennettboy7791]

I’m liking these owner videos a bunch!

[@5ivegoodminutes]

Longtime SWFL resident & Bucs fan. I LOVE THIS VIDEO AND YOUR DELIVERY STYLE!

[@chasegreen1790]

Love these stories

[@iamhungey12345]

How Doug Williams survived his time with Culverhouse Bucs I'll never know. I wonder how the guy could have turn out had he spend majority of his career with a more decently run team rather than towards the end.

[@justasimplemanworkinghiswa1569]

One of the best easily.

[@brianmiller1077]

Or Warren Moon playing in Canada for 4-5 years

[@frankez1975]

Those Joe Gibbs Redskins teams were the epitome of class and professionalism. He survived that wacky Jay Schroeder competition to have the greatest quarter in Superbowl history!

[@colestanoch3459]

I may be biased, but you need to do a video on Norm Green. He is still despised here in Minnesota.

[@tehbeernerd]

The way they lost the North Stars is an all time scumbag move

[@penguinsfan251]

@@tehbeernerd I'm sure you know more than I do....wasn't the Met Sports Center and Metropolitan Stadium torn down to make way for the Mall of America? It seems Green thought he could sell the team for more money with it being based in Dallas, which is what he did. It sux, but at least you got another team. Green is hated in Minnesota, Modell is hated in Cleveland, Irsay is hated in Baltimore, Bob Short was hated in Washington, DC (but the Senators moved to Texas 50 years ago). I'm sure Cal Griffith wasn't loved in DC for moving the first Senators to the Twin Cities.....

[@crosstatt7441]

Did Norm ever return to Minneapolis or even Minnesota?

[@crosstatt7441]

@@penguinsfan251Also, I have heard that Bud Adams is hated in Houston.

[@TKDFam]

A Tree video in the morning with breakfast, what a good start

[@michaelbrooks8847]

These type of videos are my favorite

[@okolo22000]

This is now my absolute favorite video you ever made. To think that the first 2 victories the Buccaneers had led to the firings of Hank Stram and Don Coryell (2 HOF Head coaches no less.) By the way, do you know a KZbinr by the name of Jaguar Gator 9?

[@kcjc]

To anyone interested in the topic, I highly recommend the book “The Yucks!” it’s about the creation and first couple years of the Buccaneers. It’s a good/interesting read.

[@JBarg25]

My library has a copy. It's terrific. I hope Tree pulls from the book (I'm three minutes in to the video).

[@JoeVideoed]

Might be something I'll eventually look into. Thanks for da tip. For any1 else looking for good books about American-style football I'd recommend "Long Bomb: How the XFL Became TV's Biggest Fiasco" by Brett Forrest, who did the sports beat for the Las Vegas Review-Journal & had a front row seat for the city original pro sports franchise. Talk about a hot mess.

[@JBarg25]

@@JoeVideoed That's also good - bought a secondhand copy in 2010 before the league's rebirth was even a thing. Apparently Forrest mentioned on Twitter that he had a few copies in boxes because the book didn't sell well in 2002. (He made that comment in the wake of McMahon's relaunch announcement in 2018.)

[@deemariedubois4916]

This explains a lot. Thanks.

[@chrisyentastic379]

These videos are amazing

[@koneheadcokehead4981]

You know somehow at least he was able to buy the team and not didn't have enough assets to buy the team like John Spano and then go to jail for it

[@scottbabecki59]

I've been a Bucs fan since I was 16yrs old in 1976. ALL of this is true and yes, it really happened. So much pain and ineptitude here in Tampa for a great majority of the last 46 years 😢 💔

[@otaviofrn_adv]

at least y'all had some compensation (in the form of good results) for all the mismanagement, cheapness, bafoonery and etc

[@christmashake8968]

Y'know, when you put it that way, maybe being blessed with the good fortune of having Brady swing by to create a superteam in his twilight years isn't such a bad thing, after all. :/

[@scottbabecki59]

@@christmashake8968 For Sure! Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would see the Bucs become one of the most dominant teams in the NFL. Not even in the Dungy/Gruden years!!

[@matthewromero1422]

Good video man just like always

[@matthewtaylorthomaskawaipu9448]

Keep up the good work my man

[@keemhater9624]

This guy is literally real life Mr. Krabs

[@garrettatkinson4123]

My dad had to watch this team throughout the 80’s. The Bucs have always been bad since I’ve been watching (other than the Brady years, and I’m only 22), but I’m glad I wasn’t alive for that era.

[@marcus813]

I'm 40 as of this post and you should definitely be glad you didn't live through that mess like I did. It was worse than what you grew up watching! LOL

[@crowtservo]

Sit down to eat lunch, grab my iPad and holy shit! Yes! A video about Hugh Culverhouse. The Bob Nutting of his era.

[@eugenesatele9434]

Thanks for another banger video.