Of all the important decisions the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' brain trust has made over a half-century of roster building, one of the first one they ever made remains one of the best. After winning a coin flip with fellow expansion team Seattle, the Buccaneers landed the first-overall pick in the 1976 NFL Draft. They couldn't possibly have chosen better.

As we near the very top of our Top 50 countdown, we are encountering players who were not only game-changers but franchise icons and beloved figures in the Bay area. Lee Roy Selmon, the Oklahoma star around whom the Buccaneers fashioned their first great defense, was revered by Buccaneer fans during and after his playing days, and even after his untimely passing at the age of 56 in 2011.

Since 1976, more than 1,200 players have worn the Tampa

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