Bucs inspired by throwback salute to team's colorful past

As they approach Sunday's throwback game against the Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers players are drawing inspiration from a unique opportunity to salute the franchise's past.

Hall of Fame defensive end Lee Roy Selmon will be the first person inducted into the Buc Ring of Honor and there will be a tribute to the 1979 club that reached the NFC title game in only the fourth year of the franchise.

"It's going to be a great gathering,'' veteran defensive tackle Chris Hovan said Tuesday. "We're honoring the legendary Buc - the guy who started it off around here. Whatever uniforms they put on us, we have to go out and get a victory. There's a lot to play for, the fans will be great .... it's old school, new school.''

Linebacker Geno Hayes can't wait to run through the tunnel wearing an orange blast from the past.

"These are nice uniforms,'' he said. "It might have looked ugly back then, but they're nice-looking today. Whenever you have a throwback game, the throwback jersey is more popular than it was back then. Everyone's buying old-school jerseys. It's fresh, it's something new - even though it's old.''

Defensive end Stylez White expects an exciting atmosphere at Raymond James Stadium, where the NFL's only winless club is intent on upsetting the Packers.

"I like the idea of a throwback game,'' White said. "I think we should wear the old uniforms at least four times a year to give homage. You want to pay respects for the guys who started it all.''

Then again, not everyone is fond of the old colors.

As the owner of a clothing store offering contemporary designs, center Jeff Faine knows a little something about fashion. And you won't find anything in Faine's Orlando-based shop featuring the color combination he'll be wearing Sunday.

"I think there's a reason they changed the color scheme,'' Faine said of the Bucs' switch from their old orange and white uniforms.

The Bucs, of course, will be shedding the pewter and red this weekend for the Creamsicle look they bore in 1976. While most players seem excited about the change, Faine is not.

"It's an opportunity to go out there and hopefully sell a couple more jerseys for the Glazers,'' Faine said, referring to the Bucs owners. " But I'm not a huge, huge fan of it.

"It's part of the legacy of the Buccaneers and it's a throwback game and we're honoring Lee Roy Selmon, so it's a good opportunity to wear them.''