Recovered Treasures: Lost Buccaneers Legends & Icons

Two Tampa Bay Buccaneers pounce on a QB, dragging him down to the ground in an image familiar to Bucs fans. In the image, however, two of those three players are in the Football Hall of Fame. All Fans are familiar with Warren Sapp and Bret Favre, but how about John “Brad” Culpepper?

Born in Tallahassee, Culpepper entered the world with Florida football in his DNA with his father Bruce, being a standout center for the University of Florida Gators. Playing at defensive tackle for Leon High School he would follow in his family tradition and become a Florida Gator, studying History as his major, having standout years between 1989 and 1991, leading the team to their first SEC Championship while contributing a team-high 50 tackles.

This would see Culpepper voted a unanimous All-SEC First Team nomination as well as First Team Academic All American honors. Brad Culpepper wasn’t just defined by his role as a student-athlete, however, and his dedication to his studies and campus life, as well as compassion for his fellow students, lead to recognition as student body vice-president. Culpepper is the definitive success story and capped his college honors being voted into the Gator Hall of Fame in 2001.

With the 1992 NFL draft, Culpepper would watch 28 defensive tackles taken before him and 263 players total, before being taken in the 10th round (remember when that was a thing?) and finding a home with the Minnesota Vikings.

Culpepper would only play two years in Minnesota before moving back to Florida and signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he would be embraced by the fans and the community as he would play six seasons as an integral part of the Buccaneers defense from 1994-2000. Playing in 93 games over those six years, Culpepper would see the rise of the Buccaneers defense with arrivals such as Warren Sapp, Chidi Ahanotu, Derrick Brooks, and Ronde Barber in subsequent drafts. The defense that would become one of the greatest defenses the NFL has ever seen.

Sadly, Culpepper would leave Tampa Bay in 2000 to Chicago, before retiring from football and would not be part of the Super Bowl-winning team, despite being a huge part of its formation during the Tony Dungy years.

Life after football was not a case of enjoying retirement or resting on any laurels. Earning his Law Degree, Culpepper would go on to be an attorney and in 2007 would set up his own business in Tampa. Things haven’t just been the dull 9-5 grind, however, as Culpepper appeared with his wife, college sweetheart, Monica, on the CBS show, Survivor.

Interesting facts about Brad Culpepper:

• Recorded a safety in 1999.
• Has returned two kickoffs for a total of 30 yards with a career-long of 18 yards.
• He and his wife were both runner ups on the TV show survivor in two separate seasons.
• His oldest son Rex is a QB at Syracuse University.
• His middle Child Judge is a defensive lineman for Penn State University.
• After retiring, he lost 100 pounds and became an advocate for decreasing the size of NFL players.
• Inducted into the University of Florida Gators The Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.
• Founded a successful Law Firm in 2007 Culpepper and Kurland.
• Wrote a monthly column for the Pewter Report Magazine.
• Wrote a weekly column for the St. Pete Times called Closing arguments with Brad Culpepper.
• Hosted a weekly college football preview on Fox Sports Net.
• Hosted a pre-game show on Fox with Chip Carter called Tailgate Sunday.
• Hosted a post-game show on ABC with Jay Crawford.
• Hosted weekly radio shows on 98 Rock FM and 570 WFLA AM.
• National spokesman for I-9 Sports.
• Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 4 in 2012.
• Served on the Board of Directors for the Gulf Ridge Council, Boy Scouts of America.
• Served on the Board of Directors for the Tampa Chapter of the Salvation Army.