Isn’t it time to place #32 into the Buccaneers’ Ring Of Honor?

Still owns some Bucs’ rushing records.

Of course, the #32 I speak of is Mr. James Wilder. Wilder still owns some records with the team, long after his playing days ended. 

Total rushing yards: 6,008

Rushing attempts: 1,586

Receptions: 431 (since broken by Mike Evans)

Rushing touchdowns: 37 (second to only Alstott). 

He also set NFL records out of the Bucs backfield. 43 carries in a game in 1984 (since broken), 407 carries in a season (since broken), and 492 touches in a single season. Wilder made one Pro Bowl. Considering that the Bucs were pretty bad during most of his years, his numbers stand out even more. He played in Tampa for 10 seasons, 1981-1990. The only other Bucs Running Back to play here for ten years was Mike Alstott (a Ring of Honor Inductee, 2015).

Exclusion should be corrected immediately.

It is baffling that James Wilder isn’t already a Ring of Honor Inductee if players like Jimmy Giles are already in (323 receptions with Tampa to Wilder’s 431 as a running back). Wilder’s contributions to the team are well documented. Few Bucs’ players, at any position, can boast the kind of numbers that he put up. It took Mike Evans and Mike Alstott, two of the greatest ever for any team, to surpass two of Wilder’s team records. That should tell the story right there. It’s time to set right the slight that James Wilder has received for way too long. He deserves to become a member of the Ring of Honor while he is still alive and can enjoy it. Come on! One Buc, it’s way overdue. Give the man the honor and respect that he played so hard for. Enshrine him with the rest of the Bucs’ Legends. Go Bucs!!

Don’t leave! Check out this awesome article about James Wilder on www.bucpower.com titled James Wilder is the proud captain of a sinking ship – written by Hubert Mize of the St. Petersburg Times