All-Time Buccaneers QBs Ranked: Brady #1, Johnson #2

Gary Huff

Retired 3 Years In The NFL
🏆 First-team All-American (1972)
Gary's
HAIR
7.4
HeyTC AI Rating

Questions about Gary Huff or the Buccaneers?

Gary Huff Legacy

HEYTC AI
Gary Huff, the gunslinging Florida State All-American who lit up college grids with back-to-back national leads in touchdown passes, etched his NFL mark by quarterbacking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first-ever victory in 1977—a gritty debut win that ignited hope for the expansion franchise. Drafted by the Bears in '73, he bounced through Chicago, Tampa, and a 49ers stint, then reinvented himself as a player-coach for the USFL's Memphis Showboats, blending arm talent with clipboard smarts. Off the field, the Tampa native moonlighted as a CPA before offensive coordinator gigs with Indiana and Kansas, proving QBs could crunch numbers as fiercely as defenses. A footnote hero with Raider CFO cred later on, Huff's tale whispers resilience in football's margins.

Gary Huff Rating Breakdown

Season
Subpar
Fantasy
Non-Factor
Playoffs
Non-Factor
Overall
Cooked
2 years with the Buccaneers

Gary Huff Career Stats via Wikipedia

4,329 Pass Yards
16 Touchdowns
50 INTs
0.0% Comp %
7.4 HAIR

Frequently Asked Questions About Gary Huff

How does Baker Mayfield compare to Gary Huff?

Baker Mayfield's got the arm and swagger to outgun Gary Huff's gritty Buccaneers startup days—Huff threw for 4,329 yards and 16 TDs across six NFL seasons, quarterbacking Tampa Bay's first-ever win in '77, but Baker's thriving in the pass-happy NFC South with modern weapons Huff could only dream of. Legacy-wise, Huff's the pioneer; Mayfield's the polisher.

Is Gary Huff in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Nope, Gary Huff's not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame—no Canton bronze for the guy who slung it at FSU as an All-American, led the nation in TD passes '71-'72, then grinded out 4,329 NFL yards with 16 scores. Solid journeyman from Bears to Bucs, but those 50 picks keep him off the enshrinement train.

What is Gary Huff doing now in 2026?

By 2026, Gary Huff's long retired from the gridiron, leaning into his CPA roots from Tampa offseasons and coaching stints like Memphis Showboats player-coach in '85. No fresh headlines on broadcasting or charity gigs, but expect the ex-FSU star quietly crunching numbers or mentoring—guy's been low-key since hanging up the cleats.

How would Gary Huff perform in today's NFL?

Huff's quick-release FSU gunslinger arm—6,378 college yards, 52 TDs—would feast under today's no-roughing rules and spread offenses, ditching those brutal '70s hits that fueled his 50 picks on 4,329 NFL yards. Completion rate might jump from 49.7%, turning him into a poor man's Rich Gannon, scrambling for extra reads.

How does Gary Huff compare to Shaun King?

Shaun King lit up the Buccaneers meter with a 30.98 rating as franchise bridge guy post-Huff, dwarfing Huff's punchless 7.37 on 4,329 yards and brutal 16 TDs to 50 picks. Both Bucs starters in lean times, but King's playoff magic in '99 feels like a fever dream next to Huff's Bears-to-Tampa grind—efficiency edge goes King, no contest.