Joe Montana. Tom Brady. Bart Starr. Reggie White. Franco Harris. Dwight Smith.

Dwight Smith?

When it comes to Super Bowl lore, former Bucs defensive back Dwight Smith’s name is on the list of Top 53 Super Bowl players of all time. And as it should be. This according to USA Today and thousands of Bucs fans who saw Smith help the Buccaneers defense dominate the Oakland Raiders and win the team’s one and only championship in January of 2003.

Most feel Smith should have won the Most Valuable Player that game, but by the times he had crossed the end zone with his second Rich Gannon interception late in the fourth quarter, the voting had already taken place. Safety Dexter Jackson took home the new car and got the parade at Disney.



Technically two other Bucs players, made the list, as Doug Williams and Steve Young also made appearances on the compilation from USA Today’s Nate Davis, but both did it wearing different uniforms. While Jackson, along with Simeon Rice, Michael Pittman, Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks all had great games in the 48-21 romp of the Raiders, the former Akron Zip’s performance had the greatest individual accomplishment that afternoon in San Diego.

And while Ronde Barber’s NFC Championship game interception against the Eagles the week before is the greatest play in team history, Smith’s two trips to the end zone put an exclamation point on a season that many Bucs fans who suffered through the early days, never thought would come.