Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fire Jon Gruden, Bruce Allen

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fired head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen.

The news, first reported by Adam Schefter of NFL Network, represents a stunning fall from grace for Gruden, who was the toast of the league after winning the Super Bowl following the 2002 season. But in the six seasons since then, the Bucs actually have a sub-.500 record under Gruden.

Buccaneers co-chairman Joel Glazer released the following statement:

"We will be forever grateful to Jon for bringing us the Super Bowl title, and we thank Bruce for his contributions to our franchise. However after careful consideration, we feel that this decision is in the best interest of our organization moving forward."

The 2008 season was emblematic of the problems Tampa Bay has had with Gruden at the helm. The Bucs were 9-3 at the start of December and looked like one of the best teams in the league, but they collapsed down the stretch, finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs, and Gruden and Allen have now paid for it with their jobs.

UPDATE: Raheem Morris will be the Bucs' next head coach.

Also See: Mixed Emotions From Players About Gruden's Exit

NFL Coaching Carousel

Fired: Jon Gruden, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Both Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen are canned after the team collapsed following a 9-3 start and failed to make the playoffs. It's a stunning turn of events for the coach who brought Tampa Bay a Super Bowl title in 2003.
Click through for more big NFL coaching changes.

Reinhold Matay, AP

Hired: Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts
Caldwell will step in for Tony Dungy as the new head coach of the Colts. Dungy hired Caldwell in Tampa Bay in 2001, then brought him to Indianapolis in 2002. Last year, Caldwell was tabbed as Dungy's heir.

Al Behrman, AP

Retired: Tony Dungy, Indianapolis Colts
Perhaps the most well-respected coach in all of the NFL, Dungy announced his retirement after seven seasons with the Colts. Dungy racked up 139 wins in Tampa Bay and Indianapolis and won a Super Bowl title.

Al Messerschmidt, Getty Images

Hired: Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos
The 32-year-old McDaniels will take over for Mike Shanahan in Denver. McDaniels had been New England's offensive coordinator, and helped groom quarterbacks Tom Brady and Matt Cassel.

Bill Sikes, AP

Fired: Mike Shanahan, Denver Broncos
An incredible late-season collapse ended Shanahan's 14-year run with Denver. The Broncos led the AFC West by three games with three weeks left, but lost the division title in a Week 17 blowout loss to San Diego.

David Zalubowski, AP

Hired: Jim Mora, Seattle Seahawks
After being fired by the Falcons in 2006, Mora latched on with Seattle as an assistant coach. In early 2008, Mora signed a long-term deal with the Seahawks to make him the new head coach once Mike Holmgren retired.

Kevin Terrell, Getty Images

Retired: Mike Holmgren, Seattle Seahawks
Holmgren recently retired following his 17th season as an NFL head coach. He spent his final 10 years in Seattle, where he took the Seahawks to the playoffs six times and won an NFC title.

Ross D. Franklin, AP

Fired and Hired: Eric Mangini, New York Jets | Cleveland Browns
The Jets started Mangini's third year strong, but after they limped to the finish, he was fired. Just a week after getting let go, Mangini landed with the Browns.

Nick Laham, Getty Images

Fired: Romeo Crennel, Cleveland Browns
The Browns just missed the playoffs in 2007 with a 10-6 record, but fell well short of that success in three other seasons under Crennel. Cleveland finished with a 4-12 record in 2008.

Scott Boehm, Getty Images

Fired: Rod Marinelli, Detroit Lions
An 0-16 disaster capped Marinelli's run in Detroit. In his three seasons as the Lions head man, Marinelli posted a 10-38 record.

Carlos Osorio, AP

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 16)

1-16-2009 @ 6:10PM

CybrRdr said...

Ironic isn't it.. the Bucs lose to the Raiders (Gruden and Allens's former team) and miss the playoffs. Now they are reported to be unemployed. Al Davis and the Raider Nation must be laughing right now...

1-16-2009 @ 9:11PM

Joe said...

Not as much as when Gruden's Bucs embarassed the Raiders in the Super Bowl.

1-16-2009 @ 10:24PM

jennygrubb said...

It wasn't Gruden's Bucks That won the Super Bowl it Was Tony D's team he built it then Gruden took it to the super Bowl maybee Indy should on the top on his job Hunt

1-16-2009 @ 10:35PM

kimi87114 said...

it was Gruden's team(Buccuneers) that won the super bowl...AND if the Raiders didn't loose in the playoffs the year before(by the cheaters...we all know now to be now loosers of last year's Super Bowl)His Raiders would have won that year also!!

1-16-2009 @ 11:16PM

FXShannon said...

Al Davis and the Raiders laughing? Nah. Gruden brought the Bucs a Super Bowl title, with a win over the Raiders, notably. What the hell have the Raiders done?

1-17-2009 @ 12:08AM

bucs76 said...

Al can laugh. Tampa will keep the trophy.

1-17-2009 @ 8:47AM

eastwood1985 said...

Raiders are loooooooosssssseeeerrrrrrrrs anyway

1-17-2009 @ 9:34AM

Elaine's Games said...

Guden may have won a Super Bowl but it was only because of Dungee setting it up for him.

Guden did NOTHING for the Buc and could not get them to a win on his own...

I am so glad he is gone..and he should have been gone a long time ago.

1-17-2009 @ 12:38PM

drlpinder said...

Nah -- not laughing...just smiling...really big smiles! :-)

1-17-2009 @ 8:08PM

rbearfield said...

gruden beat the raiders in the superbowl with a team someone else built, or did the grudan fans forget that? and did they also forget that gruden knew the raiders plays? he then took a superbowl team and proceded to amass a less than .500 record in the next 6 years.
oh ueah, i'm really impressed. freakin loser!

1-16-2009 @ 6:13PM

Adam said...

Holy crap, I didn't see that one coming. I think it's totally unfair for them to fire him. His QBs haven't been very good; it's either young guys who lack on talent or they're 35+. The Bucs don't have a great receiver group, they have busted RBs and an aging defense.

And they fire the coach? Fire the players!

1-16-2009 @ 11:51PM

Tony C Newberg said...

U must not be from Tampa. Gruden sucked.... It was Dundy's team that won

1-17-2009 @ 2:27AM

skolvikings23 said...

who do you think chose the qbs?

1-17-2009 @ 6:46AM

Keebler said...

You're an idiot!!

1-17-2009 @ 9:08AM

sug2483 said...

Adam you forget that Gruden has had this team for 7 seasons. He is the one who has been drafting/signing or picking up these players in free agency. He has had 7 years to find young talent and was never able to do it.

1-17-2009 @ 10:59AM

overagn01 said...

Gruden won your SuperBowl because the replacement at the Raiders never changed the play book and signals. The Buc's defense was calling the plays right after Gannon and therefore able to kill the Raiders offense.