Vincent Jackson, just back in town after representing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2013 Pro Bowl, has made plans to watch the hometown hockey team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, take on the Winnipeg Jets Friday night.  Oh, and he plans to bring several friends along.

Actually, more like several thousand.

Through his recently-founded Jackson in Action 83 Foundation, the all-star Buccaneer wideout has partnered with the Lightning to purchase 2,000 tickets to Friday night’s game to be distributed to military families at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base.  A staunch supporter of the military, Jackson focuses his foundation’s work on those who serve the country in such a capacity. Continue reading →

The dining room at One Buccaneer Place is quieter than usual most Tuesdays during the season, with the players enjoying a day off and the coaches upstairs working on game plans.

That was true through most of this particular Tuesday, too, although the room did have a slightly different look than usual.  Evenly spaced along three of the room’s walls, about four feet high, was a series of simple white pieces of paper, each one displaying the name and age of a child.  Sitting quietly beneath each piece of paper was a promising pile of presents.

That all changed at 3:15 p.m., when the doors of the dining room were thrown open and approximately 80 “angels” rushed in, and suddenly the room was a beehive of happy activity.  These “angels” were the namesakes from the row of papers on the walls, each one a local child who needed some outside help to have a happy holiday season. Continue reading →

Two weeks ago, before the Bucs took on the Falcons, Pro Bowl guard Davin Joseph sat under a tent in the South Plaza outside of Raymond James Stadium and met hundreds of Buccaneer fans, handing out autographs and, more importantly, signing up volunteers to join TEAM DAVIN.

Joseph, who had a little extra time on game day on his hands because he is on injured reserve, made the most of it, persuading local citizens to join him and the United Way by serving as volunteers, mentors and tutors in the Bay area.  The effort was so successful that Joseph moved all the way up to second place on the leaderboard for the United Way’s “Live United” NFL team program.

And that’s not all – in the weeks that have followed, volunteers have continued to sign up for TEAM DAVIN online through Buccaneers.com.  Now, with 1,350 volunteers successfully recruited, Joseph is alone at the top.  His efforts have accounted for 15% of all the volunteers signed up throughout the NFL. Continue reading →

Last Sunday, in the hours leading up to the Buccaneers’ home game against the Falcons, Pro Bowl guard Davin Joseph set up a tent in the South Concourse outside Raymond James Stadium and invited any and all comers to join TEAM DAVIN.

Joseph, who is currently on injured reserve, still made good use of game day by greeting fans and handing out autographs to anyone who joined his crew.  Joining TEAM DAVIN meant signing up to help Joseph and the United Way by serving a volunteers, mentors and tutors in the Bay area.  Budding community leaders showed up by the hundreds to get involved.

In fact, TEAM DAVIN is now one of the most robust United Way volunteer groups in the NFL.  Each of the 32 NFL teams has designated one player to serve as their United Way spokesperson, as well as their leading activist in recruiting volunteers.  The United Way is even keeping a leaderboard of the 32 participants, tracking which players sign up the most volunteers.

Thanks to the turnout on Sunday, Joseph now has the second biggest group of volunteers behind him, at 1,161 through Thursday.  Houston’s Glover Quin is the only player with more, at 1,329.  Those two and the New York Giants’ George Wilson are the only three players in the league who have surpassed 1,000 signees, with the next highest player coming in at 645.

But the contest isn’t over, nor has your chance to join TEAM DAVIN passed.  You can sign up at any time by visiting the TEAM DAVIN page on Buccaneers.com.  Those who sign up through the web site will be entered into a drawing to win a football autographed by Joseph and many of his Buccaneer teammates.

And, by signing up, you can help TEAM DAVIN grow even larger.  The player who signs up the most new recruits between August 5 and December 30 will receive the principle star position in the 2013 NFL “Live United” nationally-broadcast public service advertisement, distributed by the Ad Council.  The winner would also be featured on the United Way’s 2013 NFL schedule, which is distributed nationwide.

A victory for Joseph would also have a positive impact on education in the Bay area.  The NFL market of the winning player will receive a $10,000 grant to be spent on an education project involving that player.

So sign up for TEAM DAVIN now and make a difference in the Bay area community.

Pro Bowl Guard Davin Joseph and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have joined up with United Way Suncoast to build the next generation of volunteers, mentors and tutors in the Bay area.  All across the NFL, teams are joining up with United Way to focus on the building blocks of a good life. The goal is to attract volunteers and mentors that will create long-lasting changes to build a better future.

Now is your chance to show how Bucs fans embrace the Bay. On Sunday, November 25^th, before the Buccaneers take on the Atlanta Falcons, Joseph will be greeting fans in the Raymond James Stadium South Plaza near Tampa Bay Boulevard from 10:00-11:00 a.m. ET, encouraging fans to join TEAM DAVIN in support of this great cause. All fans who register to join TEAM DAVIN will receive an autograph from Joseph.

Unable to attend Sunday’s game? Signing up is still just a few clicks way. To volunteer, visit www.buccaneers.com/TeamDavin and enter your name and contact information. Just for volunteering, you will receive an autographed digital photo of Davin Joseph and be entered for a chance to win a football signed by Davin and some of his Buccaneer teammates.

On Tuesday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive line conducted the sixth annual “Turkey Time with the O-Line” event at team headquarters, distributing bountiful Thanksgiving meals to 700 families in need.  Turkey Time drew a lot of local attention, as well it should, but it wasn’t the only instance of a Buccaneer player helping out those in need this week as the holiday season begins.

Davin Joseph, who was one of the original founders of the Turkey Time initiative in 2006 and who still is a driving force in that ever-growing event, was eager to help out folks back in his hometown, as well.  Therefore, he hustled down to Hallandale, Florida on Monday to once again host a Thanksgiving reception, something he has also been doing for six straight years.  With the help of “Davin’s Dream Team,” Joseph helped 150 Hallandale families have a more enjoyable and filling Thanksgiving.

DE Michael Bennett also made a quick trip back to his hometown before the Bucs’ started their practice week on Wednesday, though he had a bit farther to go.  With his brother, TE Martellus Bennett of the New York Giants, also returning to their Houston-area home, the Buccaneer sack leader helped distribute supplies to more families in need.

“We gave out turkey dinners to 150 families, giving back to the community and all the people we grew up with,” said Bennett.  “A lot of families came out and we had a lot of support in the community back home.”

WR Arrelious Benn, a D.C. native, stayed in his adopted NFL home to help the community, teaming with Whole Foods and the Community Stepping Stones organization to identify Bay area families that could use some holiday aid.  On Tuesday, Benn, who comes from a single-parent home, personally delivered complete packaged dinners to four families to make their Thanksgivings more festive.

As encouraging as Sunday’s 38-10 win over Kansas City was, the Bucs have now moved on completely to the incoming New Orleans Saints.  Similarly, last week’s dual themes of Breast Cancer Awareness and the Ring of Honor have given away to this week’s focus, the Throwback Game.

Before we turn the page completely, however, there is one more story from Sunday’s uplifting day at Raymond James Stadium that is worth sharing.  It actually took place just before the Bucs and Chiefs began to do battle.

Continue reading →