Lee Roy Selmon, John McKay, Jimmie Giles and Paul Gruber are about to get some company.
That quartet of Tampa Bay Buccaneer franchise pillars will soon become a quintet, as the team will induct another person into the Ring of Honor at Raymond James Stadium in 2013. Exactly who that person will be, and when his name will be unveiled on the stadium façade, will be revealed at a much-anticipated press conference at One Buccaneer Place on Thursday.
Thursday's press conference will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET and will be carried live in its entirety on Buccaneers.com. The latest honoree will be introduced and the team will announce the 2013 home game at which his official induction will take place. While the Ring of Honor ceremony coincided with the team's Throwback Game in 2009, 2010 and 2011, the two popular events were split into separate dates in 2012 when Gruber got the call.
The Ring of Honor was introduced at Raymond James Stadium in 2009 with the inaugural induction of Selmon, the Hall of Fame defensive end. Selmon's name and his jersey number, 63, were added to the building's façade just below the upper deck on the East side of the stadium. The ceremony was held at halftime of the team's first-ever Throwback Game on November 8, 2009; the Buccaneers defeated the Green Bay Packers, 38-28, in Josh Freeman's first career start.
In 2010, McKay, the legendary and founding head coach of the franchise, was inducted into the Ring of Honor posthumously during the team's Throwback Game against the Atlanta Falcons on December 5. Rich McKay, the coach's son and former Buccaneer general manager, was on hand to accept the honor on his father's behalf, and McKay's name was added to the façade next to Selmon's.
In 2011, it was Giles' turn to see his name unveiled next to Selmon's and McKay's. The game-changing tight end and four-time Pro Bowler made his return to the Bucs' field for a halftime ceremony during the Buccaneers' December 4 game against the Carolina Panthers. And last year Gruber completed the first foursome in the Ring of Honor as he was inducted during a 38-10 Buccaneer win over the Kansas City Chiefs on October 14.
