This beautifully framed piece features an original piece of watercolor artwork glass-framed in an attractive two inch wide black resin frame with a double mat. The outer dimensions of the framed piece are approximately 17” wide x 24.5” high, although the exact size will vary according to the size of the original piece of art.

At the core of the framed piece is the actual piece of original artwork as painted by the artist on textured 100% rag, water-marked watercolor paper. In many cases the original artwork has handwritten notes in pencil from the artist (be sure to “See the actual artwork without the frame” elsewhere in this website). Simply put, this is beautiful, one-of-a-kind artwork.

The outer mat is a rich textured black acid-free mat with a decorative inset white v-groove, while the inner mat is a complimentary colored acid-free mat reflecting one of the team’s primary colors. The website image of this framed piece shows the mat color that we suggest (Orange), but since each piece is custom framed, we are happy to use whatever color mat you wish (depending on availability) – our standard mat colors are:

Light Blue / Dark Blue / Brown / Maroon (close to brown) / White / Silver / Gold / Yellow (bright yellow) / Green (dark green) / Orange / Purple / Red (bright red, somewhat close to PMS 186)

Beneath the artwork is a silver plate with black text describing the original artwork. The text for this piece will read:

This original, one-of-a-kind watercolor painting of the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform is the original artwork that was used in the creation of this Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform evolution print and tens of thousands of other Tampa Bay Buccaneers products that have been sold across North America. This original piece of art was painted by artist Nola McConnan for Maple Leaf Productions Ltd. 2002 was a Super Bowl winning season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Beneath the silver plate is a 3” x 9” reproduction of a well known, best-selling print that celebrates the history of the team. The print beautifully illustrates the chronological evolution of the team’s uniform and shows you how the original art was used in the creation of this print. If you look closely, you will see that the print features the actual artwork being offered for sale. The 3” x 9” print looks like this:

The piece is framed with an extremely high quality framing glass. We have used this glass style for many years with excellent results. We package every piece very carefully in a double layer of bubble wrap and a rigid double-wall cardboard package to avoid breakage at any point during the shipping process, but if damage does occur, we will gladly repair, replace or refund. Please note that all of our products come with a 90 day 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Each framed piece also comes with a two page letter signed by Scott Sillcox describing the history behind the art. If there was an extra-special story about your piece of art, that story will be included in the letter. When you receive your framed piece, you should find the letter lightly attached to the front of the framed piece.

If you have any questions, at any time, about the actual artwork or about any of the artist’s handwritten notes on the artwork, I would love to tell you about them. Simply email me, Scott Sillcox, at scott@heritagesportsart.com and I will tell you everything I can about your original piece of art. The artists and I spent well over ten years of our lives creating these pieces of original artwork, and in many cases there are stories I can tell you about your actual piece of artwork that might add an extra element of interest in your one-of-a-kind purchase.

Please note that all reproduction rights for this original work are retained in perpetuity by the National Football League unless specifically stated otherwise in writing by the NFL. For further information, please contact Heritage Sports Art at questions@heritagesportsart.com .

 

History

Jon Gruden took over as head coach of the Buccaneers for Tony Dungy, who was let go after the 2001 season after a disappointing 31-9 loss to the Eagles in the 2001 playoffs. With a fiery new head coach in place, the Bucs began the season with renewed hope playing in the newly formed NFC South Division. Their new division mates were: the New Orleans Saints, the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers.The Bucs did not get off to the start they were hoping for as they lost their first game to the Saints, at home, 26-20 in overtime. They would quickly rebound, winning their next five games behind a dominant defense that would finish the season ranked #1 in the entire NFL. During that five-game run the Bucs defense would surrender only 1 touchdown.  Throughout the rest of the season Tampa's defense would carry the team. The unit relinquished only 12.3 points per game, best in the league, and 252.8 yards per game, almost 40 fewer yards than any other team.On the offensive side of things, during the regular season veteran QB Brad Johnson flourished under Gruden's tutelage, throwing for 22 touchdowns and only six interceptions.After finishing the season 12-4, it was off to the postseason for the 5th time in 6 years. The Bucs trounced the 49ers 31-6 in the Divisional Playoff at home. The next week they upset the Eagles, in Philadelphia, 27-10 to win the NFC Championship.This would be the Bucs first trip to the Super Bowl in 26 years of the club's existence. They head into the big game with an all-time postseason record of 5-7. In 1979 they made it all the way to the NFC championship game, but ended up losing to the then-Los-Angeles Rams 9-0.In Super Bowl XXXVII the Bucs met coach Grudens former team - the AFC Champion Oakland Raiders. Frighteningly, QB Brad Johnson threw an interception on the Bucs first possession. But the vaunted Bucs defense rose to the occasion and held the Raiders to a FG. By halftime the Bucs led 20-3  and the defense had completely taken the Raiders out of the game - allowing just 3 first downs and 62 yards total offence.Tampa Bay's dominance continued in the second half and they won the game handily 48-21.  DB Dexter Jackson was named the Most Valuable Player. The Bucs' free safety won the award after intercepting two Rich Gannon passes in the first half, a Super Bowl record.The Bucs were the home team in Super Bowl XXXVII and chose to wear their red home jerseys.  The 2002 version of their home uniform features dark silver pants to match the helmet. On the side of the pants are a series of orange, red and black stripes running down to the knee. The dark red jersey has large orange numerals with orange and black trim on the front and back. On the shoulders are TV numbers and on the sleeve is the team logo, a pirate ship with a scull & cross bones.You may notice that this 2002 Buccaneers jersey features a Super Bowl patch. The practice of both Super Bowl teams wearing a Super Bowl patch begin with Super Bowl XXV in January 1991 when the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants each wore a "Super Bowl 25th Anniversary" patch on their jerseys. Another seven years would pass before a specific Super Bowl patch would next appear, this time in Super Bowl XXXII in January 1998 when the Broncos played the Packers. Every year since then the Super Bowl combatants have both worn an official Super Bowl patch during the Super Bowl. (Some keen observers may suggest that a "Super Bowl patch" was worn in Super Bowl X in January 1976 when the Steelers faced the Cowboys, but in that case the patch worn by both teams commemorated America's bicentennial, not the game itself.)One final uniform note: If you look closely, you'll notice an NFL Equipment patch on the jersey's neckline and on the upper left thigh of the pants. This style NFL equipment patch, which is a bit bigger than the size of a golf ball, was added to all NFL team uniforms in 2002 The NFL Equipment patch replaced the previous NFL shield patch (which was the size of an average postage stamp) that had been worn on uniforms in the same two places (below the V of the neckline and on the upper left thigh) almost without exception since the 1991 season.