Culverhouse was initially lauded for bringing professional football to the Tampa Bay area, but eventually came to be blamed for the team's struggles.
His refusal to pay Doug Williams at a salary level comparable to that of the league's top quarterbacks stirred resentment among fans, and marked the beginning of the team's decline during the 1980s.
The Buccaneers' NFL-record streak of 14 consecutive losing seasons contributed to this perception, although Culverhouse did make several notable attempts to improve the team.
Ensuing lawsuits caused an ownership crisis that almost required the team to relocate to another city, before the Glazer family stepped forward with a purchase offer.
On the University of Alabama boxing team, he competed together with future governor George Wallace, an experience to which he attributed his confidence in later life.
After serving in the Korean War, he became legal counsel for the Internal Revenue Service, where he prosecuted many of the cases resulting from the organized crime investigations of Senator Estes Kefauver.
Although he was considered to be one of the nation's top tax lawyers, one whose cases were sometimes cited by the Supreme Court of the United States,[2] his fortune was built on real estate investments.
[3] Listed by Forbes magazine as one of the 250 wealthiest people in the United States,[4] he eventually had investments in 37 companies and was worth over $380 million at his death.
[7] He was criticized over a planned extension of Interstate 75 into South Florida, as its route went directly past land owned by numerous powerful investors, including Culverhouse, Governor Bob Graham, State Attorney General Jim Smith, and the Arvida Corporation.
[9] Philadelphia construction company owner Thomas McCloskey was originally awarded the Tampa franchise, but soon found the business arrangement to be different than what he had expected, and backed out of the deal.
[10] Culverhouse was then awarded the franchise by the Art Rooney-chaired NFL Expansion Committee, ahead of Fort Lauderdale furniture chain (and future Boston Celtics) owner Harry T. Mangurian, Jr.[3] The name "Tampa Bay Buccaneers" was chosen as a nod to the team representing not only the city of Tampa, but the entire Florida Suncoast area; and to the pirates who once inhabited the area.
[15] He repeated the role during the 1987 players' strike, after which NFLPA President Gene Upshaw described him as "formidable", and said that "at times, the whole league seemed to flow from this one guy".
[17] Patriots founder Billy Sullivan later accused Culverhouse of blocking his effort to propose a stock sale that would have eased the debt.
[21][22] Buccaneer employees were described as living in an "atmosphere of fear",[23] especially after the firings during the 1977 offseason of executives who had been involved with unpopular decisions that Culverhouse had supported at the time.
His $3 million loan to help Philadelphia Eagles owner Leonard Tose with his gambling debts[29] was one example, as it violated the NFL constitution and bylaws.
A report issued by the National Football League Players Association prior to the start of negotiations revealed that the Buccaneers had the fifth-highest gross income of all NFL teams, while their average salary was only the 21st-highest.
[36] However, while Culverhouse's relationship with Tampa had been problematic for years, the Bo Jackson 1986 draft debacle permanently ruined the owner's reputation in his home city.
Jackson had never forgiven Culverhouse or the Bucs when they flew him to Tampa for a physical and a visit at the team's expense during his senior year, leading him to believe that the NCAA and Southeastern Conference had approved the trip.
Jackson believed the Bucs had deliberately tried to sabotage his baseball career, and told Culverhouse that "you're going to be wasting a draft pick" if they selected him.
[37] Jackson announced he would play major league baseball instead, signing a contract with the Kansas City Royals and leaving the Bucs as the NFL's laughingstock.
[45] With negotiations at a standstill, the Buccaneers traded the following season's first-round draft pick to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for Jack Thompson, a backup quarterback who had been unable to unseat Ken Anderson, as an insurance policy should Williams prove impossible to sign, or have trouble recovering from offseason knee surgery.
[48] It aroused suspicions that Culverhouse's main concern was the Buccaneers' salary structure, and that this was related to the frequency with which the team traded away its first-round draft choices.
[50] The Buccaneers missed Williams' confidence and ability to make big plays at key times,[51] and lost their first nine games in 1983, when they had been expected to contend for the playoffs.
[55] The long losing streak further penalized fans, as the NFL blackout policy usually prevented poorly attended Buccaneer home games from being shown on local television.
[56] In total, the Buccaneers had a streak of 32 consecutive blackouts before a November 9, 1986 game against the then-reigning Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears sold out in time to allow for local television.
He admitted to being known for his frugality, due to moves such as wearing outdated clothing,[62] and having the One Buc Place walls painted white to avoid having to spend money on projection screens.
[65] Later, however, the team let go or traded away many of its players who were highly paid and/or demanded more money, including Dave Pear,[66] Doug Williams, Ricky Reynolds,[67] Reggie Cobb,[68] Mark Carrier, and Jeris White.
After a successful operation to remove a tumor and part of his lung, he began chemotherapy a few months later, when a routine exam revealed a recurrence of the cancer.
[86] The team was eventually sold to Palm Beach, Florida businessman Malcolm Glazer for $192 million, at that moment the largest price ever paid for a professional sports franchise.
Some of his notable donations include: Culverhouse was also a member of the board of trustees who administered the annual Florida Prize award for outstanding work in the visual or performing arts.