Legal Name?
James F. McElroy Jr.
Nick-name?
Jay, El Guero
Employment?
High school teacher for the last 18 years, also own/operate my own DJ company
Where are you from?
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Raised in Pensacola, Florida since age 2, moved to California in 94/95.
Who is your All-time favorite player?
M. Derrick Brooks, my hometown high school hero! Booker T. Washington High School, Pensacola, FL
Current favorite player?
Imma say Ryan Jensen...love the attitude and passion!
When and how did you become a Fan?
1978! I was 8 years old watching football with my Dad and saw Lee Roy Selmon in bright ass orange taking some fool's head off. That was it for me!
Favorite Buccaneer moment?
Honestly, even though I wasn't in the stadium, I would say being at What the Buc when we won the Super Bowl in Tampa. Nothing like being surrounded by Bucs fans all completely wrapped up in the moment as that win unfolded. It was electric!
What made you decide to create the Buccaholics?
It was really all because of Art. He and I and some of the other guys were all friends through another group. The only thing was, the guy running that group was kind of a dick. After he made some rather disparaging remarks about me personally, I left the group. Art, Steven, Vance, and some others did as well. Art called me just a few days later and asked if I was interested in starting a new group that we could run better, make it about the fans, and hopefully do some good. I was all-in.
As one of the original 9 that started it all, what are your goals for the Buccaholics?
Since very early on, Buccaholics has been something that I have cherished being part of; because of the family it has helped create, but also because of the work we have been able to do to raise money for charity. We never intended that from day 1, fyi...it just kind of happened. We looked at the growth in the group and the people showing up to events and realized that we had a voice we could use. I remember clearly the day Steven suggested that we become an official 501c3 Not for Profit Organization, and when it actually happened, I felt so good about it!
I love this #FanFamily. I love the parties, tailgates, events, trips, etc., but if you ask me what my goal is for this group, it is all about continuing to give back to worthwhile causes and grow the group into even more states and countries, so that the impact we can have continues to grow also! I believe we have done great things so far, but I see the potential, in a group that boasts 20k members, to do way more!
Favorite Buccaholic moment?
There have been so many: Arizona, the first tailgate we ever threw, completely dominating the Chargers and their stadium, shouting down the Seahawks DrumLine in a Seattle bar, etc.
If I had to pick just one, I would go with the moment when I was standing on the balcony of the house in Los Angeles looking down at a crowd of 1000 people who had come to the tailgate, and then looking up towards the road to see the car pulling up, door opening, and Warren Sapp stepping out!
What does being a Buccaholic mean to you?
Every time I go to one of our events, I have someone come up to me and share MY story with me. Let me explain. They will say, "Before I found the Buccaholics, I thought I was the only Buccaneers fan in _____ (Insert Place Here). I was watching games alone on my couch." That is their story but it is also MY story and the story of hundreds and thousands more. To me, being a Buccaholic means never having to watch a game alone on a couch anywhere. It means having a family of fans all over the country and the world that you can find and share your passion with. It means being more than fans. It means being #FanFamily. It means sharing our love of this team and melding that with our desire to help make our world a little better.
Anything else you would like to add?
YES...If you actually gave a fuck enough to read this, maybe that means you care about this group, so please get involved in this group in any way you can! I love knowing we have 20,000 members, but I would take 20,000 ACTIVE members over that any day! Vote in our charity polls to help us pick a charity, buy in to raffles when we do them, go out to watch parties and tailgates, host your own watch party, find cool shit about the team and post it (and don't get mad if it gets denied because 20 other people found it before you), post your pictures at events and games or even just your gear or fan cave, share the group with other Bucs fans, and take full advantage of the fact that you have a #FanFamily of 20,000 diehard, pewter and red bleeding, cannon firing, flag raising folks out there who are happy to celebrate the amazing life that is a Bucs life with you!
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