Scot Brantley recovering from heart surgery

Scot Brantley, a former Buc and Florida Gator standout linebacker, said Wednesday he is on the mend and in good spirits following recent heart surgery in Ocala to repair damage caused by a “mini-stroke” he suffered last fall.

A second mini-stroke, sustained this January, caused severe harm to Brantley’s left eye.

“I’ve lost 90 to 95 percent of my vision,” said Brantley, a longtime Tampa resident. “My right eye now has to work twice as hard. I might not ever regain vision in the left eye.”

Brantley (left in photo from 1978), 51, played eight seasons with the Bucs (1980-87). He was the team’s third-round draft pick in 1980.

At Florida, the one-time Ocala Forest star’s play was legendary. After leaving school, his No. 55 jersey was retired by the program until Steve Spurrier un-retired it – along with his own -- in the early 1990s.

Since his retirement from football, Brantley has worked radio broadcasts of both Tampa Bay and Florida games. At one time, he was the color commentator for each. Today, he hosts pre-game, halftime and postgame radio shows for the Gator Radio Network.

The mini-strokes aren’t Brantley’s only recent physical setback. Last year, he had hip replacement surgery.

“It seems like everything happens at 50,” Brantley said.

The surgery, performed two weeks ago, will help fix a small hole in Brantley's heart.

Brantley’s brother, John Brantley (right in photo), also a former Gator player, has kept a close watch on Scot and is confident he has a positive longterm prognosis.

“The only thing is, in one eye he only has partial vision due to this,” John Brantley said. "Of all the things, that’s really what’s bothering him.”

-KEITH NIEBUHR

Dilfer says he's ready to retire after 14 years

Dilfer with the Bucs in the creamsicle days, 1995; below right as quarterback for the Super Bowl champion Ravens, 2001. [Times photos | Bill Serne]

Quarterback Trent Dilfer, the No. 6 overall pick in 1994 who spent six seasons with the Bucs, will retire after 14 seasons.

He said Wednesday that a recent Achilles tendon injury swayed him. "Everybody I've talked to says (camaraderie is) the hardest thing to get away from," he said. "But I knew this time was coming, and here it is."

Dilfer, 36, started 76 games for the Bucs, leaving after 1999. In 2000, he emerged from a backup role to help the Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV, in Tampa of all places. He spent four seasons with the Seahawks, one with the Browns and the past two with the 49ers. In seven games (six starts) last season, he threw for 1,166 yards, seven TDs and 12 interceptions.

Dilfer remains ranked among the best QBs in Bucs history:

Bucs touchdown passes
Vinny Testaverde: 77 in 76 games
Doug Williams: 73 in 67 games
Trent Dilfer: 70 in 79 games

Bucs passing yards
Vinny Testaverde: 14,820
Trent Dilfer: 12,969
Doug Williams: 12,648