Lee Roy Selmon, who was a rookie on the 0-14 Tampa Bay Bucs of 1976, said Monday that he'd hoped the Detroit Lions could pull off a victory and avoid the unfortunate honor of becoming the NFL's second winless team.

"I was pulling for them right to the end," said Selmon, now working in fundraising as president of the USF Foundation Partnership for Athletics. "You know what players go through, and certainly we went through it, and we wouldn't want that to happen to anyone, including the Lions."

Selmon said he didn't watch the Lions' loss to Green Bay on Sunday, but still remembers the frustration of his rookie season. He said at least his Bucs were an expansion team with a built-in excuse for a lack of success, something Detroit doesn't have this season.

"It's not something easy to go through. It challenges you individually and as a team and an organization to hold it together, to not just give up and play your best," the Pro Football Hall of Famer said.

The '72 Dolphins may celebrate each season when the last unbeaten team takes a loss, but Selmon said there's no such joy for him, even knowing there are two teams sharing the dubious distinction.

"We're not popping champagne or anything," Selmon said. "If anything, you just sympathize."