TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – He climbed into the stands to start a series of chants with the fans who watched him win his first Super Bowl.

“Tampa!” shouted William Gholston, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end.

“Bay!” the fans yelled in unison.

Gholston gave a fist bump to one of the more eager fans and, then, he raised his eyebrows as he smiled in that direction. He is a happy man.

“There were a lot of people who wanted me to get cut. I was on the bubble with a lot different coaches, difference defenses,” recalled Gholston following that victory at Raymond James Stadium. “It is amazing, man. I am just so glad that the organization believed in me and they gave me the opportunity.”

The Buccaneers drafted Gholston in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He has played in double digit games every season since he entered the league and, this year, he did not miss any of the action. He recorded 44 tackles and three sacks in 16 regular season games, which is tied for the most sacks in his eight year career.

He had one quarterback hit on Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LV.

“Coming into the game,” said Gholston, “we knew that we had the best opportunity up front with the way that their offensive line is set up. With the way our rotation is, we got it to where anybody stepping in, they can come up and make a big play. We knew if we got pressure on Mahomes and we contained him, stopped him from scrambling and throwing on the run, that everybody behind us was going to plaster and we would have the opportunity to win.”

They did it and they did it decisively.

“We have a fantastic offense, defense, special teams,” he said, “and we came out there and we stuck it to them. No matter what goes on, no matter where we all go, we will always be able to be together after this day because they got to bring us back. We won the Super Bowl here and we will always be Buccaneers forever.”