The Big Sombrero | |
 Tampa (Houlihan's) Stadium in early 1999 | |
 Interactive map of Tampa Stadium | |
| Full name | Tampa Stadium |
|---|---|
| Former names | Tampa Stadium (November 4, 1967 – December 28, 1995) Houlihan's Stadium (January 16, 1996 – April 11, 1999) |
| Address | 4201 N Dale Mabry Hwy |
| Location | Tampa, Florida |
| Coordinates | 27°58′44″N82°30′13″W / 27.97889°N 82.50361°W /27.97889; -82.50361 |
| Owner | Tampa Sports Authority |
| Operator | Tampa Sports Authority |
| Capacity | 46,481 (original) 74,301 (final) |
| Surface | Bermuda grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | October 9, 1966 |
| Opened | November 4, 1967 |
| Renovated | 1983, 1990 |
| Expanded | December 4, 1974 – June 5, 1975 |
| Closed | September 13, 1998 |
| Demolished | April 11, 1999 |
| Construction cost | US$4.4 million ($41.5 million in 2024 dollars[1]) US$13 million (renovations) ($41 million in 2024 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Watson & Company Architects, Engineers & Planners |
| General contractor | Jones-Mahoney Construction Co.[2] |
| Tenants | |
| Tampa Spartans (NCAA) (1967–1974) Tampa Bay Rowdies (NASL / independent /ASL /APSL) (1975–1986, 1988–1990, 1993) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL) (1976–1997) Tampa Bay Bandits (USFL) (1983–1985) Outback Bowl (NCAA) (1986–1998) Tampa Bay Mutiny (MLS) (1996–1998) South Florida Bulls (NCAA) (1997) | |
Tampa Stadium (nicknamedThe Big Sombrero and briefly known asHoulihan's Stadium) was a large open-airstadium (maximum capacity about 74,000) located inTampa, Florida, which opened in 1967 and was significantly expanded in 1974–75. The facility is most closely associated with theTampa Bay Buccaneers of theNational Football League, who played there from their establishment in1976 until1997. It also hosted twoSuper Bowls, in1984 and1991, as well as the 1984 USFL Championship Game. To meet the revenue demands of the Buccaneers' new owners,Raymond James Stadium was built nearby in 1998, and Tampa Stadium was demolished in early 1999.
Besides the Bucs, Tampa Stadium was home to theTampa Bay Rowdies of the originalNorth American Soccer League, theTampa Bay Bandits of theUnited States Football League, theTampa Bay Mutiny ofMajor League Soccer, and thecollege football programs of theUniversity of Tampa and theUniversity of South Florida. It also hosted many large concerts, and for a time, it held the record for the largest audience to ever see a single artist when a crowd of almost 57,000 witnessed aLed Zeppelin show in the facility in 1973.
The land on which Tampa Stadium was situated had been the perimeter ofDrew Field, a World War II-era airfield which was the precursor toTampa International Airport. In 1949, the city ofTampa bought a 720-acre (290 ha) grassy parcel between the airport andWest Tampa from the federal government with the idea of eventually building a community sports complex.[3][4]Al Lopez Field was the first phase of the project, opening in 1955. However, further development stalled for several years after that.
Though the city of Tampa already had a long history with amateur and minor league professional sports and had undergone tremendous growth after World War 2, it did not yet have a modern football stadium as the 1960s began. The two largest extant venues were both located across theHillsborough River fromdowntown:Plant Field, which had been built in the 1890s and consisted of a single grandstand and a large open field, andPhillips Field, which had been built in the 1930s as the home of theUniversity of Tampa's football team. Some of Tampa's civic leaders began to discuss plans for attracting an expansion or relocatedprofessional football franchise to the area by the early 1960s and arranged an exhibition game between theAmerican Football League'sBuffalo Bills andNew York Jets at Phillips Field on August 8, 1964. Though temporary bleachers were installed to increase capacity to 17,000, actual attendance was less than 6000.[5] Realizing that the venue was too small and primitive to support a professional football franchise, the city decided to construct a large modern football facility which could be used by the Tampa Spartans in the short term and could be expanded to serve as the home field for an NFL or AFL franchise in the future.[6]
Construction of Tampa Stadium began in the fall of 1966 just beyond the left field wall of Al Lopez Field, which was by then the home of theTampa Tarpons of theFlorida State League and the spring training home of theCincinnati Reds. The plot purchased by the city in 1949 was large enough to host separate football and baseball venues, training facilities for the Reds, and several acres of parking spaces.[7]
When it opened in 1967, Tampa Stadium consisted of a matching pair of largearch-shapedconcretegrandstands with open endzones. The seating consisted of long, backlessaluminum benches that were accessed via short tunnels (vomitoria) which connected the seating area to wide, openconcourses at the rear of the grandstands. The benches were arranged in two large tiers divided by a horizontal walkway about halfway up the grandstands. The slope of the grandstands was relatively steep, giving every seat a direct and unobstructed view of the field. The official capacity was 46,481, though temporarybleachers could be placed in one or both endzones if needed.[8]
| Years | Official capacity |
|---|---|
| 1967–1975 | 46,481[8] |
| 1976–1978 | 71,951[8] |
| 1979–1981 | 72,126[9] |
| 1982–1984 | 72,812[10] |
| 1985–1988 | 74,315[11] |
| 1989–1992 | 74,296[12] |
| 1993–1998 | 74,301[13] |
Tampa Stadium underwent an extensive expansion project in 1974–1975 after the city was awarded an NFL expansion team. Over 27,000 seats were added by completely enclosing the openend zones with seating areas that blended into the existing two-tiered grandstands and created two walkways that completely encircled the seating bowl at ground level and about 40 rows up. The finished stadium had the largest capacity in the NFL (71,908)[14] and was not in the shape of a simple bowl. The top of the stadium was in the shape of a wave which was highest at the center of the two sideline grandstands and gently sloped downward to a rounded corner where it met the endzone sections, which were a little more than half as tall. Much later, the stadium was dubbed "The BigSombrero" byESPN'sChris Berman for the unique undulating hat / wave shape created by the 1975 expansion.
The last major renovation took place in the early 1980s when, in preparation for its firstSuper Bowl in January1984, thepress box atop the west grandstand was expanded and updated and a large new suite ofluxury boxes was added atop the east grandstand. This configuration gave the facility its maximumseating capacity of 74,301.
For the1990 season which culminated in the stadium's second Super Bowl, large flagpoles were mounted on the upper rim of the stadium as part of a stadium update that included the addition of aJumboTron screen in the south end zone and smaller scoreboards above the field-level tunnels in two corners of the stadium. The poles were used to fly large flags for each of the NFL's teams until1997, when the Buccaneers adopted a uniform redesign featuring a red flag on their helmets. Large versions of the flag were hoisted on the stadium's flagpoles when the Buccaneers penetrated their opponents' 20-yard line. The franchise continued this practice when it moved toRaymond James Stadium next door a year later.
Over the lifetime of Tampa Stadium, the natural grass turf consisted of several varieties ofBermuda grass, most notably Tifway 419. The playing surface was consistently one of the best in the NFL, and was regularly named a players' favorite in surveys conducted by theNational Football League Players Association.[15][16][17]
The minimalist bowl design of Tampa Stadium lowered construction and maintenance costs and allowed for very good sight lines, but the lack of a roof or overhang of any kind also exposed both spectators and players to the full brunt of Tampa'ssubtropical climate. This was especially true after the stadium was fully enclosed for the Buccaneers' 1976 inaugural season, cutting off breezes which had flowed through the open endzones.[18] The structure was built almost exclusively ofconcrete. The exterior walls were painted light tan or white or left bare, which reflected heat and light, and the seating consisted of long aluminum benches which became very hot to the touch.[19]
While fans could retreat under the grandstands to the shade of the wide concourses where concessions and restrooms were located, players and personnel on the field had no such recourse. Cooling equipment was usually placed near the sideline benches. On hot days, usually at the beginning of the season, the Buccaneers usually chose to wear their white jerseys at home, as NFL home teams choose whether to wear their team color or white uniforms.[20] This forced their opponents to suffer in their darker (and hotter) jerseys. During the summer and early autumn, events in the stadium were often scheduled in the evening hours to avoid the often oppressive afternoon heat and humidity. In another nod to local weather, the natural grass playing surface was highly crowned to provide rapid drainage during Tampa's intense thunderstorms, with the sidelines almost 18 inches lower than the center of the field.
Tampa Stadium was completed just in time to host its first sporting event – a football game between theUniversity of Tampa Spartans and the #3 rankedUniversity of Tennessee Volunteers on November 4, 1967.[21] While the Spartans lost that game 38-0, they would enjoy later success in their new home, moving up toDivision I football in 1971, defeating several established programs, and sending several players to the NFL, includingFreddie Solomon andJohn Matuszak.[22] However, university officials were unsure of continued community support after Tampa was awarded an NFL expansion franchise. "Tampa U" presidentB. D. Owens ended the football program after the 1974 season, saying that the school would face bankruptcy if it had to subsidize the sport.[23]
TheTampa Bay Rowdies were the stadium's first professional tenant, starting play in 1975 and winning their only (outdoor) championship in their inaugural season. (The team also won severalindoor soccer championships playing at theBayfront Center acrossTampa Bay inSt. Petersburg.)
The Rowdies played their home games in Tampa Stadium every summer until theoriginal North American Soccer League disbanded in 1984. Subsequently, the Rowdies continued on, first as an independent team, then in other leagues (ASL,APSL) and used the stadium every year through 1990. In 1991 and 1992 they moved across town to the smallerUSF Soccer Stadium, before returning to Tampa Stadium in 1993 for their final season of play in the APSL.[24][25][26]
After the disappointing turnout at Phillips Field for an AFL preseason game back in 1964, the city was eager to showcase its new stadium in the hopes of attracting a professional franchise and organized a dozen exhibition games in Tampa Stadium in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The first of these was a preseason game between the NFL'sAtlanta Falcons andWashington Redskins in August 1968 that almost sold out the larger venue, and preseason matchups over subsequent seasons similarly drew large and enthusiastic crowds.[27] In 1972, theBaltimore Colts trained at Leto High School, West of Tampa, in unincorporated Hillsborough County during the preseason and played all three of their exhibition games in Tampa Stadium to large crowds.[28]
These preseason games gave NFL owners and officials ample opportunity to assess the Tampa Bay area and the stadium, and on April 24, 1974, Tampa was awarded an NFL expansion team to begin play in the1976 season.[29]
The Buccaneers' first regular season home game was held on September 19,1976, when the Buccaneers lost to theSan Diego Chargers 23-0. That would become a trend, as the team began their existence with an NFL-record 26-game losing streak. They would not win a game on their home field until defeating theSt. Louis Cardinals on the last game of the following season, December 18,1977. Jubilant fans swarmed the Tampa Stadium turf and tore down thegoal posts.[30] After the game, head coach John McKay famously quipped “three or four plane crashes, and we’re in the playoffs”[31]
The Buccaneers had improved enough by the1979 season to host theNFC Championship Game, which they lost 9-0 to theLos Angeles Rams. The Buccaneers played 18 additional seasons in the facility but struggled through most of them. They would only host one more playoff game on their original home turf: anNFC Wild Card Game versus theDetroit Lions on December 28,1997, which they won 20-10. This would be the last game the team ever played in Tampa Stadium, as they moved next door to Raymond James Stadium in1998.
In 1991, the organization initiated the "Krewe of Honor", which featured a mural of the first class of three members.[32] Quarterback Doug Williams was inducted September 6, 1992 and owner Hugh Culverhouse on September 5, 1993. No additional members were added before Tampa Stadium was closed and demolished.
| Tampa Stadium Krewe of Honor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | No. | Name | Position | Tenure |
| 1991 | 63 | Lee Roy Selmon | DE | 1976–1984 |
| — | John McKay | Head Coach | 1976–1984 | |
| 42 | Ricky Bell | RB | 1977–1981 | |
| 1992 | 12 | Doug Williams | QB | 1978–1982 |
| 1993 | — | Hugh Culverhouse | Owner | 1976–1994 |
Malcolm Glazer also acquired naming rights to Tampa Stadium when he purchased the Buccaneers in 1995. In October of that year, he had theHoulihan'srestaurant chain, another business in his portfolio, pay the Bucs $10 million for those rights. This resulted in the official name of the facility being changed to "Houlihan's Stadium" in 1996 and in Glazer being sued by Houlihan's stockholders, who were not happy about purchasing stadium naming rights in an area in which the chain had no restaurants.[33][34]
Tampa Stadium was the home field for several additional teams and hosted a wide variety of events during its lifetime.
The stadium hosted concerts by many famous artists, includingDeep Purple,The Who,Jethro Tull,Santana,Paul McCartney,David Bowie,U2,The Rolling Stones,Jimmy Buffett,The Eagles,Whitney Houston,Jonathan Butler,Genesis,Kenny G,George Michael,Pink Floyd, theGrateful Dead, and several big acts at the same time during the1988 Monsters of Rock Tour, among others.
Two particularly memorable concerts were held there by the English rock bandLed Zeppelin. On May 5, 1973, the band attracted 56,800 people, which at the time represented the largest audience for a single artist performance in history, breaking the record set byThe Beatles atShea Stadium in 1965.[43] On June 3, 1977, the band returned to the venue, but the concert was paused and ultimately cut short due to a large thunderstorm. The crowd became unruly after the announcement of the cancellation, and theTampa police ultimately dispersed the "riot" usingtear gas andbilly clubs.[44] Much criticism was leveled at both the concert organizers' decision to cancel the performance and the aggressive tactics of law enforcement, resulting in a year-long pause of concerts at Tampa Stadium until security protocols were revised and shows were allowed to resume.[45]
In March 1979,evangelistBilly Graham held a "Florida West Coast Crusade" at Tampa Stadium and drew a combined crowd of about 175,000 over five consecutive days.[46]
Immediately upon buying the Buccaneers in 1995, new ownerMalcolm Glazer declared that Tampa Stadium was inadequate and threatened to move the franchise to another city unless a new stadium was built at taxpayers' expense.[47][48] To accommodate these demands,Hillsborough County raised localsales taxes and builtRaymond James Stadium just south of Tampa Stadium in 1997–98.[49]
Demolition of Tampa Stadium proceeded soon after the Tampa Bay Mutiny's final home game on September 13, 1998.[50]Wrecking balls andlong reach excavators were used for much of the process, and the last portion of the stadium (the east side luxury boxes built for the stadium's first Super Bowl), wasimploded on April 11, 1999. Tampa Stadium's former site is now a parking and staging area for Raymond James Stadium, and its footprint can still be seen in a grassy area inside a roughly circular road that once ringed its perimeter.
| Preceded by | Home of the University of Tampa Spartans 1967 – 1974 | Succeeded by final stadium |
| Preceded by first stadium | Home of the Tampa Bay Rowdies 1975 – 1990 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Home of the Tampa Bay Rowdies 1993 | Succeeded by final stadium |
| Preceded by first stadium | Home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1976 – 1997 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of theNFL Pro Bowl 1978 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by first stadium | Home of the Florida Classic 1978 – 1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host ofNFC Championship Game 1980 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by first stadium | Home of the Tampa Bay Bandits 1983 – 1985 | Succeeded by final stadium |
| Preceded by | Host of theSuper Bowl XVIII 1984 XXV 1991 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the USFL Championship Game 1984 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the Hall of Fame/Outback Bowl 1986 – 1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by first stadium | Home of the Tampa Bay Mutiny 1996 – 1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of theCollege Cup 1978–1980 | Succeeded by |
Former stadiums of the National Football League | |
|---|---|
| Early era: 1920–1940 |
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| Post-war and pre-merger era: 1941–1969 |
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| Current era: 1970–present |
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| Stadiums used by NFL teams temporarily |
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†= Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time | |
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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