Houlihan's Stadium

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Houlihan's Stadium (formerly Tampa Stadium) was a sports venue located at 4201 North Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa, Florida, USA. The stadium is most closely associated with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Football League franchise. The Bucs played all of their home games in the stadium from 1976 through 1997.

The facility opened in 1967. The stadium was built next to Al Lopez Field, the home of the Tampa Tarpons Florida State League baseball team, and the spring training site of the Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball franchise. Ample parking was available in the grassy lots around the stadium, as well as nearby Horizon Park and Jesuit High School.

The stadium was designed for American football, and built with an initial seating capacity of 45,000. Two large concrete structures built along the sidelines provided the major facilities. Bench seating was arranged on a single tier, so that every seat had a direct and unobstructed view of the playing field.

When the sun came out, the stadium became a very warm venue for fans and players. Fans could retreat to the interior decks under the seats, where concessions and restrooms were located. Players and personnel on the field had no way to beat the heat, except for the tunnels to the locker rooms, and cooling equipment placed near the sideline benches. During the summer and early autumn, games often started during or after sunset to avoid the extreme afternoon heat and humidity. Games usually started at 11 AM or 1 PM during the rest of the year.

The stadium's natural grass playing surface was highly crowned to provide rapid drainage during Florida's intense thunderstorms. The sidelines were at least 18 inches lower than the center of the field.

The stadium's original tenant was the University of Tampa Spartans football team. The Spartans hosted the stadium's first sporting event on November 4, 1967 when they played the University of Tennessee. The Spartans used Tampa Stadium as their home field until the university disbanded the football program in 1974.

The 1975 expansion project was spurred by the pending arrival of the Buccaneers. Over 27,000 end zone seats were added by completely enclosing the open end zones. The expanded stadium became one of the largest outdoor venues in the NFL.

The stadium was later dubbed "The Big Sombrero" by ESPN's Chris Berman for the Mexican hat-like shape that was created by the expansion project.

Skyboxes were added in the mid 1980s by expanding the stadium's existing press boxes. The stadium's maximum seating capacity was 74,301.

The Super Bowl was held there twice: Super Bowl XVIII in January 1984, and Super Bowl XXV in January 1991. The NFC Championship of the 1979 season and several other Buccaneers playoff games have been held there.

The original stadium hosted four NFL preseason games. On August 10, 1968, the Washington Redskins played the Atlanta Falcons in the stadium's first professional sporting event. The Baltimore Colts played three preseason games in the stadium in 1972. These preseason games gave NFL owners and officials ample opportunity to assess the Tampa Bay area and the stadium.

The Buccaneers' first regular season home game was held on September 19, 1976, when the Buccaneers lost to the San Diego Chargers 23-0.

The stadium's name was changed after the Malcolm Glazer family purchased the Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise in 1995. The Glazers also purchased the stadium's naming rights from the TSA. The stadium's second and final name advertised one of the Glazer family's business ventures, the Houlihan's restaurant chain.

For the 1997 season, large flagpoles were mounted on the upper rim of the stadium. These poles were used to fly large red flags that were hoisted when the Buccaneers penetrated their opponents' 20-yard line. The red flag was a major design element in the team's 1997 uniform redesign.

The Buccaneers' final game at the stadium was an NFL wild card playoff game against the Detroit Lions on December 28, 1997, which the Buccaneers won 20-10. In the fall of 1998, the Buccaneers moved into the new Raymond James Stadium next door.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies were the stadium's first professional tenant. The Rowdies won their only outdoor championship during the team's first season in 1975. The Rowdies used the stadium as their home field until the North American Soccer League disbanded in 1984.

Between 1983 and 1985, the Tampa Bay Bandits, one of the twelve original USFL franchises, were the stadium's third professional tenant. The Bandits enjoyed strong ticket sales and fan support, and were one of the few USFL teams to stay in their original city and stadium for the league's three seasons.

Major League Soccer placed one of its original teams in Tampa in 1996. The Tampa Bay Mutiny were the stadium's fourth and final professional tenant. The Mutiny used the stadium as their home field for their first three seasons, and moved to Raymond James Stadium in 1999.

The University of South Florida Bulls football team played its initial season at the stadium in 1997, becoming the stadium's second and final collegiate tenant. The Bulls moved to Raymond James Stadium for the 1998 season.

On June 3, 1981, the NFL awarded Tampa Stadium its first Super Bowl, which would be held in January 1984. During the balloting, Tampa beat Dallas, Detroit, Miami, New Orleans and Pasadena.

On May 20, 1987, the NFL awarded Tampa Stadium its second Super Bowl, which would be held in January 1991. During the balloting, Tampa beat Anaheim, Los Angeles, Miami and San Diego.

Between 1977 and 1979, the Can-Am Bowl was played in the stadium. From 1986 to 1998, the Outback Bowl (formerly the Hall of Fame Bowl) was held there for college football. In January 1999, this game was relocated to Raymond James Stadium.

In 1999, the stadium was demolished. The land was cleared and converted into a parking lot for the new Raymond James Stadium, which was built adjacent to the property.

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Major Football Games Held at Houlihan's Stadium

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