Tampa Stadium

Tampa Stadium was built on land that had been the perimeter of Drew Field, a World War II-era airfield and precursor to Tampa International Airport. In 1949, the city of Tampa bought a 720-acre grassy parcel between the airport and West Tampa from the federal government with the idea of eventually building a community sports complex. Al Lopez Field was the first phase of the project, opening in 1955, but further development stalled for several years. Though Tampa had a long history with amateur and minor league professional sports and had undergone tremendous growth after World War II, it did not yet have a modern football stadium as the 1960s began. Civic leaders began to discuss plans for attracting a professional football franchise, and ground was broken on October 9, 1966. Tampa Stadium opened on November 4, 1967, with an original capacity of 46,481. The stadium was designed by Watson & Company Architects, Engineers & Planners and built by Jones-Mahoney Construction Co. at a cost of US$4.4 million, equivalent to about $42.5 million in 2025. The facility was significantly expanded between December 1974 and June 1975, with renovations in 1983 and 1990 bringing the final capacity to 74,301. The stadium's distinctive flared roofline, which rose to a point at the top, earned it the nickname The Big Sombrero. Tampa Stadium is most closely associated with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL, who played there from their inaugural 1976 season until 1997. It also hosted the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the original North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1986, the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League from 1983 to 1985, the Tampa Bay Mutiny of Major League Soccer from 1996 to 1998, and the college football programs of the University of Tampa and the University of South Florida. The stadium hosted two Super Bowls: Super Bowl XVIII in January 1984, when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins 38-9, and Super Bowl XXV in January 1991, when the New York Giants defeated the Buffalo Bills 20-19 on Scott Norwood's missed field goal. It also hosted the 1984 USFL Championship Game and the Outback Bowl college football game from 1986 to 1998. The stadium was also a major concert venue, and for a time held the record for the largest audience to ever see a single artist when almost 57,000 people watched Led Zeppelin perform there in 1973. To meet the revenue demands of the Buccaneers' new owners, Raymond James Stadium was built nearby in 1998. Tampa Stadium was briefly renamed Houlihan's Stadium from January 1996 until its closure. The final game was played on September 13, 1998, and the stadium was demolished on April 11, 1999.

Tampa Stadium, nicknamed The Big Sombrero due to its distinctive flared roofline that rose to a point at the top, was a large open-air stadium in Tampa, Florida, with a maximum capacity of about 74,000. It opened on November 4, 1967, with an original capacity of 46,481, and was significantly expanded in 1974-75. The stadium cost only US$4.4 million to build, equivalent to about $42.5 million in 2025. It was most closely associated with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who played there from their inaugural 1976 season until 1997. The stadium hosted two Super Bowls: Super Bowl XVIII in 1984, when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins 38-9, and Super Bowl XXV in 1991, when the New York Giants defeated the Buffalo Bills 20-19 on Scott Norwood's missed field goal, one of the most famous moments in Super Bowl history. It also hosted the 1984 USFL Championship Game and the Outback Bowl from 1986 to 1998. The stadium was briefly renamed Houlihan's Stadium from January 1996 until its closure. For a time, it held the record for the largest audience to ever see a single artist when almost 57,000 people watched Led Zeppelin perform there in 1973. The stadium was home to a remarkable variety of teams across multiple sports and leagues, including the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL, the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL, and the Tampa Bay Mutiny of MLS. It was demolished on April 11, 1999, and replaced by Raymond James Stadium.