Raymond James Stadium
Home of the Buccaneers and a replica pirate ship.
Raymond James Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Tampa, Florida, that opened in 1998. It serves as the home field for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL and the University of South Florida Bulls college football team. The venue has hosted three Super Bowls, including the 2021 game in which the Buccaneers became the first team to play and win a Super Bowl on their home field.
Quick Facts
- Nickname
- Ray Jay; The New Sombrero
- Address
- 4201 North Dale Mabry Highway
- Location
- Tampa, Florida, U.S.
- Groundbreaking
- October 15, 1996
- Opened
- 20 September 1998
- Owner
- Hillsborough County
- Operator
- Tampa Sports Authority
- Surface
- Tifway 419 Bermuda grass
Facts from the source article.
History
After purchasing the Buccaneers in 1995, Malcolm Glazer called the 28-year-old Tampa Stadium inadequate and pushed for a replacement. The city and county proposed a $168 million stadium funded by a rental car surtax and event fees, but the Glazer family rejected it as reducing their revenue. They threatened to move the team and met with officials from other cities. In early 1996, a 30-year half-cent sales tax increase was proposed to fund public improvements and a new stadium, subject to a public referendum. The team promoted the plan, and Glazer promised to pay half the cost if fans placed 50,000 deposits on 10-year season tickets. Former mayor Bill Poe sued to stop the referendum, arguing the tax violated the state constitution's ban on supporting private companies, but his objections were rejected and the vote proceeded.
Features
The stadium's most recognizable feature is a 103-foot, 43-ton steel-and-concrete replica pirate ship in the north end zone. When the Buccaneers score, the ship's cannons fire once per point; they also fire when the team enters the opponent's red zone and during pre-game introductions. The song "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" plays, and patrons on the ship throw beads and T-shirts to the crowd. An animated parrot on the stern, controlled by radio, picks out fans and talks to them. The ship's sails display Buccaneers logos and sponsors for NFL games but are changed for other events. Two "Buc Vision" video displays were replaced in 2016 with 9,600-square-foot HD boards in both end zones. "Buccaneer Cove" is a two-story fishing village facade housing concessions and restrooms. The stadium is ADA compliant. Temporary bleachers have been added for Super Bowls and the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship. In 2003, corner billboards were replaced with rotating trilon billboards, which were replaced in 2016 with video displays. A 2009 players' survey ranked the turf second-best in the NFL.
Naming
Originally called Tampa Community Stadium during construction, its naming rights were purchased by Raymond James Financial in June 1998 for $32.5 million under a 13-year deal. Extensions in 2006 and 2016 keep that agreement through 2028. Commonly nicknamed "Ray Jay," it is also sometimes derisively called "the CITS," a term coined by sportscaster Chris Thomas for "Community Investment Tax Stadium," highlighting its full taxpayer funding.
Notable events
Raymond James Stadium has hosted Super Bowl XXXV (2001), XLIII (2009), and LV (2021). In Super Bowl LV, the Buccaneers became the first NFL team to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium, winning 31–9. The league treated it as a neutral site, replacing the pirate ship's Buccaneer sails with Super Bowl sails and not allowing the cannons to fire during the game except during introductions; they were fired 31 times after the game. The Buccaneers were the designated home team. The three highest-attended Buccaneers regular season home games include a 2022 game with temporary bleachers (the "Krewe's Nest" added about 3,600 seats) and a 2023 game with 65,854 attendees. The three highest-attended South Florida Bulls home games are recorded. In 2017, the stadium hosted the College Football Playoff National Championship, where Clemson defeated Alabama before 74,512 people, the largest football crowd in stadium history. It will host the championship again in 2029, replacing AT&T Stadium. The stadium was home to the Tampa Bay Mutiny of Major League Soccer and continues to host soccer matches.
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