Raymond James Stadium
Home of the Buccaneers, Bulls, and three Super Bowls.
Raymond James Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Tampa, Florida, United States. It opened in 1998 and is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) and the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls college football program. The seating capacity for most sporting events is 69,218, though it can be expanded to about 75,000 for special events with the addition of temporary seating. Raymond James Stadium was built at public expense as a replacement for Tampa Stadium and is known for the replica pirate ship located behind the seating area in the north end zone. Raymond James Financial, a financial service firm headquartered in St. Petersburg, has held the naming rights for the stadium for the stadium's entire existence.
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
Lore & Background
Besides serving as the home field for the Buccaneers and the Bulls, the facility has been the site of three Super Bowls: XXXV in 2001, XLIII in 2009, and LV in 2021, the third of which the Buccaneers became the first team in NFL history both to play and to win a Super Bowl on their home field. In college football, Raymond James Stadium is the home of the annual ReliaQuest Bowl (since 1999) and Gasparilla Bowl (since 2018), hosted the ACC Championship Game in 2008 and 2009, and was the site of the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2017. Additionally, the stadium has hosted a wide variety of non-football events, including soccer matches, equestrian sports competitions, monster truck shows, and large concerts. It was also the site of WrestleMania 37 in April 2021.
Reader's Guide
The stadium officially opened on September 20, 1998, when the Buccaneers defeated the Bears, 27–15. It hosted its first Major League Soccer match on March 20, 1999, after the Tampa Bay Mutiny relocated from Houlihan's Stadium; the Mutiny lost their first match at Raymond James 5–2 to D.C. United with 16,872 in attendance. The Mutiny folded after the 2001 season. They played their last home match on September 9, 2001, a 2–1 loss to the Columbus Crew. The team had an average attendance of 10,479 per match in their final season at Raymond James Stadium. In April 2003, the Tampa Sports Authority proposed passing ownership of the stadium to Hillsborough County to avoid paying property taxes. The dispute continued until December 2003, when the county legally declared the stadium a condominium and took ownership. As part of the change, the Bucs were given ownership of portions of the structure. To win the Bucs' approval, the county agreed to refund the team's resultant property tax payments annually. After a nearly two-year legal battle, the Tampa Sports Authority came to a settlement with Hussey Seating. Roughly 50,000 Hussey-manufactured seats at Raymond James Stadium began to fade from their original red color to a shade of washed-out pink. The Buccaneers organization pleaded to the TSA to sue the seating manufacturing company for the cost to replace the affected chairs in 2003. Initially, in May 2004, after testing samples of the seats, Hussey Seating did not find any cause for the fading. After the TSA cited a portion of the warranty which stated that Hussey would replace seats if any fading were to occur, Hussey president Tim Hussey admitted an error in the research and eventually came to a $1.5 million agreement with the TSA to replace the problem seats. The seat-fading occurred due to a manufacturing error by Hussey, as a UV inhibitor was forgotten in the mixture used to create the seats. All of the problem seats were replaced by new, non–pink seats in the spring of 2006. In December 2015, the Buccaneers and the Tampa Sports Authority reached an agreement to complete over $100 million in improvements and renovations to the stadium. Renovations began in January 2016, and the first phase was complete in time for the 2016 football season.
Origins and Controversial Financing
After purchasing the Buccaneers in 1995, Malcolm Glazer declared 28-year-old Tampa Stadium inadequate and began lobbying for a replacement. The city and county unveiled a $168 million plan paid for by rental car surtaxes and event fees, but the Glazers rejected it within hours. They threatened to move the team and met with officials from other cities. In early 1996, a 'Community Investment Tax'—a 30-year half-cent sales tax increase—was proposed for public improvements and a new stadium. The tax required a public referendum scheduled for September. The team promoted the plan heavily, and Glazer promised to pay half the cost if fans put down 50,000 deposits on 10-year season tickets priced $190 to $2,500. Former mayor Bill Poe sued to halt the referendum, claiming the tax violated Florida's constitutional ban on public support for private companies. His objections were rejected. Polls showed limited support due to negative reactions to the Glazers' tactics. Stadium proponents launched a media blitz emphasizing the tax's impact on schools and roads. On September 3, 1996, the measure passed 53% to 47%. The season ticket deposit drive fell 17,000 short of the 50,000 goal, Glazer's offer to pay half was withdrawn, and the stadium was built entirely at public expense. The lease had the government paying most operating costs while the team kept almost all event proceeds. Poe challenged the lease in court; a local court ruled in his favor, but the Florida Supreme Court ruled the lease constitutional because the stadium provided a 'public benefit.'
Architectural Identity and Capacity
The stadium opened September 20, 1998, with a seating capacity of 69,218 for most sporting events, expandable to about 75,000 with temporary seating. Its defining feature is the 103-foot, 43-ton steel-and-concrete replica pirate ship in the north end zone. The cannons fire for each point scored, when the team enters the red zone, and during pre-game introductions. The song 'Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)' plays over the PA system, and patrons on the ship throw beads, T-shirts, and prizes. An animated parrot on the stern, controlled by radio and remote, picks out fans and talks to them. The naming rights have been held by Raymond James Financial since 1998, extended for 10 years in 2006 and again in 2016, currently set to expire in 2027. In 2006, roughly 50,000 seats that had faded from red to pink were replaced after a $1.5 million settlement with manufacturer Hussey Seating, due to a missing UV inhibitor in the plastic mixture.
Historic Football Milestones
Raymond James Stadium has hosted three Super Bowls: XXXV in 2001, XLIII in 2009, and LV in 2021. At Super Bowl LV, the Buccaneers became the first team in NFL history to both play and win a Super Bowl on their home field. The stadium has hosted the annual ReliaQuest Bowl since 1999 and the Gasparilla Bowl since 2018. It hosted the ACC Championship Game in 2008 and 2009, and the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2017.
Diverse Event Portfolio
The stadium hosted its first Major League Soccer match on March 20, 1999, when the Tampa Bay Mutiny lost 5-2 to D.C. United with 16,872 in attendance. The Mutiny folded after the 2001 season due to declining revenue and a lease that gave them no money from parking or concessions. Their last home match was September 9, 2001, a 2-1 loss to the Columbus Crew, with an average attendance of 10,479 that final season. The stadium has also hosted equestrian sports competitions, monster truck shows, large concerts, and WrestleMania 37 in April 2021.
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